#Hashtags are everywhere. Today, almost all social networks – from Twitter to Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook – support hashtags. They can be a very useful tool for cataloging and organizing your social posts, and for growing your audience as a marketer.

But how can you use them properly? What are the best practices for using hashtags on social media, and how can you maximize their utility? In this article, we'll go over some basic guidelines that will help you do just that.

#Don't #Overdo #It #And #Use #Too #Many #Hashtags 

It's tempting to cram in as many hashtags as possible onto your posts, in the hopes of getting discovered by people who are searching for a particular event, or a hashtag. But this is a mistake – and it reflects inexperience with social media.

Do Some Research Before You Pick A Hashtag

This is especially important if you are creating a new hashtag for something like a contest, or a new product. You should do some searches of your hashtag to make sure it isn't being used for a different product – and that it does not have a potentially offensive double meaning. Tools like Hashtags.org are a great resource for this.

MakeUseOfCamelCasing

CamelCase (capitalizing each word without spaces, as seen in the above title) helps make hashtags more clear and understandable to audiences. If your hashtag is longer than one or two words, make sure to put it in CamelCase so that it's clear and easy to understand.

Keep It Short

The best hashtags are usually just a few words. 1-4 is a good length to shoot for, but in general, you should try to keep your hashtags as short as possible. This makes them easier to remember, and easier to use on platforms like Twitter, where a 280-character limit makes brevity absolutely essential.

Integrate Them Into Your Post (#Don't #Just #Add #Them #All #At #The #End #Like #This)

Try to avoid simply adding your hashtags at the end of your social media posts. You should integrate them into the body text whenever possible. Sometimes, you won't be able to do this – but when you can, it's a great way to make your posts flow more naturally, and make better use of the limited space that most social media platforms offer.

Follow These Tips For #HashtagSuccess

With just a few best practices, you can have a much easier time using hashtags on social media – and benefit from higher engagement rates, a larger marketing audience, and more.