It's no secret that the power of the hashtag on social media has faded. In recent years, hashtags on Instagram and Twitter have gone from an expected addendum on a social post to a bit of an eyesore.
Many e-commerce brands with popular presences on Instagram, like Rothy's and Lululemon, barely use hashtags at all.
But on TikTok, hashtags are everywhere. Brands that join the social media platform need to develop a hashtag strategy to gain traction.
Short answer, yes. People on the TikTok app aren't typing a hashtag like #Furniture into search results any more frequently than on Instagram. Instead, the reason trending TikTok hashtags are on the rise comes down to the platform's recommendation algorithm.
TikTok users most frequently discover new content through their For You Page (FYP), which features videos chosen by TikTok's internal algorithm. Sometimes, users also go to the Explore Page or Discover Page.
TikTok pays close attention to how long you view similar videos to make those recommendations. It also analyzes the "video information"—a category that includes the caption, the sound, and the relevant hashtags on each post.
Essentially, that means if you're a furniture brand that wants to reach people who have been watching a lot of TikTok videos about couches, you should add hashtags like #InteriorDesign (8.4B+ views) to your videos.
Here are a 5 tips to make hashtags work well for your TikTok marketing strategy:
The first question we usually get asked is: How many TikTok hashtags should I use? Whereas Instagram lets people add up to 2,200 characters to the caption of a post, TikTok has a strict limit of 100 characters. That means there's room for far fewer related hashtags on TikTok.
On Instagram, many businesses and influencers cram different types of hashtags into the comments of their posts. It's a way to avoid overloading the initial post with too many tags while still ensuring that their content gets surfaced under those tags.
However, the TikTok algorithm doesn't track hashtags in the comments.
TikTok has its linguistic quirks, and brands that learn the platform's language will find more success using the right hashtags than just opting for general ones that will work on any social network. Here are some examples:
Use the best TikTok hashtags for your niche. The most popular TikTok hashtags—like #TikTokChallenge,#DanceVideo, #Prank, and #DIY, are already flooded with posts from users trying to capitalize on TikTok trends.
Many brands have their own branded hashtags, which are an excellent way to source user-generated content and analyze how consumers react to their products. Lululemon uses #TheSweatLife, for instance.
Since hashtags are essential for recognition on TikTok, brands partner with TikTok influencers to promote their branded hashtags.
The influencer Katie Feeney said she had been paid as much as $100,000 in exchange for making a TikTok post with a branded hashtag.
Tip: If creating new hashtags for your brand is difficult, try using a hashtag generator to come up with ideas.
Brands need to be ready to answer questions directly on TikTok. Chatdesk Teams provides brands with a knowledgeable customer service team who respond to people in the TikTok comments, ensuring that curious viewers can convert into paying customers.
To see how Chatdesk can help large or small businesses handle customer traffic similar to those generated by the top TikTok hashtags, schedule a demo here.
