As tempting as it may be to hop onto a trending tag, it’s important to thoroughly research a hashtag and understand its use and popularity before you adopt it.
For example, you’re heading on a trip to Spain and want to share it with your (or your brand’s) followers. Do you tweet with #Spain, #Travel or #Ibiza or #Cruise or… all of the above? How do you decide?
“Hey Everyone! I’m headed to #Spain on a #cruise touring #ibiza #summer #vacation with #friends #coolshoes #suntan #sailing” looks like a lot of fun… and spam.
There’s a certain air of desperation in the tweet above. At best it’s lighthearted, at worst, it’s looking for #love in too many places.
Most Twitter Hashtags experts advise the prudent, judicious use of hashtags. Using more than one hashtag can be fine. The point here is relevancy. Obvious ploys to capture eyeballs using multiple tags are a red flag for savvy Twitter users.
Another popular scheme amongst less educated Twitter users is to find the MOST popular slightly “relevant” tags for your topic. Lists are popping up all over the place, ranking hashtags on Twitter and beyond. Search and you’ll find dozens of sites advising you how to pick the hottest hashtags. Some of these even offer “copy and paste” versions.
Tweeter beware!
More is not always more when your message matters. Attaching yourself to a “hot” or trending hashtag doesn’t necessarily lead to more eyeballs, and often the eyeballs you do garner from a hot or trending tag are not the ones you really wanted to begin with. Think critically and consider the following:
- Does this hashtag really pertain to my tweet?
- Am I using the official tag for this (topic, conference, industry etc)?
- Are people engaging (vs hopping on a trend) using this tag? Will my tweet be lost in the noise?
- Does someone else already “own” this hashtag?
- Is there a less popular but more engaged tag that might fit my tweet better?
- Is this a tag I can continue to use, and possibly build a following for?
How do you choose your hashtags? Need some help? Here’s 11 Tips from Hashtracking to Help You Choose the Right Hashtag.