Are Hashtags Still Relevant?

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, few tools have had the staying power of the humble hashtag. Once a novelty of early Twitter culture, hashtags have become a ubiquitous feature across social media platforms and even email marketing. But in 2025, with algorithmic feeds, AI-driven content discovery, and shifting user behaviors, many marketers are asking: Are hashtags still important?

The short answer is yes—but with caveats. These tags remain a powerful tool when used strategically. For small and medium businesses (SMBs), hashtags can amplify reach, foster community and guide prospects through the sales funnel. However, the way we use these has matured and best practices have evolved.

The Role of Hashtags Today
Hashtags serve as metadata tags that categorize content, making it discoverable to users interested in specific topics. They are especially useful for:

• Expanding your reach beyond your typical followers
• Joining or initiating conversations around trending topics
• Branding campaigns with custom tags
• Tracking engagement and user-generated content

However, their effectiveness varies by platform, industry, and intent. Using them strategically can still deliver measurable results.

Platform-Specific Best Practices
Instagram

Hashtags are still highly relevant on Instagram. Posts with 5–10 well-chosen tags tend to perform better. Use a mix of:

• Branded tags (#TellYourTale #MyBrandStory)
• Niche-specific tags (#SMBMarketing #DigitalMarketing #SocialMediaMarketing)
• Trending or seasonal tags (#FathersDay2025 #Summer2025)

Avoid using the maximum 30 hashtags because it can appear spammy and dilute your message.

LinkedIn
Hashtags on LinkedIn help categorize professional content. Stick to 3–5 relevant tags. Overuse can reduce credibility with this professional audience. Focus on industry-specific and thought leadership tags like #B2BMarketing or #LeadershipTips. If your organization has strong brand recognition, use a hashtag with your business name as many individuals like to watch news from their favorite organizations as well as their competition.

X (formerly Twitter)
Hashtags are still useful for joining trending conversations or live events. Limit to 1–2 per tweet to maintain readability. Use them to participate in chats (such as x) or to amplify campaign messages.

TikTok
Hashtags are crucial for discoverability. Use a mix of trending and niche tags. TikTok’s algorithm heavily favors content engagement, so tags should support—not replace—compelling video content.

Facebook
Hashtags have limited use on Facebook. Use sparingly and only when they align with broader campaign goals (#FutureOfWork) or cross-platform consistency. Steer clear of using a hashtag with a person’s name since people interested in seeing posts about a particular person will simply search on that name and likely have friended and are following that individual.

Hashtags in Email Marketing: A Subtle Strategy

While hashtags aren’t clickable in most email clients, they can still serve a purpose:

• Reinforce branding: Include branded tags in your email footer or signature.
• Encourage social sharing: Prompt users to share content using a specific tag.
• Create continuity: Use the same tags across email and social to unify messaging.

For example, a seasonal campaign email might end with: “Share your office setup with us using #HPCommercialPC” or “Share where your brand is showing up this summer using #TellYourTaleMarketing”.

Industry-Specific Hashtag Strategies

Retail & E-commerce

Use hashtags to promote product launches, seasonal sales and user-generated content. Encourage customers to share photos with branded tags for a chance to be featured. This is also a fun way to capture real customers doing unboxing videos when they receive your product shipped to them or even if they bring home your product in your branded shopping bag.

Hospitality & Travel
Hashtags like #TravelTuesday or #Wanderlust2025 can boost visibility. Geo-specific tags (#HoustonStrong or #VisitSedona) help attract local and tourist traffic. It all taps into hometown pride reminding locals to support your local business. It also helps visitors looking for things to do while visiting a specific location find your venue. For instance, I searched on Instagram for #OrangeBeach and found several new restaurants that we’ll try on our next vacation.

Health & Wellness
Use educational and motivational hashtags like #MindfulMonday or #WellnessJourney. The below example is how Memorial Herman Health System used #EMSWeek on LinkedIn to encourage employees to show gratefulness for their EMS lifesaving care team. Be cautious with medical claims and ensure compliance with regulations.

B2B & SaaS
Focus on thought leadership and industry trends. Tags like #DigitalTransformation or #FutureOfWork can position your brand as a knowledge leader.

Nonprofits
Hashtags can drive awareness and donations. Participate in global movements (#GivingTuesday) and create campaign-specific tags (#CleanWaterNow).

Hashtags across the Sales Funnel

Hashtags can support every stage of the customer journey:

 Awareness

• Use broad, trending or event-based tags to reach new audiences. At this stage in the customer journey, prospects don’t necessarily know your brand, so marketers should use hashtags to attract individuals researching solutions to their pain points.

• Example: A sustainable fashion brand might use #EarthDay2025 to join a global conversation.

Consideration/Interest

• Use niche or branded hashtags to educate and engage with prospects looking for a product or solution like yours. These tags can pull your prospects into online conversations about your offering, where you can interact with them and build a community of like-minded people. Product/service reviews are especially helpful at this stage so use a branded hashtag to help potential buyers find positive feedback that can influence their buying decisions.
• Example: #WhyChooseSolar for a solar panel company sharing benefits and testimonials.

Decision

• Use campaign-specific hashtags to drive urgency or exclusivity. This is a great point to use time-sensitive discount codes to nudge prospect to buy soon.
• Example: #FlashSaleFriday or #VIPAccessOnly.

Loyalty

• After the purchase has been made, encourage customers to share experiences using branded hashtags. The Herald suggests using branded tags and “Multi-post campaigns showing the product’s benefits over time, not just one-time promotions.”¹ When customers share videos of them reviewing your product work that into a campaign. People innately want to feel helpful, so let them tout your offerings.

Advocacy

• Next, it’s time to turn loyal customers into brand ambassadors. Encourage fans to refer others to your brand. You’ve likely seen B2C businesses promote a discount code to loyal customers (especially if the patrons have opted into a subscription, not just a one-time buy) that they can share with friends. Let’s face it. A friend’s referral is much more credible and valued higher. “This is where real brand momentum happens, fueled not by polished ads but by authentic communities built through trust and shared experiences,”¹ says The Herald.

I’ll wrap up this post with a few best practices for using hashtags. First, don’t use hashtags haphazardly. Research your possible hashtags with tools like RiteTag, that classifies its suggestions for hashtags that are hot now, have  a long life, should only be used for Instagram, is overused vs underused, and is banned on Instagram.

Also avoid spammy hashtags that are overused. This can happen when people aren’t doing their research first or are trying to cast too wide of a net. To prevent this, ensure your hashtags align with your content and marketing strategy. A good strategy is to create branded hashtags that are short, memorable and easy to spell.

#hashtag  #SMBMarketing  #TellYourTaleMarketing

As I always recommend, test, monitor and measure performance. Track engagement metrics to see which hashtags drive results. If they aren’t making a positive impact, archive them with a note about how they were tested and what the poor results were, so that you an refer to that documentation down the road and not repeat the lackluster results.

Hashtags should remain a valuable part of a well-rounded digital marketing strategy. For SMBs, they offer a cost-effective way to increase visibility, foster engagement and guide customers through the sales funnel. The key is to use them with intention, tailored to your audience, platform and marketing goals. Stay curious, stay strategic, and keep testing what works best for your brand.

If you need help with incorporating hashtags into your marketing strategy, contact us.

Resources and Citations:

1. Demarchi, Davide. “How creators influence every stage of the customer journey,” The Herald. 5/2/2025. https://www.heraldonline.com/news/business/article306838161.html