Top 13 Best Hashtags for Museums to Use in Your Social Media Strategy
Did you know the origins of the hashtag may be traced back to Neanderthal carvings?
The sensational discovery of the symbol in Gorham's Cave (Gibraltar) in 2014 made scholars believe that such engravings were the first evidence of the Neanderthal ability to develop complex, abstract thought.
The jury’s still out on the matter but what’s certain is that those cuttings were intentional: their size and location indicate they were meant to be seen by all those living in the cave.
What does this have to do with modern hashtags?
Well, hashtags are nowadays a powerful social media feature used to make your content discoverable to wider audiences, expand your reach, and increase your social impact.
Their visibility and influence draw people’s attention, making it easy to engage with content and have ongoing conversations around a topic. (Could this somewhat be the Neanderthal maker’s intent in Gorham's Cave too?)
A strategic use of trending hashtags on social media - especially on Twitter and Instagram - positively affects your online growth and engagement rate - just think that tweets with hashtags receive 2x more engagement than those without them. (Buffer)
But how do you find top hashtags? And what are the best art hashtags to promote your museum?
In today’s post you’ll get these and other questions answered, including a comprehensive list of the top 13 best hashtags for museums to drive more social media views, likes, and shares.
Let’s begin!
What Are Hashtags and Why Are They a Useful Marketing Tool for Museums?
Hashtags are words or keyword phrases referred to a specific topic, theme, event, or conversation. They’re used within a public post on social media networks - not only on Twitter - to enable users interested in your content to find you when they search for a particular hashtag.
They attract people and trigger interactions with your posts.
But what is the importance of hashtags?
Here are five reasons to include them in your museum content strategy:
Relevant hashtags bring traffic to your content and pull in your target audience.
They increase engagement through likes, views, shares, comments, and new followers.
They nurture organic growth by making your posts discoverable to a broader range of people.
They’re used to hype social initiatives, discuss global issues, and connect with the community.
Branded hashtags can boost brand awareness and drive conversions.
Be strategic with museum hashtags: choose the ones that relate to your niche and cater to your marketing goals.
How to Find the Best Hashtags for Museums and Use Them Effectively?
To find museum social media hashtags specific to your business, sector, and audience, you must do some research.
What hashtags get the most likes? Which hashtag is trending now?
You’ll need to answer these and other questions when singling out the best hashtags for museums.
A few tips to follow:
Do a social media competitor analysis to gather information on what hashtags other arts organizations and relevant influencers use and how they engage with your mutual audience.
Find what hashtags are trending in your niche with social media tools like RiteTag or Neontools.
Search for high-performing, active keywords related to your content on your social platforms.
Adopt social listening tools, like Hootsuite or Keyhole, to monitor hashtags usage and performance, mentions, trends, and users behavior on all the social channels you’re on.
Analyze the hashtags on previous posts to reuse the most successful ones in terms of reach and engagement in your future content.
Remember to stay active and consistent in your posting activity - this is critical to reach new, diverse audiences, foster stronger relationships with your existing followers, improve your digital presence, and ensure long-term loyalty.
Most marketers' primary goals in 2022. (Hubspot)
Also, hashtags will help you stay on top of trends in your industry if you use them correctly:
Don’t add spaces, punctuation, or symbols (hashtags won’t work otherwise).
Opt for a mix of popular, relevant, and branded hashtags in your posts.
Hashtags must be relatively short and easy to remember.
Limit the number of hashtags you want to use; in most cases, one to three hashtags have more impact than a lot of them.
Choose hashtags that add value to your posts and stimulate conversations.
Top 13 Best Hashtags for Museums to Promote Your Brand Identity and Engage With Your Audience.
To successfully promote your museum identity and get a higher engagement rate, include the following best hashtags for museums in your social media strategy.
I’ve selected 13 art museum hashtags that are considered the most trending ones - mainly on Twitter and Instagram - for the number of likes, comments, and shares they generate.
When integrating them into your posts, keep in mind your social media goals and who you want to reach. Take time to test the best hashtag strategy to use on each of your social platforms; monitor your actions, learn what works and what doesn’t, and analyze your results to create better, compelling content.
Let’s dive in!
AskACurator
The #AskACurator campaign was first launched on Twitter in 2010 as a worldwide social media Q&A with a variety of participating museums and galleries. The intent was to make cultural venues more accessible and spark conversations between the audience and curators or other museum professionals.
“In the museum world you have a movement towards more open and engaging museums, which is often referred to as Museum 2.0, the idea that a museum can evolve and get better by interacting and involving the public.”
This ongoing initiative is open to everyone and encourages participants to ask anything that they are curious about or want more information on.
Users often ask queries to specific museums by tagging them and using #AskACurator; in other situations, they include the hashtag in their post to question the whole curator community.
Thanks to these interactions, museums get more visibility, share knowledge, and have the chance to find out what really interests the public.
2. MuseumHour
#MuseumHour is a monthly Twitter chat about all things museums. Experts in the sector, cultural heritage professionals and museumgoers share their ideas and personal experiences on several topics, from art and conservation to accessibility and hybrid work.
Conceived as a free open space, #MuseumHour highlights the multifaceted aspects of museums and fosters a supportive community for all.
3. MuseumWeek
One of the most popular hashtags for museums is #MuseumWeek.
Since 2014, it’s been the first virtual, worldwide cultural event on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Over 60,000 participants are actively involved in the online initiative, being a great opportunity for networking and bringing together a global community of museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions.
Several themes are discussed every year in an attempt to positively impact society through culture, creativity, and innovation.
4. MuseumCollection
Both on Instagram and Twitter, this hashtag turns out to be very popular for showing rare collection pieces that are not always accessible to the public.
From archeological artifacts and odd objects to behind-the-scenes tours, museums get the chance to promote themselves, foster interactions, and connect with the audience in engaging - and sometimes unconventional - ways.
5. MuseTech
Being in use on Twitter since 2010, #MuseTech is one of the most trending museum hashtags for technology and innovation discussions in the museum sector.
Professionals promote events, panels, and other activities showcasing the latest, groundbreaking developments in the tech world and how they're impacting museums.
6. MuseSocial
Similar to #MuseTech, this hashtag encompasses engaging chats around social media and their role in museums.
It’s a great opportunity for arts organizations to highlight their social activities while taking inspiration from others to better promote their programs and services.
7. MuseumSelfie
The hashtag campaign was launched in 2015 by Mar Dixon, a London mom who enjoys visiting museums with her daughter. She intended to invite museum professionals and the general public to take a selfie in front of their favorite collections and share it on Instagram and Twitter.
“The hashtag is about the museum, but it’s really about the people who are going to the museum. You took that picture, and you will remember that picture.”
The main goal is to promote awareness of art collections, exhibits, and special events; but most importantly it’s about spurring the online community to attend museums.
Many arts organizations actively participate in the campaign, not without adding a bit of creativity and a sense of humor to their self-promotion.
Creating a selfie spot within your museum and telling visitors to use the hashtag when sharing their photos on social media has proved to be a surefire way to trigger discussions and catch users’ attention.
8. ITweetMuseums
Created by Mark B. Schlemmer, registrar for collections at the New York Historical Society, the #ITweetMuseums initiative encourages cultural workers to tweet about museum topics, like working life, exhibitions, panel discussions, and educational programs.
As the founder claims, the hashtag works as a resource to highlight what people experience in cultural spaces around the world.
9. MuseumFromHome
When COVID-19 hit back in 2020, the freelance museum worker Sacha Coward started the Twitter idea of sharing museum workers’ stories about objects that were meaningful to them.
The hashtag had a resounding success, with many users joining the online community. Now it’s one of the most popular hashtags for museums - on Twitter and Instagram - for giving cultural organizations the chance to stay connected with the audience even beyond their doors.
10. MuseumMomentOfZen
As a result of the pandemic, the Museum of the City of New York began the Twitter and Instagram #MuseumMomentOfZen campaign in 2020 to showcase the Museum’s collections and exhibits to allure their online community.
The hashtag had a remarkable impact, with thousands of posts published and a boost in social media reach and engagement.
Other institutions followed, posting relaxing and therapeutic artworks, photos, archival images, and videos to this day.
11. WorkOfTheWeek
This trending Twitter and Instagram hashtag highlights art and historical collections like paintings, photographs, archeological findings, and other special objects.
Thousands of organizations include #WorkOfTheWeek in their posts to make their collections accessible online, promote upcoming exhibitions, and provide knowledge of the historical context of their artworks - a great way to raise brand awareness and explore what captivates the audience.
12. MuseumLife
Among the best hashtags for museums, #MuseumLife well reflects the museum world from the inside.
Behind-the-scenes snaps show the public what it’s like to work in a museum: cleaning artworks, installing exhibitions, and cataloging objects are just a few examples of what you’ll see when searching this hashtag.
13. MuseumVisit
#MuseumVisit is all about guided tours, special meetings, school events, educational activities, visitors’ experiences and much more.
The hashtag generates hundreds of views on Twitter and Instagram, as museums use it to involve wide and diverse audiences, raise curiosity, and build authentic relationships with their following.
Use These 13 Best Hashtags for Museums to Reach New Heights
Even if they can be difficult to understand and don’t always perform at their best on your posts, hashtags are a worthwhile marketing tool to incorporate into your social media strategy.
Look at these stats:
81% of marketers say using hashtags has been somewhat or very effective for their Instagram strategy. (Hubspot)
Tweets with 1-2 hashtags have a 55% higher chance of getting retweeted. (Dan Zarrella)
Posts with at least one hashtag get 29% more interactions for profiles with 1,000 or fewer followers. (Compare Camp)
So, if you’re wondering ‘How can I promote my museum?’, start using the best hashtags for museums listed here to…
Market yourself.
Reach your targeted audience.
Attract followers in your niche.
Increase engagement.
Make your brand image recognizable.
Remember, you won’t see many benefits from your hashtag strategy if you don't first create relevant, quality content that resonates with your leads.
Other than that, do your research, test what works best for you, and be creative with your social media posts! 🎨
Do you need an updated list of popular hashtags for museums? Download the 20 high-performing museum hashtags list (with tools) to include in your Instagram and Twitter posts!
