Hashtags: The Quick Guide to Using Social Media Smartly
We all see them – the pound sign (#) followed by a word or phrase, in every post on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter. These are hashtags, and they’re much more than just a trend. A smart hashtag is a powerful marketing tool that can bring you lots of exposure, new audiences and potential customers – without spending a cent on advertising!
So let’s understand simply what a hashtag is, how to use it correctly, and why it’s so important for promoting yourself on social media.
What is a hashtag, and why is it a must in every post?
A hashtag is essentially a kind of topic tag. When you add a hashtag to a post, you categorize it under a certain topic. Think of it as a virtual folder. When someone clicks on the hashtag (or searches for it), they’ll see all the other posts tagged with the same hashtag.
Why is it so important?
- Exposure to new audiences: People who don’t follow you can find your content by searching hashtags. If you’re a flower business and a customer searches for #FlowersTelAviv, they’ll see your post too.
- Content categorization: You organize your content by topic, making it easier for followers and customers to find exactly what they’re looking for on your profile.
- Increased engagement: Using relevant hashtags increases the chance that people will like, comment on and share your post, because it reached an audience that’s already interested in the topic.
- Spotting trends: You can see which hashtags are hot and popular in your field, and use them to ride the wave.
- Connecting to a community: Hashtags can connect you to broader communities, like #SmallBusinessesIsrael or #Entrepreneurship.
How do you choose smart hashtags? (And where do you use them?)
Choosing hashtags is an art, but there are a few simple principles that will help you:
- Relevance above all: Use only hashtags that are truly related to the post’s content and to your business. An irrelevant hashtag can look like spam.
- Combining broad and niche:
- Broad hashtags: These are hashtags with a huge number of posts, like #DigitalMarketing or #Travel. They offer great exposure potential, but the competition is enormous and your post can get lost quickly.
- Niche (specific) hashtags: These are more specific hashtags with fewer posts, like #MarketingForSmallBusinesses or #FamilyTripsNorthIsrael. They have fewer searches, but the audience they bring is more specific and focused, so the chance of engagement is higher. Combining the two is the key to success!
- Hashtag research:
- Competition/competitors: Keep track of the hashtags your competitors use.
- Related hashtags: When you type a hashtag into the search bar on social networks, the platform usually suggests related hashtags.
- Searching within platforms: Search for popular hashtags in your field within platforms like Instagram (in the “Tags” tab).
- Dedicated tools: There are tools like Hashtagify (for example) that can help you find relevant hashtags.
- Number of hashtags:
- Instagram: You can use up to 30 hashtags; 5–10 quality ones are recommended. Some prefer to put them in the first comment.
- Facebook: Less common, but you can add 1–3 hashtags.
- LinkedIn: 3–5 relevant hashtags are enough.
- TikTok: 3–5 relevant, popular hashtags for TikTok, which tend to be catchier and more fun.
- Twitter: Only 1–2 hashtags. Twitter is known for sparser, more focused hashtag use.
- Where should you place them? Within the post’s text (especially on LinkedIn and Twitter), or at the end of the post, after a few blank lines, so they don’t clutter the text itself. On Instagram, they can also go in the first comment.
Leading, useful hashtags (examples)
Here are some examples of general, leading hashtags that can suit a variety of businesses, depending on relevance, of course:
General/broad hashtags:
#DigitalMarketing#SmallBusiness#Israel#Tips#Motivation#Success#Entrepreneurship#Digital#Innovation#Work
Niche/specific hashtags (depending on your field):
- For content/blogs:
#ContentWriters,#IsraeliBlog,#ArticleWriting - For businesses:
#IsraeliSmallBusiness,#SupportSmallBusiness,#YoungEntrepreneurs - For consulting/coaching:
#PersonalCoaching,#BusinessConsulting,#PersonalDevelopment - For design/art:
#GraphicDesign,#IsraeliArt,#Inspiration - For food/lifestyle:
#HealthyFood,#Recipes,#Lifestyle - For technology:
#Technology,#Startup,#ArtificialIntelligence - For real estate:
#IsraelRealEstate,#RealEstateInvesting,#ApartmentsForSale - For health/fitness:
#Fitness,#Health,#Nutrition
Hashtags that generate engagement / a “call to action”:
#QandA#CommentBelow#FollowUs#Share
A little tip from me: Don’t copy the same list of hashtags into every post. Change them from time to time, check what works better (through the networks’ analytics data), and try new hashtags. Google and the social networks like to see relevant, varied content.
In summary, hashtags are a super-important, accessible tool for anyone who wants to succeed on social media. They don’t just help you organize your content – they also open doors to new audiences and increase engagement. Invest a few minutes thinking about the right hashtags for each post, and watch your content reach further!
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