In der weiten Social-Media-Landschaft hat sich TikTok zur dominanten Plattform entwickelt: Mit fesselnden, kreativen Inhalten erreicht und begeistert die Plattform weltweit Milliarden Nutzer. Der Anstieg ihrer Popularität spiegelt die wachsende Präferenz für Snackable Content wider und rückt Kurzvideo-Plattformen in den Fokus.

So, businesses and marketers are constantly striving to tap into and understand this dynamic space. This is because although the platform encourages creativity - It presents the challenge of crafting compelling videos that resonate and captivate the minds of communities united by specific hashtag-driven conversations.

Hashtags sind auf TikTok ein zentraler Erfolgsfaktor. Durch den gezielten Einsatz von Hashtags können Unternehmen in der dynamischen TikTok-Landschaft souverän agieren und eine starke Präsenz auf der Plattform etablieren.

Nur durch das Monitoring von Trend-Hashtags (z. B. mit dem TikTok Analytics Tool von Exolyt) können Unternehmen den Puls ihrer Zielgruppe erfassen, Top-Themen identifizieren und ihre Content-Strategie gezielt anpassen.

In this blog, we'll dive into practical tips and strategies that businesses can use to monitor trending hashtags on TikTok effectively. But first things first:

A hashtag is a keyword preceded by a "#" symbol used on social media platforms, including TikTok, to categorize and organize content. It turns the word or phrase into a clickable tag, allowing users to discover and explore related posts and discussions. 

Hashtags serve as a way to label and group content based on common themes, topics, or events. They enable users to search for specific content, participate in trends, and join conversations surrounding a particular subject. Hashtags have become essential for content discovery, engagement, and community building on social media especially TikTok.

Monitoring or finding trending hashtags on TikTok offers several benefits, like:

• Höhere Sichtbarkeit und Reichweite: Die Einbindung populärer Hashtags in die Content-Strategie erhöht die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass Videos von TikTok-Nutzerinnen und -Nutzern entdeckt werden, die diesen Hashtags aktiv folgen oder gezielt danach suchen.

• Steigertes Engagement: Der TikTok-Algorithmus bevorzugt Inhalte mit hohem Engagement. Durch den Einsatz von Trending-Hashtags können Unternehmen laufende Diskussionen und Trends erschließen, die in der TikTok-Community Resonanz finden. So erhalten Unternehmen wertvolles Feedback, Insights und User-Generated Content (UGC).

• Virale Trends gezielt nutzen: Durch das Monitoring von Trend-Hashtags können Unternehmen neue Content-Ideen identifizieren, sich an aktuellen Trend-Diskussionen beteiligen und ihre Markenkommunikation auf das ausrichten, was die Aufmerksamkeit ihrer Zielgruppe auf sich zieht.

• Content-Inspiration: Trending-Hashtags sind eine wertvolle Quelle für Content-Ideen. Die Beobachtung populärer Hashtags hilft Ihnen, aufkommende Trends und virale Konzepte frühzeitig zu erkennen. So entstehen frische, ansprechende Inhalte, die bei Ihrer Zielgruppe ankommen und Ihre TikTok-Präsenz dynamisch und wirkungsstark halten.

• Wettbewerbsvorteil: Indem Marken aufkommende oder trendende Hashtags früher als der Wettbewerb identifizieren, demonstrieren sie Innovationskraft, Agilität und Relevanz. Das verschafft ihnen einen Vorsprung auf TikTok und positioniert ihre Marke als Trendsetter in der Branche.

• Zielgruppen-Insights: Hashtag-Monitoring liefert wertvolle Insights zu Präferenzen, Interessen und Verhalten der Zielgruppe. Durch die Analyse der Performance spezifischer Hashtags und der zugehörigen Inhalte gewinnen Unternehmen ein klareres Verständnis des Sentiments ihrer Zielgruppe, der Trends, die in ihr Resonanz finden, und der Content-Formate, die Engagement treiben. Diese Erkenntnisse helfen, die Content-Strategie zu schärfen, die Markenkommunikation zu präzisieren und die richtige Zielgruppe auf TikTok gezielt anzusprechen.

Möchten Sie relevante TikTok-Keywords und -Hashtags identifizieren und monitoren? So gehen Sie vor –

1. Research your Industry

Starting out, you probably have guessed which keywords and hashtags are relevant for your industry, but are they currently in use?

One of the biggest mistakes brands make on TikTok or any social media is hypothesizing brand-related keywords without checking their relevancy. 

Before narrowing down on specific keywords, try understanding the popular topics and hashtags relevant to your brand or content. Luckily, with Exolyt's comprehensive TikTok analytics tool features, you can do this with a single click.

2. Explore TikTok's Search

If your business has a social media manager or you are one, don’t ignore the potential of TikTok’s search bar, which appears as a magnifying glass on the top right of the app.

The search option allows users to explore various content, including trending videos, popular hashtags, and trending sounds - Type in a keyword relevant to your business, and you can find related topics in your niche or business category.

3. Leverage TikTok's For You Page

Verbringen Sie Zeit auf der TikTok-For You Page (FYP), um Trends bei Content und Hashtags zu identifizieren. Beobachten Sie, welche Hashtags auf der FYP häufig verwendet werden und aktuell im Trend liegen. Diese Hashtags signalisieren populäre Themen und sind wertvoll für Ihre TikTok-Strategie.

4. Identify Topical Connections

Hashtags are crucial in deciphering audience interests and trends. However, solely focusing on one hashtag and its performance metrics may result in missing a larger picture. 

With Exolyt's hashtag network, you can now delve deeper into how a specific topic interacts with other relevant topics and discover a broader scope of conversations and trends on the platform, revealing the significant connections between various subjects discussed on TikTok. 

• In the network, every node represents a single hashtag.
• Hashtags used together are connected by a link - a thicker link shows hashtags used together more often than others. 

When these connections are repeated for each hashtag, a unique relationship network is generated that can change and evolve as TikTok trends rise and user behavior or interests change. 

The hashtag network enhances Exolyt’s user's peripheral vision with insights into how a given topic interacts with other related topics.

5. Analyze Competitor Content

Study the content of your competitors or other influencers within your industry. Take note of the keywords and hashtags they use in their captions and descriptions. This can help you identify popular keywords and relevant hashtags to incorporate into your content.

Mit den Funktionen des Exolyt TikTok-Analytics-Tools können Sie zudem die für Ihren Wettbewerber relevantesten Hashtags identifizieren und analysieren, was in einem bestimmten Zeitraum bei Ihrem Wettbewerber funktioniert.

Let’s explore Addidas for example in this regard -

Quelle: Exolyt

6. Track Hashtags that matter the most

Suppose you are a business operating on multiple niches or work with several creators, campaigns, and influencers simultaneously, or you are hoping to identify emerging trends. In that case, you must keep a tab on the hashtags that matter most to you.

With Exolyt folder management and tracking solutions, you can do that quickly and fuel your content strategy with data-driven insights.

7. Monitor User Comments and Mentions

Monitoring comments on TikTok isn't just a mundane task; it's a golden opportunity to learn, engage and thrive in the realm of social media, as it offers a direct glimpse into the minds and hearts of your audience.

With the rise in the immense volume of conversations on social media, it can be challenging for businesses to keep track of what is being said about their brand, products, or services.

Exolyt helps to uncover these market perceptions through comment monitoring.

Keeping track of the comments is essential because users and customers often mention relevant keywords or hashtags in their interactions with your content. This can provide industry niche topics and relatable audience lingo associated with your brand or content. It also keeps a check on brand reputation management.

8. Stay Updated and Experiment

TikTok trends and popular hashtags can change rapidly. So, experiment with different keywords and hashtags to identify what resonates best with your target audience.

Remember, finding the right combination of hashtags may require time and experimentation. By analyzing the performance data and adapting your strategy accordingly, you can optimize your hashtag usage and maximize the visibility and engagement of your TikTok content.

As a business, dedicating time to thorough research is essential to understand your target audience's interests and preferences to craft a compelling and engaging campaign. Investing in this groundwork ensures that your efforts align with what resonates with your audience and maximizes the potential for success.

So, once you have identified the first set of hashtags within your niche or industry, you will already have a pool of potential hashtags with which to experiment.

• Mix & Match: Nutzen Sie eine Kombination aus breiten und spezifischen Hashtags, um unterschiedliche Zielgruppen zu erreichen. Verwenden Sie z. B. einen beliebten Hashtag wie #foryou oder #tiktokviral und kombinieren Sie ihn mit Nischen-Hashtags, die thematisch zu Ihrem Content passen.

• Analysieren und optimieren: Analysieren Sie die Performance-Daten und identifizieren Sie Muster oder Trends bei Hashtags, die regelmäßig starke Ergebnisse liefern. Optimieren Sie Ihre Hashtag-Strategie fortlaufend auf Basis dieser Insights. Nutzen Sie Hashtags, die zu höherem Engagement führen und zu Ihren Content-Zielen passen.

• Aktuell und relevant bleiben: Verfolgen Sie auf TikTok aktuelle Trend-Hashtags und passen Sie Ihre Content-Strategie entsprechend an. Integrieren Sie relevante Trend-Hashtags in Ihren Content, um von viralen Trends zu profitieren und Ihre Chancen zu erhöhen, ein größeres Publikum zu erreichen.

• Test & Learn: Behandeln Sie Hashtag-Testing als kontinuierlichen Prozess. Testen Sie neue Hashtags, beobachten Sie die Ergebnisse und nutzen Sie die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse. Bleiben Sie offen, Ihre Hashtag-Strategie auf Basis von Zielgruppen-Feedback und sich wandelnden Trends anzupassen.

1. Hashtag Challenges

One of the most popular hashtag campaigns across social media is hashtag challenges, where users are invited to participate by creating and sharing videos based on a particular theme or prompt. The challenge is typically associated with a unique hashtag.

Participants are encouraged to put their creative spin on the challenge, showcasing their talents, humor, or unique perspectives. 

They are designed to inspire user-generated content, encourage engagement, and create a sense of community and fun on the platform. The success of a hashtag challenge depends on its appeal, ease of participation, and ability to generate widespread interest and engagement.

Beispiel: Doritos x Super Bowl LVII 2023-Event

While most companies advertised commercials during Super Bowl’s national airtime, Doritos took it a level further. It launched a TikTok dance contest, which challenged users to post a video of themselves dancing with the hashtag #DoritosTriangleTryout for the opportunity to appear in its game day commercial.

The challenge garnered over 14B hashtag views, driving user-generated content, which the brand monitored for their game time commercial feature.

Quelle: Exolyt – Darstellung des Peaks der Kampagnen-Performance im Aktionszeitraum im Vergleich zum aktuellen gleitenden Durchschnitt

Erfahren Sie mehr über den Doritos-Werbespot-Wettbewerb hier.

2. User Testimonials

You can also build a hashtag campaign to collect user testimonials and experiences related to your brand or products. Ask TikTok users to share their stories, reviews, or creative content showcasing their favorable experiences with your brand. This builds trust, social proof, and credibility for your business.

3. Influencer Collaborations

Brands often launch hashtag campaigns with influencers to leverage their reach and influence to amplify brand messages and engage with their followers. 

Beispiel: Walwart

The retail giant launched its first hashtag campaign as a challenge called #SavingsShuffle inviting users to share their emotions evoked by the savings they experience at the store. They collaborated with 6 influencers to promote the challenge.

Adam Waheed one of the influencers Walmart collaborated with shared the following video with his enthusiastic fan-base and it garnered 158.6K likes and 2847 shares.

4. Behind-the-Scenes

Give your audience a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes aspects of your brand, such as production processes, team dynamics, or events. Encourage users to share their behind-the-scenes moments related to your brand. This fosters transparency, authenticity, and a deeper connection with your audience.

5. Branded Hashtags

Create a unique hashtag that represents your brand or campaign. Encourage TikTok users to incorporate the hashtag in their videos when interacting with your brand or sharing related content. This helps to build awareness, gather user-generated content, and track engagement specific to your campaign.

Beispiel: Nike

Globally popular brands like Nike have taken it one step further by using branded hashtags to create user-generated content (UGC). The hashtags not only help the company to monitor the brand’s online reputation but also help boost authenticity for the brand with UGC - a perfect way to leverage the best of the influencer marketing ecosystem.

Quelle: Exolyt TikTok Analytics-Tool – UGC aus Nikes TikTok-Profil, das den Marken-Hashtag „#nikefitcheck“ hervorhebt, inklusive relevanter KPIs zur Überwachung der Marken-Performance.

6. Product or Service Promotion

Develop a hashtag campaign to promote a specific product or service. Encourage users to showcase how they use or benefit from your offerings creatively and engagingly. This can help generate excitement, drive sales, and highlight your products' unique features or benefits.

Example: Converse

To kick-start the "Creative All-Star Series" launch in London, Converse the footwear brand, joined forces with four prominent TikTok creators from the UK. These influencers, boasting a collective following of approximately 12 million, spearheaded the campaign. The result was a remarkable surge in user engagement and an extensive reach that captivated a wide audience.

Quelle: Jake Sweet, ein Influencer, mit dem Converse kooperiert hat.

7. Cause-Related Hashtags

Support a social or environmental cause that aligns with your brand values. Develop a hashtag campaign that encourages TikTok users to create content related to the cause, raise awareness, or showcase their contributions. This demonstrates your brand's commitment to social responsibility and can attract like-minded individuals.

By effectively leveraging trending hashtags, businesses can enhance their brand's presence, connect with a wider audience, and ultimately drive growth and success on the platform.

So, follow these hashtag discovery and monitoring steps, campaign and experimentation ideas, and continually adapt to the evolving trends to harness the potential of TikTok hashtags and boost engagement for your business.

Für den Einstieg können Sie auch auf Exolyt TikTok Analytics setzen.