All right, so the university of thought agrees: ENOUGH HASHTAGS!!!! If you’re done with the incessant hashtags across social media, you aren’t alone. Check out this Jimmy Fallon skit that made me and my team “#LOL”

Hashtags, when executed correctly are a valuable source in social media. They can localize your post, give meaning to your topic and help users search relevant ideas. You cannot, however, create relevant hashtags out of thin air! Every single one must be researched for effectiveness across each social media platform.

In an effort to clear the air on hashtags once and for all, here’s our take on hashtag research.

Facebook

Remember when hashtags weren’t valid on Facebook? This leading social media platform WAS late to the game, but we’ve got tricks to making sure you’re using these tags correctly. A few tips before the tutorial:

• Don’t use more than 2 or 3: massive hashtag use on Facebook is annoying and ineffective.
• Focus on “topics” and “region” more than “things.” For example, a #LasVegas or #STYLEWATCH hashtag is more effective than #chairs or #furniture on Facebook.
• Make sure your message still includes all relevant information – there are no limited characters on Facebook and people still read you posts on a regular basis.

Performing a Facebook Hashtag Search

Searching under hashtags on Facebook is as simple as any other online search. You’ll go to the “search” bar and type the hashtag symbol: # and then the word you’re searching:

Facebook will automatically recognize your search for a hashtag with this symbol (and the hashtag you searched – in this case, #socialmedia):

Then you will have the search results (in this case one of our own posts popped up ? ):

The results will tell you a couple important things.

• The type of person using this hashtag
• The amount of people on Facebook using this hashtag
• The effectiveness of the tag

If the search result comes up with nothing, you know you need to look under a different word. You can also visit other sites that share similar topics, especially if you’re a business professional. Hashtag sharing is always allowed ?

Twitter

A Twitter hashtag search is simple also. Tips before you begin:

• More hashtags are ok on Twitter, but remember you still have a message and only 120-140 characters to say it
• Any type is appropriate (region, topic, or object)
• Many Twitter users have created official hashtags so use the most effective
• Trending Hashtags are very effective, see them here on your profile:

Performing a Twitter Hashtag Search

You can research hashtags on Twitter two ways:

One: Go to the top right hand corner under “search” and it will immediately pop up with ideas for hashtags if you type in the symbol (note: this also pulls up your recent search history … mine? #movietitlesatmidnight):

Or you can begin typing and Twitter will suggest them:

Two: Begin typing your actual message on Twitter. As soon as you want to use a hashtag, Twitter will suggest the top hashtags:

… and the results …

Twitter does a great job of giving you top hashtags relevant to your search … I can’t say that I’m surprised, Twitter is hashtag royalty!!!

Google Plus

Google may be the best thing that happened to organic search since sliced bread. Made for the search engine aficionado and perfect for business branding. Google+ has a slew of tricks for searching under hashtags. Tips before you begin:

• The more the merrier in this platform, hashtag it up, but make sure they’re relevant
• No limited characters in these posts, G+ posts are typically much longer and also can contain keywords and URL for effective search optimization

Performing a Google Plus Hashtag Search

Google will pick up any word in search. Interestingly, however, it will also choose one of the most effective hashtags to essentially “pin” at the top of your post:

Performing a Google Plus Hashtag Search

Under your “search” tab, you can type in anything on your G+ account and Google will find trending hashtags:

Once you type your suggested hashtag, press “Enter” and it will come up with the results:

Keep in mind:

• The type of person using this hashtag
• The number of people on G+ using this hashtag
• The effectiveness of the tag

Also keep in mind across ALL platforms the weekly trending hashtags like “#ThrowbackThursday (#TBT)” “#FlashbackFriday (#FBF)” and “#MCM (man crush Monday)” and fun ones we use like #nailedit and #TGIF.

Wrapping Up

I type this tongue-in-cheek because I have really just barely scratched the surface. Stay tuned for part two in this series where I give the D/L on Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr.

Time to tell the truth – how have you used hashtags the WRONG way in the past? Do you research them properly? I promise I won’t tell a soul ?