This depends on a few factors. One recent study suggests that using too many hashtags in a post can reduce engagement for brands.  Hashtags are ways to segment content, so in theory, they can be helpful for people looking for your kind of content. 

Using one or two hashtags are unlikely to hurt your posts, and may help people find your posts more easily. But, there is not currently any other empirical data to indicate whether Facebook users actually use hashtags to find content, or whether a hashtag can increase engagement.

First and foremost, use hashtags that are relevant to your content. The more specific the hashtag (ie #Facebookmarketingtips vs #marketing), the more likely you are to get people to engage. People are only going to engage in content that is interesting and also relevant to the subject they are searching for.

Secondly, do a little research to become familiar with the trending topics on the social sites you are most active. For example, Instagram has 7-day trending hashtags for each day of the week, like #transformationtueday or #tt. Find creative ways to use these to get more views and likes.

I know you are looking for a straightforward answer. But this depends on your target audience. As a general rule, people tend to be happier as the week progresses towards the weekend (and more likely to engage). Also, more people tend to be on social sites in the evening (not the middle of the night, or while they are at work). So, using a little intuitiveness, you can probably determine what might be the best time to post. 

Keep in mind the differences between different demographics. Perhaps you are targeting business people who are more likely to be looking for your product while at work. Targeting teens? They will probably be online after school and in the evening.  There really isn't a single rule that fits every business.

Want to be a little more methodical? Use the analytics provided by some sites, like Facebook, to see when your followers are online. Then test. Post at different times to see when you get the most engagement.

There are hundreds of social media sites. Some are general networking sites like Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. Others are niche sites, like Goodreads (for books), The Bump (for pregnant women / moms), and MLM Social (for network marketers).

How can you choose? First, think about your target audience. Where might they be spending their time online? 

LinkedIn has more men than women, while Pinterest is majority women. Instagram use is highest among 18-24 year-olds. Facebook has the fastest growing 65+ crowd. Knowing the user demographics of the social sites you are considering are the best way to pick a social site where your target audience is most likely to be.

Pick one or two networks that have the highest penetration of your target audience to join.

You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket, but you also can’t be a jack of all trades. Joining too many sites will stretch your resources too thin and won’t benefit you at all. But just having one social presence might hurt you as trends change over time.

Engagement is the key to social media success. But how can you get more engagement on your social sites?

There are several best practices to keep in mind when creating posts to help boost engagement:

Be personable, don’t over post or over promote yourself, create a personality, post a variety of content subjects and media types. 

But here is the key to increasing your engagement:

I always keep this quote in mind: Be the friend you would want to have.  You need to engage with other people and brands if you want to increase your own brand’s engagement. This means: 

The more engaging you are, the more likely you are to have people engage with you, and your brand.

I get this question a lot. Sometimes is it about Instagram, Pinterest or another social site. What are benefit

s of Twitter, or any of these other social sites, for B2B companies?

Keep in mind that social media is about building relationships and giving your business a personality. Twitter and other sites are all ways to build relationships with individuals as well as other businesses that use the site. Remember, every decision maker is also just a person who may enjoy socializing on Twitter, finding d

inner recipes on Pinterest, or spending time on other sites. 

That being said, you don’t NEED to create a presence on every site for your business. Refer to #4 above. Choose the social sites where your target audience is, and build your brand there.  The number of brands and individuals on Twitter would make it a great place to connect and interact with other businesses, as 

well as the individual decision makers who are in a position to make a sales decision about your businesses’ products. Used correctly, Twitter can be very beneficial to a B2B company.

Have any other questions about social media, or Internet marketing in general? Share them below! I love to hear from you.