Key takeaways:
- What’s a hashtag, anyway?
- The benefits of using hashtags
- How to use hashtags effectively
- Make ‘em work for you!
- Popular tags for coaches & consultants
- Fun tags for days of the week
- LinkedIn – a different beast
- Hashtag trivia
Hashtag: a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet) -Merriam-Webster
In practical terms, hashtags allow social media users to group together conversations or content focused on a particular topic. This makes it easier for people to identify content that’s relevant to them.
Sounds simple enough, right?
If you’re a coach or consultant who wants to best leverage the power of octothorpes, read on…
Quick Review: The Benefits of Using Hashtags
Some of our coaching and consultant clients ask whether hashtags still matter today. Since the humble beginnings of the first hashtag way back in 2007, they’ve come a long way.
Once widely associated with Twitter, hashtags can be used on almost any social media platform today (though they remain most popular on Twitter & Instagram, according to Hootsuite).
And, yes! Hashtags are absolutely still relevant – maybe more than ever. In fact, they should be a key component of your marketing strategy.
Some of the many benefits of using hashtags include:
- Increased exposure/brand awareness
- Interaction encouragement
- Expansion of your audience
- Boosted SEO for your posts
- Analyzing competitors & trends
- Leveraged popular topics
- …and more!
How to Use Hashtags Effectively: 5 Easy Strategies
Some of our clients aren’t sure how to best use hashtags in their social media marketing efforts, but it’s actually not too complicated. Just follow a few simple strategies, and you’ll become a hashtagging pro in no time:
#1) Think precise. For example, #businesscoach instead of just #coach.
#2) Be relevant. Your goal should be connecting with your audience – not just some random folks to swap likes and follows with.
#3) Consider branded hashtags. This can be an effective marketing strategy, and a great way to monitor performance.
#4) Check out your competition. What hashtags are they using? Think about incorporating some of their strategies in your own efforts.
#5) Don’t overuse hashtags: know the optimal number to use per social media platform. Hootsuite recommends:
- 1-5 for LinkedIn (the most popular platform for our coaching & consultant clients)
- 1-2 for Twitter
- 3-5 for Instagram
- 2-3 for Facebook
- 3-5 for YouTube
Now Comes the Fun Part…Make Hashtags Work For You!
Need some popular hashtags for coaches? Try these ideas:
#businesscoach #business #businessowner #businesstips #entrepreneurship #success #motivation #lifecoach #businesscoaching #coaching #businesswoman #entrepreneurlife #businessman #coach #smallbusiness #womeninbusiness #mindset #businesslife #businessowners #businessminded #businessopportunity #businessgrowth #businesswomen #entrepreneurmindset #businessquotes #leadership #entrepreneurs #bhfyp
How about top hashtags for consultants? Here are some:
#consultant #business #consulting #entrepreneur #marketing #smallbusiness #motivation #coach #management #coaching #success #leadership #training #consultancy #finance #branding #education #startup #covid #design #businessconsulting #businessowner #technology #konsultan #accounting #love #digitalmarketing #realestate #strategy
As you can see, there is definitely some overlap.
Need more inspo? Here are other tag ideas:
#money #startup #businesspassion #digitalmarketing #businessmentor #goals #onlinebusiness #businessstrategy #mentor #bossbabe #girlboss #personaldevelopment #businessideas #businessmindset #femaleentrepreneur #successmindset #businessconsultant #successcoach #womensupportingwomen #mindsetcoach #smallbusinessowner #entrepreneurlifestyle #businessgoals #millionairemindset #businessdevelopment #motivationalquotes #lifecoaching #workfromhome #financialfreedom #growyourbusiness
Have Fun with Hashtags for Each Day of the Week
Bonus! These are also among the top trending tags. Make sure to do your research first – it can help you avoid unintended “surprises.”
For example, many experts recommend testing on FB with 1 or 2 hashtags (if you use that platform) because it’s thought hashtags may actually shrink your reach.
Here is a great cheat sheet with popular hashtags for every single day. From #MondayMotivation to #SundayFunday, get your creativity on to engage your audience by helping them relate to your content.
When it Comes to Octothorpes, LinkedIn is a Different Beast…
It’s worth special mention, because most of our professional coach and consultant clients favor LinkedIn:
Hashtags that are hot on other social media platforms may not be ideal for LI.
LinkedIn, as you likely know, is a professional network. So keep your hashtags that way, too – educational, helpful, current.
Think nerdy, not naughty 😊
That said, here are the top 20 LinkedIn hashtags for 2023, according to Hootsuite:
- #India – 67.6 million
- #Innovation – 38.8 million
- #Management – 36 million
- #HumanResources – 33.2 million
- #DigitalMarketing – 27.4 million
- #Technology – 26.4 million
- #Creativity – 25.2 million
- #Future – 24.6 million
- #Futurism – 23.5 million
- #Entrepreneurship – 22.7 million
- #Careers – 22.5 million
- #Markets – 22.2 million
- #Startups – 21.2 million
- #Marketing – 20.3 million
- #SocialMedia – 19.7 million
- #VentureCapital – 19.3 million
- #SocialNetworking – 19 million
- #LeanStartups – 19 million
- #Economy – 18.7 million
- #Economics – 18 million
Given the ever-changing nature of social media, there is no definitive list, so consider this as a guide only and expect to see various shifts in what’s trending.
We’ll Close With a Little Trivia…
Know who is the official modern day “inventor” of the hashtag as we know it – digitally, at least?
Chris Messina, who said:
“I didn’t create this idea for Twitter, I created this idea for the Internet and I wanted anybody who could write text on the Internet to be able to participate in global conversations.”
There you have it…the humble hashtag.
Not sure how to best integrate the use of hashtags in your social media marketing strategy? Don’t have time? We’ve gotcha covered! Reach out to Marketecs to see how we can help you create a winning social media plan.
