The world of social media continues to change. For example, as many platforms adopt more video options, how do you make sure your content and profile are seen? Using hashtags can help. I’m sure by now you have heard of or at least know of hashtags. But do you understand how to use them for your online strategy?

In this article, we’ll go over what hashtags are, how they are useful, and how you can use them.

Hashtags are essentially metadata tags and are used on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and others. A hashtag is created by placing a pound sign symbol (#) in front of a single word (#website) or a combination of words with no spaces (#websitetips). When you make a social media post with a hashtag in it, you will notice the hashtag becomes a link. You can click on it to look at other posts with the same hashtags. This is because hashtags are like a search directory. You can use them to help people find your content and participate in conversations about specific topics. 

Here is an example. If you post an image of a high school senior on Instagram and include #seniorphotos in your post, it will be cataloged with other posts with the same hashtag. People looking for a senior photographer, may search that hashtag and discover you.

Instagram has used hashtags to great effect since its early days. Users search hashtags to find content and add hashtags to their posts to share their work. Hashtags continue to be used in this fashion on Instagram, not just for photo posts, but also for video content for stories and reels.

Before you start using hashtags, it is important to take time to research them. Look at what type of content is being posted with different hashtags to determine if you want to add it to your own posts and be part of that conversation. There are a number of free hashtag research tools available including hashtagify.me and best-hashtags.com. There are also paid hashtag research tools. Plus, some social media content planning tools have built-in hashtag research tools, including Later and Sprout Social. These tools can help you identify hashtags to use when posting about different topics.

While sometimes it can be helpful to use a popular hashtag if they are used a LOT your work may not be seen as much as a result. 

For instance, let’s look at the most popular hashtag, #love.

There are 2 BILLION posts with this hashtag. This can result in over saturation, meaning your post is less likely to be seen by people who search this hashtag.  

Popularity isn’t always the best. It is also helpful to search for hashtags with less content, which can allow for more visibility and better engagement. Now we are not suggesting you make up a hashtag (which can be helpful for events) or select hashtags with fewer than 100 posts, but you do need to strike a balance between popularity and engagement.

So you want to be a viral hit on social media. We all do! Trying to cut through to be seen at the top is hard. With the constantly changing algorithms, and the shifting content priorities, such as from photos to video, keeping up can be challenging. Here are some ways you can optimize your social media hashtag strategy in 2022.

When your audience is most active, post!

You can learn a lot about your social media audiences from the metrics each platform provides, such as when they are most active, who is viewing your content, and how people engage with your content.

Reviewing this data can help you create better content and identify when to post. Why put up a post at 12 PM if your users who interact with your content the most are active at 9 PM? You can optimize engagement, by posting when your audience is most active. 

Don’t have an audience yet? Start by observing other users in your field as well as your competitors. See what they are doing, when they are posting, and what hashtags they use. Then consider how you can engage and earn more followers and customers!

Use the optimal amount of hashtags

The number of hashtags you use in a post matters. On Instagram, you can include up to 30 hashtags per post and up to 10 per story. You can place them in the post itself or in a comment on your post. But you don’t have to use that many. Including 5-10 hashtags per Instagram post seems to be the sweet spot.

When selecting hashtags, make sure to research them and be consistent with your posts. 

Engage with other users

It’s not enough to post on social media with great hashtags. You need to engage with other users and encourage other users to engage with you. Engagement is a factor in many social media algorithms, including Instagram. The more interactions, views, likes, and comments a post has, the more likely Instagram is to push it up towards the top of a hashtag feed so other users can see the engaging content.

Categories to consider

There are so many many hashtags to choose from. Here are a few categories to think about using:

• Location: Where you live or where you are targeting. Examples: #yourcity #yourstate

• Industry: Type of work you do, who you are targeting. Examples: #newbornphotography #seniorphotos

• Branded content: Your brand, events, or concepts you like. Examples: #inthistogether #smallbusinesssaturday

• Content-specific: Related to the content in your posts, such as describing the image or video. Examples: #sleepybaby #beautifulbride #photographerlife

Keep a running list of hashtags you use

As you research, select, and use hashtags make sure to save them. Start a document to keep a running list and save it somewhere you can easily access from your computer and on the go, such as a Google Doc or a notes app. This can save you time as plan out your posts.

Key takeaways

Hashtags are a great tool to drive engagement on social media. Here are a few key takeaways to remember. 

• Use 5-10 hashtags per post on Instagram

• Select hashtags that are not flooded with posts (1 million or less is a good start)

• Observe what hashtags people in your industry and competitors are using

• See what local hashtags are effective in your area

• Use hashtags when having conversations within posts to encourage post engagement

• Post when your audience is active to optimize results

• Review metrics and monitor the effectiveness of your posts

We hope these hashtag tips will help elevate your social media content, get more eyes on your posts, and drive users to visit your website. 

Interested in more social media tips? Check out these articles:

Social Media Tips for Facebook & Instagram in 2022

How to Create a Linktree Style Landing Page With Good SEO With Zibster

Creative Brand Experiences for Social Media Using Zibster Landing Pages