With more than 1 billion users, Instagram has become one of the most important elements of your social media marketing strategy. But how to gain more popularity on this platform? The simple answer is “Hashtags”. These small words starting with ‘#’ have the potential to drive your brand to the next level of success.
To expand your reach on this platform you need to have an effective Instagram hashtags strategy that will improve the discoverability of your content. In this post, we are going to unfold the perfect Instagram hashtags strategy including 9 ways to increase engagement on Instagram. These amazing tips will help you gain a wider reach on Instagram and boost up brand visibility.
So, let’s get started!
- Use Relevant Hashtags
If you want your hashtag strategy to be highly effective then the first rule is to stick with relevant hashtags. Use well-researched hashtags related to your industry, this will help you gain target followers.
One of the simple hacks to get relevant hashtags is to enter some related hashtags into the search bar. With each search, Instagram will provide you with the top hashtags closely related to the searched hashtags and thus adding the latest hashtags to your collection. These hashtags will help you boost up your reach on Instagram.
- Get Hashtag Ideas from Lead Competitors
It is one of the most effective ways to gain perfect hashtags for your Instagram content. Follow Instagram influencers and top brands related to your industry and analyze what type of hashtags they are using. This will give you ideas to build your own creative hashtag strategy.
See what’s working for them and you will definitely find some amazing industry-specific hashtags that you can use for your brand or you can come up with your own hashtags using the same strategy. Either way, you will get new hashtags that will help you create a wider reach on Instagram.
- Create Branded Hashtag
Instagram allows its users to follow hashtags which makes hashtags a great opportunity for marketers to gain wider reach on Instagram. Users can now find their favorite content by simply following a hashtag.
Now to make the most out of this tool you should create your branded hashtag and encourage your audience to follow it so that your content can float in their feeds and get better reach.
You can also start your marketing campaigns using branded hashtags and gain more Instagram followers. Don’t forget to mention your branded hashtag in your Instagram bio.
- Incorporate Hashtags in Instagram Stories
Adding hashtags in your Instagram story posts gives you more opportunities to grab the attention of potential followers. On hashtags pages you will find Instagram story posts on the top, the posts that appear in these stories are tagged with hashtags.
Use hashtag sticker to add hashtags in your Instagram stories or simply use the # symbol to add them. This will boost up your brand’s visibility and increase the discoverability of your content, thus, growing your account’s engagement and building a loyal customer base.
- Avoid Using Too Many Hashtags
The limit to add hashtags in one Instagram post is 30 but adding too many hashtags can actually have negative impacts on your reach. The use of irrelevant hashtags will make your post look spammy and will not build an authentic following.
The right number of hashtags on one post varies between 4 to 10, keep in mind it’s not about how many hashtags you add to a post but it’s all about the quality of hashtags. Add well-researched hashtags related to your industry and make them count. Track and monitor the impact of each hashtag to improve your hashtag strategy.
- Pinpoint Trending Hashtags
Adding trending hashtags to your Instagram post provides an opportunity to get your content in front of more eyes. But always keep in mind to use relevant hashtags as your target audience will be following industry-specific trending hashtags.
So, by using trending hashtags you can get a huge follower base on Instagram. Moreover, with these hashtags chances of converting followers into customers also increases. Grab on to hashtag trending for the day and make the most out of it.
- Avoid Banned Hashtags
It happens sometimes that Instagram bans hashtags that are related to some inappropriate content. And due to this users will not be able to find the latest posts related to that hashtag.
So, it is better to avoid such hashtags, that is why you should always research well before using a hashtag. Using banned hashtags can have negative impacts on your engagement.
You are on Instagram to create a positive image of your brand so you should avoid controversial and spammy hashtags. Create a good look for your brand by using quality hashtags and gain a wider reach on Instagram.
- Don’t Use Repetitive Hashtags
According to Instagram community guidelines, using repetitive comments or content will not help you gain more reach on this platform. To avoid extra work users tend to simply copy and paste the list of hashtags, this is where it all goes wrong.
Keep in mind that using the same hashtags for every post can lead to penalization of your content by the Instagram algorithm. So, use only those hashtags that are relevant to your post to gain higher engagements and more followers.
- Analyze Hashtag Performance
If you want to improve your performance then analyzing your hashtags is really important. Use the Instagram analytics tool to track and monitor your existing hashtags and see what’s working and what type of hashtags are driving more engagements.
Instagram insights will give you a clear picture of which hashtags are gaining more likes, comments, saves, and shares. This will help you decide on new hashtags for similar content and you will also be able to track their performance.
There you have it: the most powerful Instagram hashtags strategy. Hashtags if used correctly can make a strong influence on your Instagram reach. It is one of the most powerful tools to gain more audience and reach potential customers.
Find some amazing hashtags with solid research and the above-outlined strategy to make the most out of your Instagram hashtags. It is a great way to connect with people and build a lasting relationship with your Instagram followers. So, stop waiting and start connecting!