How to Use Hashtags Effectively in Digital Marketing
By EmoryDay
May 20, 2025
7 Minute Read
Hashtags have become a staple in digital marketing, playing a vital role in expanding reach, boosting engagement, and connecting with targeted audiences.
And, when used strategically, hashtags can enhance your brand visibility across the different social media platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok. However, without a clear strategy, using hashtags can fall flat.
In this post, we will explore what exactly hashtags are, why you should use them in the first place, and some helpful tips for using them strategically.
What is a Hashtag, Anyway?
Think of hashtags as the digital glue that holds social media conversations together. Defined by Digital Marketing Institute as “a word or keyword phrase preceded by the hash (#) symbol,” hashtags turn ordinary words into clickable connections that link your post to a broader topic or trend. In other words, they help the right people discover your content at the right time.
How Do Hashtags Work?
Hashtags act like content magnets. When used strategically and correctly, they help organize and categorize your posts, making them more discoverable to users searching for those specific topics. As Digital Marketing Institute puts it, they “categorize relevant pieces of content and boost their visibility and help your "readers find the information they are seeking based on keywords and phrases.”
The result? Greater reach, higher engagement, and more eyes on your brand.
Why You Should Use Hashtags
As mentioned earlier, hashtags are a powerful tool for promoting your brand on social media. They help your content get discovered, boost engagement, and increase overall brand awareness. In fact, Forbes highlights that hashtags “can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to increase their online presence.”
Additionally, Digital Marketing Institute reports that “15% of consumers now prefer to search on social media over search engines, and 31% use social platforms to find answers to their questions.” This shift in behavior makes strategic hashtag use more important than ever—helping your brand show up where your audience is actively searching and engaging.
Using Hashtags
results in greater reach, higher engagement and more eyes on your brand
How to Use Hashtags Like a Pro
Ready to turn those little pound signs into powerful marketing tools? Here are 6 smart and simple hashtag strategy tips to help maximize your reach, engagement, and brand impact.
1. Know the platform.
How you use hashtags should depend on where you're posting. Each social platform has its own hashtag etiquette. For example, Instagram loves a mix of broad and niche tags, while LinkedIn keeps things more buttoned-up with a few focused keywords. X (formerly Twitter) is all about jumping on fast-moving trends, and TikTok thrives on viral, community-driven tags.
To help you use hashtags like a pro, Sprout Social recommends these platform-specific sweet spots:
- LinkedIn: 2–3 professional, topic-specific hashtags
- X (Twitter): 1–2 trending or high-impact hashtags
- TikTok: 3–5 engaging, viral-friendly tags
- Facebook: 1–2 hashtags—keep it simple
- YouTube: 3–5 in the description + 1–2 in the title for extra discoverability
- Pinterest: No official rules—use your best judgment, but when in doubt, less is more
2. Keep hashtags detailed and specific.
Digital Marketing Institute explains that using “hashtags that are detailed and specific will lead to better results than broad or general ones.”
Why? Because specific hashtags help you reach a focused, relevant audience—people who are actually looking for what you offer.
While it might be tempting to rely on broad tags like #marketing or #business, those high-volume hashtags are used millions of times and rarely lead to meaningful engagement.
At EmoryDay, we don't just tag our posts with #Marketing and call it a day. We get more specific by using #Digital Marketing along with some even more specific hashtags that relate to our topics.
For instance, for this post, since we are talking about how to use hashtags, we will use #DigitalMarketing, #MarketingTips, #HashtagStragety, and #HowToUseHashtags. These targeted hashtags will not only help us reach the right audience, but they also increase our chances of engagement, shares, and even lead generation.
3. Create branded hashtags.
If you want buzz around your business, try branded hashtags that are specific to your company. You can create them around your brand, products, services, or even marketing campaigns.
According to Sprout Social, “Branded hashtags increase visibility, clicks, mentions and overall reach.” They’re a powerhouse for engagement and community-building
Here’s how to create branded hashtags that works:
- Unique: Make sure no one else is using it—own your space.
- Memorable: Make them short, catchy, and easy to spell.
- Consistent: Use it across campaigns to create brand cohesion and recognition.
Another great way to expand your reach with branded hashtags is to encourage your audience to use them in social media posts or any user-generated content they create.
4. Research what’s already working.
Checking out what your competitors and industry leaders are doing with their hashtags is a great way to get ideas for your own. Tools like Hashtagify, RiteTag, or even Instagram’s search bar can give you insights into hashtag popularity and usage trends.
5. Don’t go overboard.
Too many hashtags can feel spammy and hurt your credibility. This is why it’s so important to know your platforms and the ideal number of hashtags for each one.
6. Track and analyze the performance of your hashtags.
Always measure the effectiveness of your hashtag strategy so you know whether or not they are working. Look at key metrics like reach, impressions, engagement, and click-throughs to understand what’s working and what isn’t.
Sprout Social also suggests monitoring the popularity of your hashtags, so you know how many people are using them. They also stress the importance of looking at how many people are liking, sharing, or commenting on posts that contain your hashtags.
Resources
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-hashtags-in-social-media
EmoryDay Can Help Create a Hashtag Strategy for Your Business.
At EmoryDay, we help businesses, like yours, navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
Need help creating a hashtag strategy that aligns with your marketing goals? EmoryDay specializes in smart, data-driven digital marketing strategies that move the needle.
Reach out to us today to see how we can help grow your business.
If you have any questions about our digital marketing services, just fill out our contact form or give us a call at (888)494-3810.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hashtags help expand your reach, increase engagement, and make your content more discoverable to the right audience. They act as content categorization tools that link your posts to trending or relevant topics, helping boost visibility across various social media platforms.
Each platform has different best practices:
-
Instagram: 3–5 targeted hashtags
-
LinkedIn: 2–3 professional, topic-specific hashtags
-
X (formerly Twitter): 1–2 trending or impactful hashtags
-
TikTok: 3–5 viral-friendly hashtags
-
Facebook: 1–2 simple hashtags
-
YouTube: 3–5 in the description + 1–2 in the title
-
Pinterest: Use sparingly, based on context
Effective hashtags are specific, relevant, and targeted. Avoid overly broad terms like #marketing and instead use more focused tags like #DigitalMarketing or #MarketingTips. This ensures your content reaches users who are genuinely interested in your topic.
Use analytics tools (like Sprout Social or native platform insights) to track key metrics such as reach, impressions, engagement rates, and click-throughs. Also, monitor the popularity and usage of your chosen hashtags to continually refine your strategy.
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