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#Winning: 10 Hashtag Hacks to Make Your Posts Pop

Kim McNerney • October 28, 2024

The hashtag dilemma…if you are caught somewhere in between love and hate of these tiny but mighty content gems, #ReadOn!

Believe it or not, hashtags can help take your brand from a hidden gem to a local staple, whether you're a social media pro or just trying to keep your company visible. As a leading social media agency based out of Perrysburg, Ohio, KAE Social understands the tremendous impact effective hashtag usage can have.  Read on to learn how they can help enhance your visibility AND engagement from Toledo to Cincinnati to Columbus and everywhere in between. 🚗💥

Here are ten of our favorite hashtag hacks designed to ensure your posts not only POP but also zoro in on your potential customer’s intent and interests. 🔽


1. Keep things Relevant and Simple

Choosing the right hashtags involves balancing relevance and simplicity. Stick to tags that are easy for your audience to remember and search, avoiding overly complicated or obscure hashtags that can dilute your message (as soon as someone spells it wrong, you miss out!) We love Hashtagify to help you easily find the most relevant hashtags to increase your content’s reach and engagement. #KISS


2. Mix Popular and Niche Tags

A strategic mix of high-volume and niche hashtags can dramatically increase the reach of your posts. Popular hashtags bring wide visibility, while niche tags, like those specific to Ohio or Perrysburg can connect you with a targeted audience more likely to engage with your content right away. Everyone from Ohio knows #OH-IO and if you live in Perrysburg, you know that you could use #Pburg to show you're truly local.  AI won’t know that, am I right?~ 🤔


3. Create Brand-Specific Hashtags

Develop unique hashtags that reflect your brand’s identity to build a community and create a sense of belonging among your followers. We know this can be easier said than done… and building a living breathing community in itself is a massive skill to learn! With that being said, developing brand identity within a community (think #swifties) who then uses these hashtags in their posts organically increases visibility and can create a rich archive of user-generated content. This takes time, but it is worth a shot, right?! 🎤 #KAE4theWin


4. Capitalize Each Word for Readability

Sometimes, it’s the simple things that can make a big difference. Improve the readability of your hashtags by capitalizing the first letter of each word in them. This makes them easier to read at a glance and reduces the risk of misinterpretation, making your tags more accessible and engaging. Better yet, make a list with them already capitalized so that all you have to do is cut and paste! #LifeHack 💯


5. Limit your Number of Hashtags per Post

So, you might have noticed that some platforms like Instagram allow for up to 30 hashtags per post! Does that mean that is the right number to use? Absolutely not. Sometimes less is more, and in reality, using too many can seem desperate or confusing. We recommend using only 3-5 hashtags per post, depending. The safest bet is to be deliberate about your hashtags and make sure they align with your content.  Remember- you have to keep the platforms and algorithms happy too! 🔢#ContentMatters #SorryForAllTheHashtags 


6. Leverage Trending Topics

Sometimes the best thing that you can do is follow what others are doing! Participate in trending hashtag topics (when appropriate) to get your content in front of a larger, more active audience. Regularly check platforms like Twitter and TikTok to identify trends that align with your brand and can bring the right surge of traffic to your page. 💻 #Trending


7. Analyze Your Hashtag Strategy Like a Social Media Agency

We might love emojis 💜🛍️, but we also love facts ✅. And the fact is, we don’t approve of spending time on anything unless it’s data driven. Make sure you monitor which hashtags perform best using tools like Keyhole or Socialbakers. This data-driven approach allows you to refine your strategy, ensuring you use the most effective tags to connect with your target audience. This allows you to stop guessing, and start monitoring! 🔢


8. Use Hashtags in your Stories and Bios

Expand your hashtag strategy beyond posts by adding them into your stories and bio. This makes these elements more discoverable in search, extending your reach and enhancing your profile’s visibility. Stories are becoming more and more of a method to get in front of a larger amount of your following, and hashtags can help to drive your message home. #MindBlown 🤯


9. Use Interactive Polls with Hashtags

Boost engagement and visibility by using interactive polls that encourage followers to use a specific hashtag. This fun interaction not only increases your content's reach but also strengthens your community building and can make an event or fundraiser even more memorable.🧑‍🏫 Create something unique to your business, ask a question and watch the results roll in.  #FunForAllAges 


10. Scheduling Tools

Optimize the timing of your posts using scheduling tools like Buffer or Meta Business. These tools help automate your posting schedule, but also make suggestions that can help you time your posts for the most engagement. Coordinate with Canva to help make appropriate sized images for your posts on each social platform for a completely polished thread!

If these 10 tips inspired you…..wonderful! If they left you feeling more overwhelmed and stressed than when you work up this morning, Contact us for a free consult and tell us about your business goals.  We can help.  🆘

We specialize in creating digital strategies that are fun, engaging, and most importantly drive results for all of our Ohio business owners in our Perrysburg community and beyond!

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