#Hashtags are seen everywhere these days. If you are actively posting content on social media without hashtags, they could be the missing piece in your hotel’s social media strategy. Has the engagement rate on your hotel’s social media accounts plateaued? Are you struggling to reach new potential guests? Implementing hashtags into your social media content could help grow your hotel’s audience and boost engagement.
For those unfamiliar or in need of a quick refresher, the definition of a hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) on social media.
How can a symbol so simple help create an impact on your social media strategy? Adweek reports that posts to Instagram with at least one hashtag earn 12.6 percent more engagement than posts without a hashtag.
Where To Use #Hashtags
While hashtags are seen all over social media, it is important to use hashtags appropriately in order for them to have an impact on your hotel’s growth and engagement. Twitter and Instagram are two social media channels where hashtags have the most impact. Try to incorporate relevant hashtags into your copy (or in the comment section of your post on Instagram).
Hashtags can also be used on Facebook, but are best kept to a minimum as Facebook’s search feature does not function the same as Twitter and Instagram’s. Twitter does not have a hashtag limit, but be mindful of how many you use in your copy. Blue Magnet recommends using no more than three hashtags per tweet. Instagram allows users to include 30 hashtags per post; however, before you go hashtag crazy in your caption, consider adding your hashtags in a comment on the post instead of in your copy. This way, users can focus on your post caption rather than click on a hashtag and be taken away from your content.
Follow these do’s and don’ts to ensure your hashtags are enhancing your posts, not detracting from them.
How To Use #Hashtags on Social Media
Hashtag Do’s and Don’ts.
Using hashtags is simple, but we recommend the following best practices in order to get the most out of your social media posts.
Do’s
- Keep hashtags short and sweet. Limit hashtags to three words or less. (However, do not hashtag #random words just for the sake of adding a hashtag either).
- Use popular hashtags (i.e. #ThrowbackThursday) when applicable. Do not use popular hashtags just for the sake of trying to reach more people.
- Use hashtags that are relevant to the content you are posting. Maintaining relevance is important so users who search via hashtags can find your content more easily.
Don’ts
- Do no hashtag every single word in your caption. It is distracting, looks messy, and is unprofessional.
- Have more hashtags than words in your copy. Let your copy draw the readers in and keep hashtags purposeful.
- Capitalize all letters. Not only is IT FRUSTRATING TO READ LIKE THIS, but writing in all capital letters comes across as loud, as if the words were being shouted.
Brand Your Hotel’s Content With a Hashtag
Hashtags are excellent for generating engagement on social media and fostering a community with potential and previous guests of your hotel. Pro Tip: Create a unique hashtag for your hotel and encourage guests to use it when they share pictures of their trip on their social media.
An easy way to do this is use your hotel brand + location. For example, a DoubleTree hotel in Portland could use #DoubleTreePDX as their own, one-of-a-kind hashtag. Creating a personalized hashtag for your hotel is an incredible way to cultivate user-generated content.
If your hotel is apart of a brand, research the hashtags frequently used by your brand’s official social media profiles. Many hotel brands have curated a hashtag for all their hotel’s to use for sharing content on social media. For example, DoubleTree’s is #SweetWelcome, Embassy Suites uses #BringIt or #PrettyGreat, and Marriott is known for #TravelBrilliantly.
Do not miss an opportunity to incorporate official hashtags into your posts as this increases your chances of being re-shared by the brand’s social media channels, helps boost visibility, and can increase engagement.
Follow Hashtags on Social Media to Find UGC
Collecting user-generated content to add to your social media strategy can be difficult if you do not know how find it. Check with local CVB’s and research if the area your hotel is located in has its own hashtag.
For example, in San Luis Obispo “#ShareSLO” is a popular hashtag people share photos of the area with. The easiest and most efficient way to find the best UGC in your area is to search for the hashtag in the search bar on Twitter and Instagram. By doing so, you might even find photos of your hotel posted by guests!
Boost Your Hotel’s Social Presence
Hashtags, when used appropriately, can effectively make an impact on your hotel’s social media. Push your content out of a low engagement plateau by properly implementing hashtags into your copy (or in the comments on Instagram) to take your social media to the next level.
For more tips and tricks on how to improve your social media strategy, check out more articles on our blog or contact us.
