We are sure the word hashtag is nothing new to you. For the last several years, the term has been thrown around the internet for its ability to increase reach, boost engagement and ultimately attract followers.
Hashtags originally started on Twitter back in 2007 as a means to group content into categories. Today, brands and individuals alike all use hashtags to increase their reach, promote their content and even conduct research.
But what is a hashtag? How does this one symbol magically do all these great things? In this piece, we dive into everything (yes, every single thing) you need to know about hashtags from the very basics, the types of hashtags, tools for hashtags and techniques you can use to make the most of hashtags on social media.
What Is A Hashtag?
Okay, we have used this word a lot so far (ten times if you’re counting), so what is it? If you want to be technical, a hashtag is a metatag which starts with the hash (#) symbol. In simple terms, it’s a label used to categorise content on social media. Hashtags allow users to easily discover your posts on social media by making your content searchable on different platforms. Think of it as a mini search engine but for social media.
Your Crash Course To Hashtags
The searchability of hashtags gives you the opportunity to organically grow your content and get in front of your target audience since users can look for content relating to any of their areas of interest. So let’s say your niche is ‘Luxury Villas in Dubai Hills Estate’; using hashtags like #DubaiHillsEstate or #LuxuryLivingDubai will make your content pop up when a user looks up these topics.
However, simply adding hashtags to your post is not enough and in no way guarantees success. To perform best, you should start with a high-quality post and add only relevant and well-researched hashtags that your target audience will likely engage with. Using our example of luxury villas in Dubai Hills Estate, hashtags like #HouseForSale or #BeautifulProperty are less likely to bring traffic to your post.
Today, all social media platforms (with the exception of Threads) use hashtags, each with its own restrictions. Here’s a quick breakdown of hashtag limitations on different channels:
- Instagram: Up to 30 hashtags for posts and ten hashtags for stories
- Facebook: No restrictions; however, minimally focused hashtags are recommended
- Twitter: No restrictions; however, tweets have a limit of 280 characters for regular accounts and 10,000 characters for verified accounts.
- LinkedIn: Similar to Facebook, there are no restrictions; however, minimally focused hashtags are recommended
- YouTube: You can add up to 15 hashtags in a video description. Keep in mind that the first three hashtags will appear above the video title
- TikTok: No limit; however, TikTok captions are limited to 2,200 characters
Categories Of Hashtags
All clear with the basics? Now that you have a foundation on what hashtags are and how they are used let’s explore the different types of hashtags.
All hashtags fall somewhere in the spectrum of short-tail hashtags to long-tail hashtags. What does this mean? Short-tail hashtags contain one to two words. They are very popular and extremely competitive. This includes hashtags like #Formula1, #ChristmasTree or #InteriorDesign.
On the other hand, long-tail hashtags use three or more words and are concentrated on a specific topic. They are not heavily searched but cater to a narrow, focused audience. This includes hashtags like #PrivateChefAbuDhabi or #DogParksInAlQuoz.
We have divided hashtags into seven different categories, as seen in Hashtag Funnel below (We see you starting to sweat, don’t worry, they’re easy).
- Industry: These hashtags are very general and face the highest competition – think MILLIONS of posts. They are very popular but your content is less likely to be found.
Examples: #RealEstate #Property #Houses - Niche: These hashtags indicate the specific work you do or your specialities.
Examples: #RealEstateAgent #LuxuryAparments #OffPlanVillas - Location/Community: As the name suggests, this category is hashtags which contain a location and further narrow your niche.
Examples: #TownhousesInTownSquare #AparmentsInEmaarBeachfront - Brand: This category uses hashtags relating to your brand; this can be a brand name, slogan, or phrase you associate with your personal brand.
Examples: #LuxuryByLuke #MrDubaiMarina #BayutUAE - Descriptive: These hashtags describe your post or who you are trying to reach.
Examples: #ModernKitchenDesign #FirstTimeHomeBuyersSharjah - Event: The final category includes events within your industry/niche.
Examples – #B3DXB2022 #StrongerTogetherAwards
Here are some hashtag ideas to get you started:
|
Industry
|
Niche
|
Location/Community
|
Descriptive
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Industry
#RealEstate #Property #HouseTour #HouseForRent
|
Niche
#LuxuryLivingDXB #FirstTimeHomeBuyers #DubaiRealEstateAgent #RealEstateInvestment
|
Location/Community
#RestaurantsInReemram #BusinessBayViews #ParksInTheGreens #DubaiHillsMall
|
Descriptive
#NewBuild2023 #HappyClient #FSBO #DubaiMarketReportAugust2023
|
Ask yourself these questions when picking your hashtags:
- Does it describe my business, the purpose of my account, or my ideal audience?
- Is this something my ideal audience would search for?
- Is this hashtag too generic? (think #dubai #house #property)
Top Tips To Best Use Hashtags
Top Tip #1: Do not flood your post with hashtags
While it can be tempting to throw in as many hashtags as you can into a post, thinking it will further boost your content, this can be counterproductive.
Any blog post you read will give you a different range for the “optimal” number of hashtags to use. However, the hard truth is that there is no secret recipe to success using hashtags. We recommend starting with 7-9 hashtags and then experimenting with more/less to see what works best for you and your niche.
Top Tip #2: Use a variety of hashtag densities and hashtag categories
Hashtag density refers to the number of posts using a specific hashtag. High-density hashtags have a high number of posts and this high competition makes it harder for your content to appear. Low-density hashtags are the opposite as they have a lower number of posts and less competition; however, fewer people also search for them.
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When selecting your hashtags, you want to be specific as possible. Avoid using too many generic hashtags (2 or 3 are sufficient), as they are far too busy and the chances of your content being seen are slim to none. Instead, use hashtags which describe you, your business or your audience. Remember, using the right hashtags attracts the right people and using the wrong hashtags attracts the wrong people.
Hashtag Densities:
- 5,000 – 20,000 posts – Niche
- 20,000 – 50,000 posts – Low
- 50,000 – 100,000 posts – Med
- 100,000 – 500,000 posts – High
- +500,000 posts – Viral
Top Tip #3: Avoid duplicating hashtags across posts
We get it – you used a set of hashtags, and your post performed well. Now, you want to use the same set of hashtags for everything you post. While this may seem like a genius idea, it’s likely to harm you.
Algorithms do not like duplicate content as it tends to look like spam. Your post is going to get far more visibility with a new set of hashtags rather than duplicating your past sets. Not to mention, if you never experiment with new hashtags, you’ll never know your true potential, limiting your growth.
Top Tip #4: To caption or to comment?
Where should you put your hashtags? We’re sure you’ve seen users put hashtags either in their captions or comments, so does it make a difference? The answer is no; where you place your hashtags does not impact their performance. However, if you are looking at the visual side of it, hashtags in the comments tend to look neater, especially if you use many hashtags.
Top Tip #5: Don’t hashtag everything
Your hashtags should be relevant to your post and your audience. Carry out your research and see what topics are most appealing to your target market. Irrelevant hashtags that do not relate to your audience will bring in zero results and will make your post look spammy with the large volume of hashtags. Let’s say you got a new listing for sale in Damac Hills. Here’s what a relevant vs an irrelevant set of hashtags would look like:
Relevant hashtags:
#DamacHills2 #VillasInDubai #FamilyLivingDubai #ForSaleDamacHills
#PetFriendlyCommunitiesDXB #VastuFriendly #DubaiProperties #UAERealEstateAgent
Irrelevant hashtags:
#House #LivingRoom #Washroom #Kitchen #Bedroom #Sofa #Dubai #Garden #PetsAllowed #Pool #Playground #Damac #Hills #BeautifulProperty #BuyNow #ReadyToBuy #NewBuild #NewOffer #GoodCondition #FamilyVilla #DreamHome
The first set is much more likely to reach your audience – families who want to buy villas in Damac Hills 2. The second set is likely to get lost in a sea of content.
Hashtag Tools To The Rescue
At this point, we know we’ve drilled down everything relating to this (#) little symbol and we get it, hashtags can be overwhelming especially if you aren’t used to the evolving world of social media. One of the best tools on the internet is hashtag generators!
Using these websites/apps, you can search for hashtags of your own or hashtags used by other accounts, the number of posts, likes and comments under a specific hashtag. These tools also allow you to curate a list of hashtags and simply copy-paste them to your post (this means no typos! yay!) Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?
Here’s a list of websites that will make searching for hashtags much easier:
- Instagram Hashtag Generator
- All Hashtag
- Ritetag
- HashMe
- Hashtagify
- MetaHashtags
That’s all you need to know about hashtags! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different hashtags to discover what works best for you. Hashtags are truly a game of patience, all accounts are different and there is no one size fits all hashtag strategy; what hashtags work for your account can significantly vary based on your industry, content, niche and many more factors. Regularly testing new hashtags is sure to help you learn what you should and should not use in your content.
For more reads like this, check out our Content Corner, where we have a variety of articles relating to all things UAE real estate. We also encourage you to register for a session at Bayut Academy, where our dedicated training team is happy to help you learn everything you need to succeed in the competitive real estate market.