Hashtag 101

One of the most popular questions we get asked is ‘why do I need hashtags?’ 

Our answer is always ‘Because they work’. 

Hashtags help increase your social media presence by making your content searchable to anyone and that means your content can be found by interested people far beyond just your followers.

Still not sure?

By using hashtags to zero in on high-traffic conversations (search trending hashtags to see what’s popular!), you have the chance to put the spotlight on your organisation. 

And who doesn’t want more eyeballs on their content? The flow on effect is more traffic, greater visibility and more followers!

In short – when done well, hashtags can drastically boost engagement in your social media accounts.

The best part is figuring out what hashtags to use and how to use them is actually quite simple.

If it’s pushing you out of your comfort zone here are some tips and ideas to help you get started:

• Hashtags make content searchable and are used across Twitter and Instagram
• Latest feedback shows a mix of 11 trending and organic hashtags on Instagram returns best engagement
• Two hashtags per Tweet is current best practise
• If you’d like to get more donations using hashtas, you can inspire your supporters to donate through a community initiative like a ‘virtual’ dinner, physical challenge or event and then ask them to share their experience with their friends using a hashtag you’ve created
• When creating hashtags, keep it short, simple, memorable and try your best to tap into a feeling of personal connection with your fans
• Think big but don’t wear yourself out trying to create a hashtag that will spark a movement – momentum builds over time!
• Jump on trends. Every now and again the stars and moon align and you only have a short window to pull together a campaign. So, if something starts trending and it’s in your wheelhouse – be ready to act
• If you’re just looking to build your likes, shares, and followers, using popular hashtags can definitely give you that – just don’t expect to go viral
• Look at hashtags included in posts from other organisations you follow and join the conversation by including those tags in your own posts
• Include hashtags as part of your message. For example, “You can #supportus by clicking the link” 
• Get creative with custom hashtags for an event or campaign name. This is an easy way to boost attendance and participation, especially if used consistently leading up to the event
• Looking for even more followers? Join a global conversation by using some of the most popular hashtag trends on Twitter and Instagram including:
  • • • #MCM (man crush Monday) and #WCW (woman crush Wednesday) are great tags for posts about awesome men and women who volunteer with, support, or inspire you
      • #transformationtuesday is intended to show change over time, usually with two pictures side by side. Get creative with this one to show how you’ve grown as an organisation or add project before-and-afters
      • #tbt (throwback Thursday) and #fbf (flashback Friday) are opportunities to post any sort of nostalgic content from last week, last year, or last decade

Depending on your niche there are so many hashtags you can use – you just have to do some searching! 

To keep your hashtags fresh, you can use Instagram’s search feature, browse your feed or mine for hashtags simply by looking through content that is relevant to your organisation.

Happy hashtagging!