Hashtags Are Not Dead: How to Use Them Effectively on Instagram and Facebook in 2024

Safalta Expert Published by: Pushpendra Mishra Updated Fri, 12 Apr 2024 04:41 PM IST

Highlights

Posts that include 11+ hashtags have the highest interactions, with a 79.5% increase for accounts with less than 1,000 followers.
The key to getting the most out of hashtags on Facebook is using just one highly relevant hashtag per post.

Hashtags remain essential for brand visibility, engagement, and content discovery in the ever-changing social media ecosystem. Hashtags aren't going anywhere, despite what some people are saying. In 2024, hashtags are still very much in use and growing, especially on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, despite reports to the contrary. They may greatly increase your effect and reach when utilized wisely. We'll dive into the topic of hashtags in this in-depth tutorial, discussing their applicability in 2024 and offering helpful advice for optimizing their impact on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Instagram is considered by some to be the OG of hashtags because of how important they are to the platform.
  • Posts that include at least 1 hashtag get an average of 29% more interactions than accounts that have less than 1,000 total followers.
  • Posts that include 11+ hashtags have the highest interactions, with a 79.5% increase for accounts with less than 1,000 followers.
  • Instagram posts with at least one hashtag gain 12.6% more engagement than those without.
  • 88 percent of Instagram posts include at least one hashtag.
  • 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded.
  • Posts with 11 or more hashtags receive nearly 80% of the interaction, compared to just 22% when using 10 hashtags.
  • 48.7% of users rely on branded hashtags in their posts.
  • Facebook introduced hashtags to its site in 2013, and although their effectiveness is not as great as it is on other platforms, Facebook data nevertheless indicates that hashtags can increase engagement and reach.
  • Using only 1 hashtag in a post on Facebook results in an average of 593 engagements per post.
  • If you use 3 to 5 hashtags, the average engagement drops to 416, while posts with 6 to 10 hashtags receive an average engagement of 307.
  • The key to getting the most out of hashtags on Facebook is using just one highly relevant hashtag per post.

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Table of contents:

1. The Evolution of Hashtags
2. Why Hashtags Still Matter
3. Understanding Hashtags
4. The Best Ways to Create Hashtags 
5. Hashtag Strategies for Instagram
6. Hashtag Strategies for Facebook
7. Advanced Methods

The Evolution of Hashtags:

Originally, hashtags were metadata tags that were used to group discussions in early online forums and chat rooms. With the advent of Twitter in 2006, their importance increased as they were needed to manage discussions and keep tabs on trends while staying within the character restriction of the site. Hashtags were incorporated into social media culture as a result of Twitter's growing impact, and soon, Instagram and Facebook adopted them. Today's social media platforms depend heavily on hashtags for content discovery, community building, and brand marketing, demonstrating their ongoing significance and development in the digital era.
 


Why Hashtags Still Matter:

Discoverability: Hashtags act as navigational beacons in the massive ocean of social media material, pointing users toward pertinent postings among the cacophony. You may improve the exposure and accessibility of your material to potential consumers by adding relevant hashtags to it. 
 
Engagement: Research continuously demonstrates that postings with hashtags get more interaction than those that do not. Hashtags elicit dialogue, promote exchanges, and entice viewers to look through and participate in your material. 
 
Branding: Community development and brand identification are now closely associated with hashtags bearing a brand. You may encourage participation and a sense of community among your audience by coming up with original hashtags that are relevant to your business or campaign. 
 
Algorithm Boost: The best hashtags are rewarded by social media sites through increased exposure in feeds, and search results. The reach and exposure of your content may be greatly enhanced by the thoughtful use of hashtags, but it can also improve the following and interaction of customers.

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Understanding Hashtags:

Why Do We Use Hashtags? 
 
In essence, hashtags are words or sentences that have the "#" sign before them. They function as metadata tags that facilitate content discovery and exploration by classifying and organizing information according to common themes or subjects. 

Different Hashtag Types 
 
Branded hashtags: Branded hashtags are specific to your campaign or business and are frequently used to encourage community involvement and brand identification. 
Trending Hashtags: By leveraging well-liked subjects or current affairs, these hashtags let you participate in larger discussions and raise the exposure of your material. 
Niche Hashtags: These hashtags help you reach a more focused audience that is more likely to interact with your material by focusing on certain hobbies or communities.

 

The Best Ways to Create Hashtags:

Research Relevant Hashtags: Invest some time in finding appropriate hashtags to use instead of just throwing them on your posts at random. You may find popular and specialized hashtags relating to your content with the use of tools like Instagram's Explore page, third-party applications, and hashtag recommendation capabilities.
 
Combine Popular and specialty: To create a well-rounded hashtag strategy, use a combination of popular and specialty hashtags. Popular hashtags draw more attention to your post, but specialty hashtags focus on a more niche demographic that is more likely to interact with your material.
 
Keep It Brief: Although Instagram lets you use up to 30 hashtags in a post, using a ton of hashtags in your description might make it look spammy. To keep your list readable and visually appealing, try to keep it to no more than five or ten pertinent hashtags.
 
Create Branded Hashtags: Come up with a hashtag that is exclusive to your business or marketing initiative. Urge your readers to include it in their posts to promote community involvement and user-generated content. 

Remain relevant: Adapt your hashtag approach regularly to the subjects and trends of the day. To remain relevant and increase reach, keep an eye on popular hashtags and modify your content accordingly. 
 
Utilize Hashtags on Multiple Platforms: Don't confine your hashtag usage to Instagram alone. Hashtags are supported by Facebook as well, which can help your postings appear more prominently on the network. Cross-posting material with pertinent hashtags increases audience reach and guarantees consistency across platforms.

 

Hashtag Strategies for Instagram:

Looking Up Relevant Hashtags 
 
Use specialized resources and platforms to find popular and specialty hashtags associated with your content. Resources on hashtag performance and popularity include Later, Hashtagify, and All Hashtags. 

Combining Popular and Niche Tags 
 
Utilize a combination of trending and specialized hashtags in your posts to achieve a balance between wide appeal and a focused audience. By using this strategy, you can make sure that your content resonates with particular interest groups and reaches a wide audience. 
 
Creating Engaging Captions 
 
Make sure that the hashtags you include in your captions align with the general theme and style of your article. To keep your material readable and engaging, don't shove hashtags at the end of your descriptions; instead, include them organically. 

Making Use of Reels and Stories on Instagram 
 
By including relevant hashtags in your Instagram Stories and Reels, you may increase the reach of your content. Make use of tools like hashtag stickers and location tags to raise awareness and interaction with your material.


Hashtag Strategies for Facebook:


Combining Hashtags with Posts 
Hashtags are commonly associated with Instagram; however, Facebook also permits their usage. Add pertinent hashtags to your Facebook posts to make them more visible and easier to find using the network's search engine. 

Making Campaigns Using Hashtags 
 
Create and carry out hashtag campaigns based on certain subjects, occasions, or offers. By encouraging your followers to use your branded hashtags, you can promote user-generated content and community involvement. 

Promoting User-Generated Content
Promoting User-Generated Content By asking your followers to use your branded hashtags in their posts, you may encourage them to start creating content themselves. Not only can user-generated content increase brand loyalty, but it also acts as real social evidence for your goods or services.

Monitoring the performance of hashtags 
Utilize third-party services or the analytics tools offered by social media networks to keep an eye on the effectiveness of your hashtag campaigns. Monitor interaction metrics, such as likes, comments, and shares, to assess how well your hashtag strategy is working and make any necessary corrections.
 

Advanced Methods: 

Hashtag Analytics Tools: Advanced analytics tools such as Sprout Social or Hootsuite provide comprehensive insights on hashtag success, going beyond simple hashtag searches. These systems offer information on hashtag trends, audience demographics, and engagement metrics, enabling you to fine-tune your hashtag strategy through data-driven choices. 
 
Cross-Platform Consistency: To strengthen your brand identification and make it easier for your audience to find content, you must use hashtags consistently across all social media platforms. Utilizing consistent hashtags on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn helps you build a unified brand identity and increase exposure on many platforms. 


 
Working Together with Influencers: You may increase the effect and reach of your hashtag campaigns by collaborating with influencers in your field. Influencers are great friends for expanding the reach of your branded hashtags since they have loyal followers and a solid reputation. Working with influencers may help your company look more real on social media, attract a wider audience, and boost engagement. 
 
Seasonal and Event-Based Hashtags: Include seasonal and event-based hashtags in your content strategy to capitalize on holidays, cultural events, and popular subjects. By utilizing trending hashtags, you may increase the relevancy and exposure of your posts by participating in active conversations and capitalizing on current trends. Using seasonal or event-specific hashtags in your content, such as #WorldEnvironmentDay or #BlackFridayDeals, may increase interaction and increase traffic to your profiles on social media.
By putting these cutting-edge strategies into practice, you can take your hashtag strategy to the next level, increasing audience engagement, reaching a wider audience, and developing deep relationships. With the help of these strategies, you will be able to fully utilize hashtags as effective instruments for brand marketing, community development, and content discovery in the ever-changing social media space.
 
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Finally, the development of hashtags into essential tools for social media strategy shows how relevant they are even in the digital era. Despite their modest beginnings, they are today responsible for branding, engagement, and content discovery across platforms. Both people and companies may increase their internet presence by comprehending their subtleties and putting strategic ideas into practice. A dependable way to navigate the ever-shifting world of digital material is through hashtags. For optimum effect, embrace their power, adjust to trends, and make use of cutting-edge methods. They serve as doors to exploration and connection in addition to being symbols. Try using different hashtags to see how your internet presence grows in 2024 and beyond.

In 2024, will hashtags still be relevant? 

Indeed, hashtags will still be useful in 2024. They are essential to the branding, interaction, and discovery of material on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. 
 

For each post, how many hashtags should I use? 

Instagram lets you use up to 30 hashtags in a post, but in order to keep your post readable and look less spammy, try to stick to a short list of no more than 5–10 relevant hashtags. 
 

Do I use hashtags that are popular or specific? 

Using a combination of popular and specialized hashtags is effective. While niche hashtags focus on a more specialized audience that is more likely to interact with your content, popular hashtags boost visibility. 

Where can I look for relevant hashtags? 

Using resources like Instagram's Explore page, hashtag recommendation capabilities, third-party applications, and studying current topics in your area, you may identify suitable hashtags. 

Can I use hashtags on Facebook? 

On Facebook, hashtags are indeed usable. Adding pertinent hashtags to your Facebook posts will help them get more attention and interaction from users. 

How frequently should my hashtag strategy be updated? 

It's critical to adjust your hashtag strategy on a frequent basis to reflect emerging trends and subjects. To increase reach and interaction, keep an eye on popular hashtags, modify your material appropriately, and maintain relevance.

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