Europolitan Trends recently published a valuable guide for anyone interested in digital communication – Why are hashtags powerful and how to use them? As you probably know, hashtags are nowadays everywhere. They are used as keywords, also known as ‘tags’, which serve to connect the content with the topic/subject and the relevant audience. Bloggers, instagrammers and social media ‘gurus’ use popular hashtags to promote their articles and photos, while companies and small businesses use them to target people who might be interested in their services and products. We encourage you to read the complete guide on Europolitan Trends. For those with limited time, we decided to share the part, which deals with top Brussels hashtags.
When you want to reach out to people in a specific city or region, you need to use hashtags that are popular in those places. These are usually very simple e.g., a name of a particular place. However, don’t be limited to that, explore other popular hashtags that local people, bloggers and other influencers use in that location.
For instance, popular hashtags for Brussels would be #Brussels, #Bruxelles, #Brussel but also #visitbrussels, #welovebrussels, #seemybrussels and #bruxellesmabelle. However, you should use them wisely since not all social media platforms are the same. Instagram gives you a chance to use many hashtags and it is advised to put as many relevant ones. Example for some of the most popular hashtags in Brussels are above.
But if you are adding hashtags on Twitter, it is recommended to use only two to three hashtags in a tweet. Reasons are not only practical because limited space (140 characters for each tweet) but also because Twitter algorithm prefers tweets with one to three hashtags. Those with more than three hashtags could be considered as ‘spam’ since the tweet doesn’t look legible and has no real content/value. Therefore, if you are tweeting something about Brussels, best is to only use two to three.
Here’s a free advice from WeLoveBrussels and Europolitan Trends team:
- If you are a restaurant, cafe bar or a hotel and you are targeting people in Brussels but also the tourists, it would be the best to use the following two hashtags on Twitter: #brussels, #visitbrussels and one other hashtag of your choice.
- If you are a library or a bookstore and you are targeting people in Brussels + you want to specifically target Dutch-speaking community, you can use #Brussels and #Brussel, or #Brussels and #Belgie.
- If you are targeting French-speaking community in Brussels than the best way is to use #Brussels and #Bruxelles hashtags.
- If you are an individual blogger and you are tweeting a lot of different stuff, you should use diverse hashtags and try to reach as many different people and communities who would be interested in your content. Popular community hashtags in Brussels are #welovebrussels, #seemybrussels and #bruxellesmabelle. These are used to discover photos and stories that locals share in our city.
If you need practical advice for your specific case or with your social media marketing, feel free to get in touch !
