Selling on online marketplaces can be challenging. Taking great photos is not enough. You also need to be strategic in your titles and descriptions. Here is where hashtags come in. These can improve your listings, boost exposure, and are key in your marketing plan.

Using the right hashtags can help you gain exposure. But if you overcrowd your listing with them or use irrelevant ones, you may be missing out on potential customers. So how do you exactly do this? How do you ensure your listings are reaching the right buyers and you can close actual sales?

What are hashtags?

Hashtags start with the symbol “#” and are clickable. You can see these usually on social media platforms Twitter and Instagram.

Hashtags are used to categorize content or posts. For instance, if you have an Instagram post about a Paco Rabanne black gladiator sandals, you would use hashtags like #PacoRabanne, #blacksandals, and #gladiatorsandals to include in the description.

When you categorize your posts, it makes it easier for other people to discover them. This applies not only to social media accounts but to online marketplaces as well. Users looking for Paco Rabanne items will see your sandals listing. In addition, you will grab the attention of other people searching for black sandals or gladiator sandals.

Generally, hashtags expand your reach. It is a great way to gain extensive exposure to your posts. Even when users don’t follow you but are following a particular hashtag that you used, there is a greater chance they will come across your post.

Hashtags in listings

While using hashtags is exciting, be careful in utilizing them. Popular ones can get your post or listing lost in a sea of similar ones. This is why using top hashtags across social media is tricky. You must balance between including a few on your listing and crafting some targeting a niche audience.

Some people follow specific hashtags. This may be because of several reasons. They are buyers or collectors interested in purchasing pieces from their favorite brands. They are also sellers looking for trending products for inspiration or users browsing through these categories.

The purpose of hashtags is to direct people to the relevant posts and listings. After all, there are different types that you can utilize in creating listings on Mercari. Below are some examples:

• Product or service

  Most of the time, these are basic words or phrases that describe your listings. Examples are #handbag, #platformsandals, and #CDcase. Some can be generic ones such as #thriftstore, #ebay, #clearance, and #haul.

• Community hashtags

  Aside from letting people discover your post, hashtags also help in tapping into an entire community. For instance, there are collectors of Christian Louboutin pieces. When you include such a hashtag on your listing, fans of this brand will likely flock to your post and similar ones from others.

  Similarly, when you include #DiorAddict on your listing of Dior brand makeup, communities following that hashtag will come across your items. They can be followers of the Dior Addict makeup collection or overall fans of the brand.

• Niche

  Being strategic with your hashtags means including a mix of popular and niche ones. The latter simply means “specific.” If you are selling a Funko Pop, then you should indicate which celebrity or figure it is. It can be #XMenFunkoPop or #FunkoPopStrangerThings. Being specific allows you to tap audiences of these communities or fanbases.

Crafting hashtags on Mercari

Take advantage of hashtags on your Mercari listings with the following tips:

• Stay relevant

  When you write hashtags, keep them relevant to your item or product. If you sell Sony headphones, don’t include #Apple, #Bose, or even categories like #earbuds and #speakers. The general rule is only to use words and phrases applicable to your item.

  If you keep including irrelevant hashtags, Mercari buyers will definitely turn away from you–your listing and your account. They may think that you are “click baiting” them and you are not trustworthy as a seller. The last thing you want is to lose potential customers.

• Keep it to a minimum.

  Just because you can write a certain number of hashtags doesn’t mean you should. Otherwise, spamming your listings would not only overcrowd them but would also overwhelm your potential customers.

  The best strategy is to test your listings. You can start with a small number of hashtags first and add more based on your observations. It works differently for every business. But again, don’t spam.

• Use popular, effective hashtags.

  How will you know what the tried-and-tested hashtags are? Popular social media reseller hashtags are generic ones like #thriftstore, #reseller, #thriftfinds, #ebay, #haul, and #clearance. When you utilize general categories, you have more chances of being included in the most sought-after “page” or “category.”

  However, this also means your listings are lumped in with hundreds of other listings. It may be difficult for you to get discovered as buyers would have to scroll through numerous listings before they can see yours.

  The best way is to combine popular hashtags with niche ones

Utilize Automation

Beyond crafting hashtags for your listings, there are many different ways you can expand your reach. Most likely, you don’t have enough time to do these, especially if you are only reselling as a side hustle.

Fortunately, automation tools like OneShop help you accomplish your goals in a few clicks. The OneShopapp crosslists and delists your listings across different marketplaces. These include Poshmark, Depop, eBay, and Tradesy. Overall, you get increased exposure and more conversions from other shoppers.

Listing is simple with OneShop’s listing form. OneShop streamlines this process, so the fields “category,” “price, and “shipping” are already grouped together. While you take care of the descriptions and the hashtags, you won’t spend too much time filling up the listing forms.

Additionally, you can “duplicate” listings and even schedule when they list. These save you time as previously-filled information is already there– you only need to modify them according to your new item. Similarly, “Scheduled Listings” allow you to prepare everything and then publish them at a prime time (e.g., lunchtime or in the evening of weekends).

There are many other great features of OneShop you can benefit from. If your primary concern is gaining extensive reach, then this app is definitely for you. It has a Constants.Marketing.TrialDuration-day free trial you can try. Setting up takes less than three minutes. Sign up today so you can watch your business grow at your convenience.