Most present-day entrepreneurs and marketers consider hashtag marketing to be a standard practise.

But back then, not many people knew what a hashtag was or how to properly use one.

Furthermore, only a small number of people at the time understood the commercial potential of hashtags. Knowing the origins of hashtags and their original inventors is crucial for grasping the current system’s inner workings. Learn the backstory and insider tips of social media hashtag marketing right now.

A Brief Overview of Hashtags

Many people believe that Twitter is responsible for the creation of the hashtag, despite the fact that the concept has been there since 1988, when Internet Chat (IRC) was a thing and people used them to collect and categorise photographs, videos, conversations, and other content.

Chris Messina pioneered the use of the hash symbol (#) to turn a word or phrase into a hashtag on Twitter in 2007. People were able to get up-to-date information on the disaster by using the hashtag #sandiegofire.

Stow Boyd, though, is credited for coining the term “hashtag” on his blog. Twitter first began using hashtags in 2009 and in 2009 provided a code that automatically created a hyperlink out of any word or phrase preceeded by the # symbol.

Twitter began showcasing the most popular hashtags on the platform at any one time in 2010. The terms “trending” and “trending topics” grew to be commonly used to refer to these top stories on social networks.

Hashtag Numbers

Hashtag marketing has its detractors, even though its proponents insist it is a proven method for expanding a brand’s online reach. Fortunately, there are a plethora of numbers that refute these doubters:

The use of hashtags on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram has been shown to increase engagement by as much as 12.6 percent.

It’s recommended to use no more than 9 hashtags each Instagram post, even if you’re allowed up to 30. Various research have determined different ideal hashtag counts for various social media networks.
The hashtag “#love” is by far the most used one on Instagram.
Use of 1-2 hashtags in a tweet increases its likelihood of being retweeted by 55%.

Trending Marketing Strategies

You should know some things about using hashtags efficiently in your social media advertising campaign now that you know where they came from and why they are significant. Here are a few suggestions for effective hashtag promotion:

Use the Appropriate Quantity: As was previously discussed, it’s crucial to be aware that different social media platforms require varying amounts of hashtag in your posts.

For Instagram, nine hashtags is the sweet spot; for Twitter, one to two; for Facebook, zero (surprise, although not everyone agrees on this); for Pinterest, zero; and for LinkedIn, two to three. While further research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn, the data presented here should provide you a good place to begin your exploration.
Hashtags should always be localised: many brands translate their contents and post translations in order to reach international consumers while also interacting with their local audiences.

Keep in mind, however, that localization of your hashtags is equally crucial in such circumstances. Online writing services, such as Online Writers Rating, employ expert writers who can assist you.
Follow the Success of Your Hashtag: Many of the hashtags you use will appear more than once in your posts.
Compare Various Metrics: This piece of advice is applicable to monitoring the success of both your hashtags and your individual posts. When trying to get a whole picture and figure out what has to be altered and what shouldn’t, it’s important to keep tabs on a number of different indicators.

You should monitor things like the hashtag’s level of popularity, the number of users who have used it, the number of people who have seen your post using the hashtag, and the number of people who interacted with it .

Conclusion

Hashtags, which have been around for slightly under two decades, have established themselves as a fixture in the digital marketing industry and are not going anywhere soon.

Learning the fundamentals of hashtag marketing will help you develop your following on social media quickly and significantly. If you’re looking for a social media marketing firm, we have lists of the finest ones and the best ones for startups.