Everything You Need to Know About Hashtags
I’m a firm believer that hashtags are game changer. While some social media users shy away from the tool, I view hashtags as an undeniable asset that can be used to take your social accounts to the next level.
What are hashtags?
Hashtags are quite simple. A hashtag is the attachment of any word, term, acronym or even emoji to the “#” symbol. Hashtags can be applied by public users on platforms including Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok in order to categorize content. While they can only be applied by public users, they are accessible and visible to everyone.
By typing hashtags into the search bar, users are able to access individual pages for every hashtag. Hashtag pages are funneled into two sections, labeled “Top” and “Recent”. The “Top” tab includes popular and highly engaged content that has been tagged using the hashtag as to where the “Recent” tab includes all of the content tagged using the specific hashtag.
Note that numbers can be used in hashtags, spaces and symbols however, cannot. Additionally, hashtags are not case-sensitive.
Why You Should Start Using Hashtags
Hashtags enable users to discover new content within a matter of seconds. This includes both photo and video content.
The usage of hashtags are a great way for users to increase likes, visibility and engagement. A post with a single hashtag averages in 12.6% more engagement in comparison to a post without hashtags. Hashtags can even be used to garner new followers since the practice exposes users to new audiences and communities beyond those who are already following your profile.
To be fully transparent, hashtags have proven to be a hit or miss for my personal use, but are hits more times than not. The utilization of hashtags on my own social media has not only helped garner additional traction to my profile, but it has also helped talent recruiters find me for opportunities. The advantages of hashtags may not always feel immediate, but they are definitely worth it.
How to Effectively Use Hashtags?
Q: Which hashtags should I use?
A: Use hashtags that are relevant to the content you’re posting. A common mistake that users make is using hashtags that have absolutely nothing to do with your content. Using hashtags that are irrelevant to your niche will harm your changes of gaining the traction that you hope to come from the tool. Make sure the hashtags you use are also specific. The more narrow the hashtag, the higher chance that your content will be relevant to specific audiences and users.
For example, rather than using #art , I use more relevant and specific hashtags such as #digitalillustrators #Blackillustrators and #designprocess.
Q: Which hashtags should I avoid?
A: Monitor your use of super popular hashtags. While hashtags like #Love may be the most popular, highly saturated hashtag pages make it more difficult for you to gain the visibility that you want for your content. You may get a few quick likes from popular hashtags but the engagement will be nowhere near that or specific hashtags. Using popular hashtags may also bring spam accounts to your page. Using highly saturated hashtags make it less likely that others will view your posts. I attempt to stay away from hashtags with more than 1 million tags. Hashtags with 10K to 500K content posts have proven to be the most helpful for me. I attempt to have a mix of hashtags with 10K-50K, 60K-100K and 100K-500K posts.
Q: Which hashtag categories should I consider?
A: In case users are stuck on what kind of hashtags to use, consider if your content associates with any of the following categories:
Niche/Industry
Product/Service
Brands
Events
Locations
Seasons
Campaigns
For example, when I recently shared a mock concept that I created for Howard University X Jordan Brand, I used hashtags that related directly to the brand and campaign. I used the branded hashtag created by Howard University X Jordan Brand and also included hashtags commonly used amongst Howard University students as I understood they were my target market for this type of content. Additional hashtags I could’ve included may have been niche/industry related such as #BlackArt365 #DigitalIllustration and #Mockconcepts.
A great way to consider which hashtags you should you is by considering two factors: who you want to reach and who you would like to be able to reach you. Consider what gaps your content bridges and use hashtags that will position you to be found by those needed the gap to be bridged. For example, when I post my art prints, I include hashtags like #BlackIllustrators and #DigitalIllustrator because I want to reach other creators of color and digital illustrators specifically. I also include hashtags like #artprintsforsale #wallartideas and #wallartdecor because I want users looking to decorate their space to be able to find my content.