Adding about 100 new followers a day is possible if you understand how to get more followers with Twitter hashtags. It isn’t simply a case of throwing out a few tweets per day and waiting for a flood of followers to come rolling in.
Twitter hashtags are among the most powerful features, but few people know how to use them well. While this can certainly be a helpful way to increase your following, there’s more to it than that.
In this article, I’ll go over how hashtags can help you grow your Twitter following, how to find trending hashtags, mistakes to avoid, and some popular Twitter hashtags you should be using.
See also: How To Get More Twitter Followers: 25 Effective Tips To Grow Your Following Fast
What is a Hashtag?
Hashtags are words that are preceded by the “#” sign. Any word that comes before a “#” sign becomes a hashtag. That means if you type in #iphone you will get tweets about iPhones, and so on.
What makes up a hashtag?
A number sign (#) preceding a word or combination (without space) of words. E.g, #yourbusiness, #yourbrand, #name, #location etc. Any word preceded by the number sign is a hashtag, and you’ve probably come across tons of them on different social media platforms.
A hashtag is a simple and easy way to categorize and label content on social media. When someone tags their content with a hashtag, anyone can then search for that information on various social media platforms.
Clicking on that hashtag will bring up all messages that have been tagged with it, even from people not following you.
Who Can Use Twitter Hashtag?
In 2009, Twitter introduced hashtags to its platform. It was a genius idea that’s made it easy for people to find relevant tweets and topics.
However, there have been some misconceptions as to who can use Twitter hashtags. You might think it’s only available to some set of people on Twitter, but that’s not true.
Everyone, anyone can use hashtags on Twitter, and in fact, it’s one of the most important elements of successful tweeting. If you aren’t actually using hashtags on your tweets, you’re missing out on a lot.
Here’s how it works:
When the hashtag appears in the message stream, all messages with that hashtag will appear on Twitter, regardless of who posted them.
Hashtags can be any word/s, though they are often a specific word preceded by the symbol #. In addition to words, hashtags can represent people (#ParisHilton), organizations (#cdc), or even emotions (#coolest).
As long as you separate your hashtags with space characters, there is no limit to how many you can use. However, that doesn’t mean you should spam everywhere with hashtags (more about this later).
Why Use Twitter Hashtag?
Whether you’re hosting an event, promoting a brand, showcasing new products or services, or advertising a sale, Twitter Hashtags are a great way to build excitement and ignite conversations.
Using the hashtag feature to promote a campaign or event is not only an effective way to get more exposure, but it’s also a great way to get more followers on Twitter.
With hashtags, you can promote your page, get more followers, track your analytics and marketing effectiveness and avoid annoying people like spammers who target general keywords in order to sneak into your tweet stream.
Every tweet that you create should be designed to have a chance to grow your audience and eventual sales.
Here are key reasons you should be using Twitter hashtags:
1. Build brand personality and awareness
Today, as brands use new and creative ways to try to engage with people, social media is an important place for them to be. On Twitter, like the rest of the Web, they can do this through hashtags.
A hashtag is a simple way for brands to reach new people in their ecosystem who may not have heard of them before. You can build awareness for your brand, product, or event through engaged Twitter conversations with the hashtag you designate.
When used properly, hashtags can prompt users to actively discuss a brand and create recognition with their followers. By using hashtags regularly in your marketing materials, consumers are more likely to want to learn more and engage further with your brand.
2. Cultivate a brand community
Twitter is more than just a place to post information. Hashtags can be used to cultivate a community of people who are interested in your company or product.
When used properly, they nurture a sense of community around your company and encourages people to participate in the conversation.
Standing out from the crowd is the best way to get noticed. Using a brand hashtag is one of the most cost-effective ways to build an online community around your brand’s message.
3. Deliver customer support and gather feedback
Whatever your company size, customer support is a huge challenge. However, it can be difficult to compare posts from different social media platforms to determine what’s going on.
Twitter Hashtag helps you provide the best customer support while gathering and analyzing user feedback. You can create hashtags based on your customers’ needs, monitor their use in real-time, and better understand your target market—all through a single interface.
When customers tweet your brand with a specific hashtag, you can instantly access it and respond in real-time.
4. Gain valuable customer insights
Twitter Hashtag is being used by companies to unlock the power of real-time customer insights. It helps businesses monitor the conversations and sentiments about their brands being discussed online.
With a Twitter hashtag, you can get deep insights to maximize the potential of your marketing campaigns and reach your audience with targeted, engaging messages.
See also: 12 Powerful Twitter Marketing Tools to Grow Your Audience
There’s been a lot of confusion lately over the use of hashtags and how they can be effectively used on Twitter. A hashtag allows you to connect your message with other people talking about a similar idea or topic.
You want people who see your tweet to understand that you’re referring to a connected topic or theme, and that you’re not just rambling on about something unique and specific to your own little world.
Here are effective ways to use Twitter Hashtags to gain more followers and boost your tweet’s engagement:
1. Do a pre-search
Pre searching can be the difference between reusing your original tweet versus just a retweet.
With a pre-search, you can better leverage hashtags by knowing who has tweeted with that hashtag and how many times it was used.
This allows you to make sure your tweet isn’t a duplicate, and most importantly, you can make sure the hashtag hasn’t just been added to the trending topics section.
2. Choose Relevant Hashtags
For effective use of Twitter hashtags, choose hashtags that are relevant to your topic or industry. This will ensure the widest possible reach for your posts.
You want a relevant and unique hashtag that you can identify your tweets with. Be specific and avoid using several tags that compete. Using related but less competitive tags can provide your message with more exposure.
3. Don’t Go Too Broad
When it comes to hashtags, you want to make the most of yours, so you can be found by people looking for your products or services. If you try to be too broad with your hashtags, it’s unlikely anyone is going to find you.
Going too broad is like shouting into the wind–it doesn’t work. Ensure to be more specific, and you will notice that people will find you more easily and interact with you more often.
4. Keep it Simple With Just One or Two Hashtags
You have a lot to share, but every character counts when you’re tweeting. In order to maximize your impact and get the most out of your tweets, it’s best to utilize just one or two hashtags per post rather than cramming in as many as possible. If you can’t say it using only one or two hashtags, consider if that tweet needs to be said on Twitter.
Too many hashtags can obliterate your Tweet and make you look like an amateurish, spammy social media user.
Keep your hashtag usage to one or two per post because that tends to increase engagement on your post by 21%. You lower engagement by almost 17% when you use three or more hashtags per tweet.
5. Hashtag Existing Words in Your Tweets
When you’re using a hashtag don’t simply tack it on at the end – include it within your tweet. Hashtags are about conversation and, if your tweet looks like a news story or sales message, people are less likely to engage with you.
Balance is everything, so include some text before the hashtag to tell people what they will get by clicking it.
As said earlier, it’s important not to overdo it. Stick to one or two relevant hashtags – more than that comes across as desperate.
6. Creatively Integrate Them Into Your Marketing Campaign
Social media is one of your greatest assets when it comes to generating leads. Whether you’re running a lead generation campaign, looking for an ingenious method to create brand awareness, or on the prowl for a novel way to upsell products or services, hashtags are the answer.
To generate quality leads, you need to integrate hashtags into your marketing campaign. They enable you to optimize your marketing campaign and communicate with your target audience, thus generating massive leads.
As you probably know, Twitter is filled with people trying to promote products or services in one form or another. The ability to use fun, trending hashtags will definitely boost your tweets and make you stand out.
However, what are the best tools out there that can help you find trending hashtags?
1. Hashtagify
Hashtagify is one of the leading tools to find trending Twitter hashtags. It finds trending hashtags in any location by just having to type in the main keyword or a hashtag, and it will display all the hashtags that have been used with it.
You can also search based on other parameters such as language, and you can even search for conversations among users.
Exploring hashtags on Hashtagify is easy and intuitive by helping find the right Twitter hashtags in an instant with a friendly interface.
2. Twitalyzer
Although Twitalyzer is a little more expensive than its competitors, however, Twitalyzer is hands down the best Twitter investigative analysis tool. Unlike other tools, Twitalyzer gathers all of the relevant data into one place for easy browsing and filtering.
It has an easy-to-use interface that lets you discover which hashtags are trending across the world.
Furthermore, the tool adds depth to your Twitter experience by letting you track your competitors’ followers, study the performance of influential Twitter accounts, and discover brand-new ones that are relevant to your business.
3. RiteTag
RiteTag is a Twitter Hashtag tool that offers the ability to search for specific hashtags or check the trending hashtags listed on Twitter. It is a great tool for discovering new trends and connecting with new audiences through hashtags.
Using RiteTag you can search all the most popular hashtags, create word clouds and use it to scan for trending hashtags. Whether you’re a small business owner or a social media marketing guru, RiteTag is designed to help you succeed in your campaign.
4. Trendsmap
Trendsmap is one of the best tools to find trending hashtags. The tool provides an interactive space for users to see real-time global trends, engage in conversations, and connect with other people using the same hashtags.
Whether you’re looking for trending hashtags, live events, or breaking news, it gives you the ability to check out what’s going on instantly in any part of the world.
5. Tagboard
Tagboard is a very unique tool with which you can easily find trending hashtags on Twitter. However, what sets it apart from many similar tools is that it gives you an angle to find trending hashtags in your niche field of interest and market.
Within no time, you can have an authentic conversation with any like-minded individuals interested in trending hashtags in the same niche.
See also: The Best 5 Free Instagram Analytics Tips
- #competition
- #influencer
- #influencermarketing
- #fridayfeeling
- #MondayMotivation
- #tbt
- #cryptocurrency
- #thursdaythoughts
- #traveltuesday
- #blessed
- #womensday
- #goals
- #vegan
- #fitness
- #science
- #fintech
How To Check The Relevancy of Your Twitter Hashtag
Checking the relevancy of your Twitter hashtag is one of the many things you need to consider when tweeting or launching your new campaign. The effectiveness of your campaign will depend on the reach and influence of the individuals using your hashtag.
If you are planning to use a hashtag for your next tweet or campaign, take a look at these tips to make sure it’s relevant to your business.
1. Check If It’s New or Old
To determine the relevancy of your Twitter hashtag, you must first figure out whether the new content associated with the tag is actually new or has been previously produced.
Look for old tweets that relate to your target audience, and ask yourself whether the new content would have been as popular had it been created yesterday.
Likewise, look for new tweets with similar topics and see if they are from actual users rather than paid advertising or third-party accounts.
2. Check What Hashtags Influencers Use
Monitor what hashtags influencers use to get a leg-up on what resonates with your target market. When influential figures in your industry or niche use the hashtag, there is a good chance it has relevance.
Also, you’ll be able to find out what other users using the same hashtag will share with their followers, as well as what their followers might find engaging.
See also: 9 Best Influencer Research Tools in 2020
Top Hashtag Mistakes To Avoid On Twitter
1. Not Researching Hashtags
With so many other brands and users using them on a daily basis, not researching hashtags before jumping on board could lead to campaigns being unfollowed or even worse, no one using the hashtag at all.
The fact of it being a potential waste of time is enough for many marketers and brands to look elsewhere, which makes properly researching hashtags an absolute must.
2. Ignoring Local Hashtags
Ignoring local hashtags is one of the most common mistakes that businesses make on Twitter. Just because they aren’t trending in your area doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them. In fact, it’s likely that the majority of the users for local hashtags are right around you.
3. Not Using Related Hashtags
Avoid using irrelevant hashtags that don’t relate to your content, brand, product, or service. One way to ensure you’re using related hashtags is to be part of a discussion already using a specific hashtag and engage in the conversation.
Be sure to re-tweet any valuable comments and promote positive feedback.
4. Using Too Many Hashtags In Your Tweets
When you use too many hashtags in your tweets, you come across as spammy. In fact, it could even make your followers question if they want to follow you at all.
If you want a better quality follower base, then definitely cut out the unnecessary hashtags. Anything more than two hashtags actually harms your tweeting credibility and can make you look silly.
5. Not Keeping Track Or Analyzing Hashtag Use
A successful hashtag strategy is all about monitoring the conversation surrounding your brand and engaging with consumers.
Letting your mind meander through your various activities on Twitter is a tactic that may help some, but if you want some real results from your use of hashtags, you need to know what works and what doesn’t.
You can use tools like RiteTag or Hashtagify to monitor and analyze the performance of your Twitter hashtags.
6. Not Using Hashtags at All
There’s no point in tweeting without hashtags. They’re what make you visible to people who aren’t following you, and more visible to your existing followers. If you don’t use hashtags, you’ll end up in a digital graveyard of low-engagement tweets.
Tweets are powerful and can quickly generate thousands of impressions. The more you use them, the more likely they are to become popular; however, this comes at a cost: You might not know when the right time is to use them.
If you are promoting a brand, an event, services, or products, those are the best time to leverage the power of hashtags. You can do this by using a hashtag for a particular campaign, or even by using a hashtag that represents the product itself.
Additionally, you could create a branded hashtag campaign to collect user-generated content and increase brand awareness.
How Do You Create Your Own Unique Twitter Hashtag?
1. Check if it exists
Creating a hashtag is free, but starting one that has already been previously used may create problems and confuse your followers.
Think up a hashtag that does not previously exist. Try to make it unique enough that it will not already get lost in with the millions of others. Be creative and make it easy to remember.
2. Consider the length
It’s not enough to have a good idea for a hashtag, you need to make sure it stays memorable and is easy for your audience to use. Choose your words carefully – Using misspelled words, gibberish, or punctuation within the hashtag will make it harder to read.
Stay away from long phrases, spaces, and symbols because these will stop the hashtag from being associated with your tweet.
3. Use capital letters
Although Twitter follows both lowercase and uppercase hashtags, capitalizing yours improves readability. Check out the two hashtags below:
- #socialmediamarketing
- #SocialMediaMarketing
Which one is more readable? Absolutely the second one. Aside from good readability, also, it minimizes the possibility of hashtags being misunderstood.
FAQs
Can I use a hashtag in my Twitter bio?
Yes. However, just like on other social media channels, you need to use hashtags thoughtfully. If the hashtag is being used in your bio for promotional reasons without any context and chatter surrounding it, it will not be effective.
Remember to keep Twitter bios concise and try to include a brief but informative description of yourself or your business in less than 160 characters.
What is tweet limit?
The tweet limit is the maximum number of characters you can use in a Twitter post. The tweet limit for Twitter depends on the Twitter account type/profile.
Initially, the limit was 140-character but Twitter has increased to 280-character. This means you can only be allowed to post a tweet if it’s more than 280 characters.
What is the purpose of a hashtag?
A hashtag is primarily used for social media to connect different users who had the same idea or thought in mind.
For instance, when you search #food on Twitter you find all the posts with that tag, then you can explore the world through those posts and see different people’s ideas and opinions.
Is it better to put hashtags in comments and caption on Twitter?
It’s best to put hashtags either as a comment or in the caption of Twitter, not both. Hashtags on photos get little response on Twitter because people don’t read captions that much. However, if the photo is good enough, then there will be enough reach to get it seen and shared.
What does TBT stand for?
TBT is an abbreviation that stands for Throwback Thursdays. It has been known as one of the most popular hashtags people use when posting old school pictures, videos, music, etc., anything really that’s old school and nostalgic.
Conclusion
In today’s world, there is no limit to what you can do with a social media account. Used correctly, Twitter hashtags can keep your content from falling into a black hole, and can better help people find your content.
The right combination of hashtags can generate a tremendous amount of engagement and leads. A good rule of thumb is not to overuse them.
You should use the most relevant hashtags in combination with your business name, industry keywords, or industry-related images. Make sure they are strategically placed within your posts so they grab people’s attention and keep them engaged.
If you liked this Twitter hashtags hack post, you might want to also leverage the power of Instagram by reading How To Get More Instagram Followers: 9 Essential Tips.