Over the last 10 years or so, marketing using hashtags has exploded thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
This tiny, seemingly inconsequential hashtag symbol “#” has the power to turn words into communities, movements, events, and social images, driving marketing strategy and branding worldwide.
What is the purpose of using hashtags?
To keep it simple, a hashtag is the symbol “#” with a word next to it, such as #travel. In social media platforms, users add a trackable hashtag keyword within a message that organizes all related content associated with that particular hashtag. Users can easily discover all content related to the hashtag by performing a quick search.
Here are some examples of popular hashtags:
Community Hashtags: #BostonStrong
Movement Hashtags: #BlackLivesMatter
Event Hashtags: #Superbowl
Branded Hashtags: #ShareACoke by Coca-Cola
Brands can use their company or product names to track user engagement and user-generated content through branded hashtags. Companies also use hashtag campaigns to create brand awareness and expand their following.
There are so many hashtags out there. How do you decide which one to incorporate into your marketing strategy? And how do you track the hashtags you choose? Below, we will discuss 3 of the best free hashtag research tools to help improve your hashtag marketing efforts: hashtag generator, hashtag aggregator, hashtag analytics.
Free Hashtag Generator
Hashtagify
Hashtagify has been around for quite some time now and is one of the best tools for searching and identifying trending hashtags.
Using their free hashtag search tool, you can type in your desired word and it will display hashtag stats about its related hashtags, hashtag reach, its trend over time, the hashtag popularity, and most active influencers. The hashtag generator also shows the top languages and countries using that hashtag. Here is an example using #travel.
For additional features such as hashtag tracking, 2 months of data storage, and full access to rankings of the most popular hashtags, their Personal hashtag generator subscription starts at $19/month.
Free Hashtag Aggregator
Juicer’s Social Media Aggregator
So you’ve found your ultimate hashtag using the hashtag generator tool, and now you want to incorporate it into your marketing strategy and social media. One great way to track hashtags and promote your hashtag marketing campaigns is to use a social media aggregator.
A social media aggregator curates hashtagged content from all of your favorite social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc) into one social feed that can be embedded into your website.
You can display your social media posts on your web pages, giving visitors more insight into your brand or positive user-generated content from fans and hashtags.
So, if your favorite social channel is Twitter, you can simply use Juicer as a Twitter Aggregator to collect all of your desired hashtags and tweets into the Juicer feed to be displayed on your website. Let’s look at an example.
Sign up for a Juicer account, then, from the dashboard panel on the left-hand side, “Add Social Media Source”. Choose the Hashtag icon, which will display a list of hashtag sources available, such as Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Any social media posts associated with the tracked hashtags you choose will be aggregated into your Juicer feed. Luckily, Juicer’s hashtag tracker offers a moderation and filter feature that allows you to control what gets displayed live on your feed.
Juicer’s starter plan offers free hashtag tracking, but the moderation and filter features are available in the Medium Plan for $19/month as well as having the option of adding 5 different social media sources or hashtags into your feed.
Hashtag aggregator for events
Using a hashtag tracking tool such as Juicer is also awesome for events! With Juicer, you can create a live social wall that will display your guests’ content as they hashtag your event on social media through photos and posts.
Free Hashtag Analytics
Keyhole
For detailed hashtag tracking and hashtag analytics, Keyhole is a fantastic tool. Using Keyhole’s free hashtag research tool, you can get real-time data on analytics of hashtags such as demographics, types of posts, users, devices, reach, and impressions. Here is what a free hashtag search on Keyhole looks like.
If you want more in-depth analytics and hashtag tracking, you can trial Keyhole free for 7 days for any of their paid plans. After that their Professional package starts at $74/month for tracking hashtags for 6 different keywords or phrases, tracking of 10 influencers, as well as Twitter and Instagram hashtag analytics.
Quick Tips for Hashtag Success
Now that you’re armed with some great tools, here are a few useful tips for successful hashtag marketing:
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Use branded hashtags
In order to create buzz around your brand, turn it into a hashtag and build your social strategy around it. Use your hashtags in other forms of marketing to spread the word such as your website, emails, and any printed advertising. Also, consistency is important when using a branded hashtag. -
What’s trending on social media, and how can you contribute?
Search for trending topics (Twitter is an excellent resource for this) and find hashtags that are related to your brand. Monitor for trending hashtags and join the conversation using the trending hashtags. It’s a great way to expand your reach and get more visibility for your brand. -
Twitter vs. Instagram: Know Your Social Platform
While both Twitter and Instagram are popular sites for hashtag use, it’s important to understand the etiquette and rules for each. For example, Instagram posts with 8-10 hashtags perform well, while on Twitter, 1-2 hashtags are best for engagement.
If you want to be successful on Instagram or Twitter, learning how to use hashtags and developing a solid marketing strategy is important. We hope this article has provided you with some great hashtag tools to help you manage your hashtag marketing efforts. Which free hashtag research tools have you tried?
