(Originally published in the Spring 2023 APTA News & Views)
One of these days, I should update my document that contains most commonly used hashtags. Then, I can quickly copy and paste them into my weekly posts for my studio’s, as well as my martial arts club’s social media. Alas, that day is not today.
For those who aren’t familiar with the term, “hashtags” are a tool that can improve your studio’s SEO (search engine optimization). Think of them as search terms by topics for social media. They generally look like this: “#_____”.
According to Twitter, the hashtag was created in 2007 by a web marketing specialist named Chris Messina.
Where to Use Hashtags
Hashtags can be used on most, if not all social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. There are countless other platforms that it’s hard to keep up with them all. Here are a few examples of where I use hashtags:
Why Use Hashtags
The reasons for using hashtags on your social media posts are similar to general marketing strategies, which can be easily broken down into making it easier for: people to find you, sharing information and engaging with others.
Hashtags can help you:
promote your business brand, projects, etc.
increase your business exposure
add context to your social media posts
expand your reach
engage with your followers/network
show support for social issues, local businesses, events, etc.
How to Use Hashtags
As you can see in this old Tweet (as well as my earlier examples), there is a general format to follow:
You make your post and then add hashtags at the end. Alternatively, you may add hashtags on keywords within your post. Don’t add spaces between words. Make everything a single word after the pound sign. Single words or short phrases that are commonly used work best.
The big caveat is to be mindful of your hashtags. They need to be relevant to what you are sharing. My dojo mates and I often grumble when we see posts completely unrelated to the martial arts we study because the poster decided to use #iaido. We click on it, hoping to learn a new training tip, only to see that it’s completely irrelevant. Trust me, it happens in all sorts of posts.
Keep in mind that “less is more” on some social media platforms. For instance, Facebook posts generally see better engagement with one to two hashtags versus the 11 - 30 that we commonly see in Instagram posts. LinkedIn recommends users to limit themselves to seven hashtags, while TikTok has no hashtag limit. Three to five hashtags seems to be the sweet spot on YouTube.
If you use a social media management platform such as Hootsuite or Buffer which allows you to crosspost to several platforms at once, I recommend you stick to the three to five hashtag sweetspot, or customize each post before hitting “Save.”
Finally, make sure your posts are set to “Public” so that your posts will show up in searches.
Popular Hashtags You Can Use
Here is a list of some commonly used music-related hashtags to jumpstart your hashtagging adventures:
#musiceducation #music #musiclessons #musicteacher #musician #musicianlife #musicschool #musiced #musiceducationmatters #musiceducator #musicteachersofinstagram #musicteachersofig #musicians #musictheory #musicclass #musicislife #classicalmusic #musicteachers #elementarymusic #musicbusiness #onlinemusiclessons #musicforkids #musicteacherlife #musiclessonsforadults #RCM #royalconservatoryofmusic #conservatorycanada
Hashtags can be instrument specific, for example: #ukulele, #violin, #guitar, #singinglessons, #fluteteacherlife, #pianoreels. You can also be location specific with your hashtags, for example: #yycpianolessons, #yqldrumlessons and #yegviolinlessons.
Finally, here are a few fun hashtags to expand the types of posts you can share: #MotivationMonday #MusicMonday #TuesdayTunes #TuesdayTip #WayBackWednesday #WisdomWednesday #ThrowbackThursday (or #TBT) #ThankfulThursday #FlashbackFriday #FridayFun #SmallBusinessSaturday #SimpleSaturday #SundayFunday #SpotlightSunday #keepgoing #keepupthegoodwork #AchievementUnlocked #levelup #practicemakesconsistent #practicepractice #funtimesatpiano
Do a quick search on these hashtags in the social media platform of your choice for more inspiration and ideas. Happy hashtagging!
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