SOCIAL MEDIA
Continuing with the #HIIT
example, when you search
Twitter for this hashtag, you can
not only sort by top and live, but
also by the type of content, such
as photos or videos. The dropdown menu “More Options”
provides several more filter
options, such as searching by
location or accounts you already
follow. It’s also useful to look at
the left-hand sidebar, where you
can see related searches. The
related searches may be great
additional hashtag options that
could work for your posts.
Instagram Instant
Like Google Instant, Instagram
gives you instant results on
hashtag use as you compose
your post.
In an example for people
interested in fashion, searching
for terms related to “fashion”
leads to a few interesting
results. When you start to
type “#fashion,” you see a few
keywords in a pop-up. These may
get more engagement than the
original “#fashion” hashtag. Two
other hashtags, #fashionista and
#fashionblogger, have millions
of posts, which could allow you
to tap into the community of
Instagram users using those
hashtags. This is a great way to
find hashtags you may not have
initially considered or thought
would be popular.
Once you find the hashtags you
want to use in your post with
a few free tools, it’s time to
consider your specific audience.
You want to further narrow
down the hashtags that are going
to work best for your content.
Would You Search for that?
The tools listed above provide
you with a list of hashtags
that are a good place to start.
However, without knowing your
specific audience and how they
use social media, even the bestintentioned hashtags can cause
posts to fall by the wayside.
Visual Contenting
One question you should ask
with every hashtag you use is,
“Would I search for this?” Think
of yourself as your perfect
customer: How would you use
social media to find products,
content, or services you’re
interested in?
If you don’t think you would
search the hashtag “#HIIT”
on a regular basis, but you
use “#proof” or “#workout”—
whenever you post an aftersweat-fest selfie—then this
hashtag may work better for your
audience instead of something as
specific as “#HIIT.”
Check out the Trends
What about audiences that are
wider than something as specific
as work