Not sure what a Hashtag is and how to use them effectively on social media? Don’t worry you are not alone! Hashtags can be tricky, little things to work out but are imperative to improving your reach and getting your content seen by a wider audience, especially on platforms such as Instagram.
In this article I am going to show you how to use a Hashtag properly, why researching your Hashtags is important, how Hashtags can help you find your ideal clients and how to tell if your Hashtags are working for you.
Hashtags can be used over various social media platforms, however for this article I will be focusing on the use of Hashtags on Instagram.
What is a Hashtag?
First let me start by explaining what a Hashtag is.
A Hashtag (#) is a keyword or set of words used on social media to help users categorise and find content with a particular theme.
Therefore, it is important when posting on social media, especially Instagram that you use Hashtags on your posts so that your content is searchable and can be found by potential followers or customers.
Hashtags are usually added to the end of a posts or caption, however they can also be added in the comments of a post if you prefer to keep them hidden or don’t want them as part of your word count.
How many Hashtags should I use?
When using Hashtags on Instagram, we can use up to 30 Hashtags per post, although Instagram have recently announced that for best results, so not to confuse the algorithm, we use between 8 and 12 Hashtags per post.
Whatever number you decide, and this may vary depending on the type of post, we need to use them wisely.
Which Hashtags Should I Use?
It is a good idea to use a range of Hashtags with different levels of content as this will ensure that you reach both popular and niche categories, and your content is seen. This is why doing your Hashtag research is very important, and I will come back to that later in my blog.
Generally, I would advise against using single word Hashtags as these will usually have been used millions of times and may have many different meanings. For example, #luxury could be related to food, cars, handbags, lifestyle, etc.
Therefore, using these types of Hashtags can result in a low chance of your post being seen both by accounts following this particular Hashtag and your ideal customer.
If you go to the search function on your social media platform, you will be able to see how many posts are using or attached to a particular Hashtag. This is easiest to see on a laptop.
Hashtags can be categorised into three main groups; small, medium and large.
Small.
These are Hashtags that have been used less than 20,000 times, also known as niche Hashtags. The following may be smaller on these Hashtags but there is a high chance that they will be seen.
I recommend using approximately 5 of these Hashtags.
Medium.
These Hashtags are more specific and have a larger number of posts usually on average between 50,000 to 250,000 (can be lower or higher).
There is more chance that people will be following this Hashtag than a smaller one, and more chance that your post will be seen than with a larger Hashtag. I recommend using about 20 of these Hashtags on a post.
Large.
These Hashtags generally have over a million posts. There is very little chance that your post will be seen but there is probably a huge following. I would recommend using 5 of these Hashtags and add a bit of hope for good measure, that your post will get seen by the right people.
What Would My Ideal Client Search for?
It is important to use a variety of Hashtags because customers searching for you will look for different things. For example, if you sell soap you may use #naturalsoap #homemadesoap #vegansoap.
It is also suggested that you mix these up regularly, as using the same Hashtags all of the time will limit your reach.
Changing up your hashtags will also prevent Instagram from perceiving your posts as spam.
To help you do this, create a collection of different themed Hashtags such as, ones for sales posts, ones for engagement posts and ones for posts where you share tips.
Remember to save them in a document or on an app, to use at a later date, I use Trello.
Why Research Your Hashtags?
It is important to research the hashtags you are using for a number of reasons.
The first being that your hashtags must be relevant to your content. Sometimes phrases can have a number of meanings, so you will want to ensure your hashtag has the right meaning for your content otherwise the hashtag will be useless if it is shown to the wrong audience.
Secondly, a number of everyday hashtags such as #valentinesday have been banned or hidden by Instagram. Usually because they have received a number of complaints linked to the Hashtag. If you use one of these hashtags you will find that your post will have a very limited reach and will be hidden to followers of that hashtag.
Stuck for Ideas?
Check out competitor hashtags for ideas but remember to research them before you use them yourself.
How Can a Hashtag Help You to Find Your Ideal Client?
By following Hashtags that your ideal clients use, you will be able to see their content and engage with them. Therefore, building the know, like and trust between them and yourself.
For example, if you have an online children’s business and you want to speak to mums, check out Hashtags such as #mumlife #pepperpigworld #familydayout
You can also be more specific on location, for instance #ukmumlife #bridgendmums #welshmum
How do You Know if Your Hashtags are Working?
Viewing your Insights will allow you to see how your posts are performing. You will want to get a good reach and a high number of impressions coming from Hashtags.
In this article I have shown you how to use a Hashtag properly, told you why researching your Hashtags is important, how Hashtags can help you find your ideal clients and how to tell if your Hashtags are working for you.
If you would like more information, please send me a message, or join my Facebook group, Content Queen – Small Business Owners on a Mission, for more tips.
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