If you’re using Instagram for marketing, hashtags are an important part of how you interact with your audience. For businesses or small businesses just getting started with Instagram marketing, getting hashtags right can make or break your social media campaign. That’s why I’ve put together this guide to walk you through exactly how to use hashtags on Instagram.
As Instagram users, we all know how to use hashtags, but for those on the other side of the equation, a little more planning is required. This page will help you with that.
Why should you use hashtags on Instagram?
You should use hashtags on Instagram because viewers use them. Whenever we search for something on the net, we use hashtags to search for them. When something is promoted on Insta, hashtags are used to describe it. It’s an important way to get your posts found.
How do hashtags work?
Hashtags work exactly the same as keywords. When you create a web page, you have specific keywords that describe that page that your target audience will use to search for that page. Same as here. The hashtags you choose should be relevant to the post and words your target audience will likely use to find them.
You start a hashtag with ‘#’. For example, let’s say you’re creating a post about a delicious nonfat yogurt you invented. If your audience were looking for something like this, they would probably use words like ‘#fat-free’, ‘#low-fat’, ‘#yogurt’, ‘#clean food’, ‘#clean eating’, ‘#feel good’, ‘#superfoods’. and others. It’s all about your post and don’t mislead the audience.
How to find related hashtags?
One of the hardest things to do when doing social media marketing is to identify hot hashtags that are relevant to the product you’re marketing. Instagram has an API you can use to help you identify the best performing hashtags. Some websites offer top hashtags monthly, like our own ‘Best Instagram Hashtags’. [June 2019]’.
You can also check keyword tools like this website or Instagram itself. Use the search function on Instagram to search for alternative hashtags. Enter a term in the Instagram search and the app will present you with a bunch of hashtags it thinks are relevant. Choose and use the best performers. Also, use Top & Latest at the top of any hashtag page to see related hashtags for extra inspiration.
Another effective way to determine which hashtags to use is to see what your competition is using. Competitor analysis is an important way to keep up with and outperform your industry. Don’t copy what they’re doing, look at what they’re doing and see ways to do better.
Managing and using hashtags
If you’re not paying for a social media marketing platform, the easiest way to track hashtags is to use an Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet. Create a spreadsheet with a category column and a hashtag column and start building a collection of hashtags for each category. You can then feature some or all of them in your Instagram posts.
When it comes to using hashtags, there is a strict rule that you must always follow. Hashtags should always be relevant. Never mislead the audience. Never try to trick them with a trending hashtag linking to something unrelated just to visit. This way you won’t gain followers.
Every hashtag you use should be relevant to the post you are promoting. Your post should make a promise that it will come true and should not deceive or disappoint your target audience. Engagement is about delivering on promises and delivering value in one form or another.
While there is no such rule, research has shown that 9 hashtags are optimal in a single Instagram post.
Mix popular hashtags with niche hashtags
Using hashtags on Instagram is the same as using keywords in SEO. You can use popular hashtags as they get a lot of traffic. They also get a lot of competition. You can also use niche hashtags such as long-tail keywords. They get less but more targeted traffic and have less competition. Targeted traffic is much more likely to convert.
If you’re just starting out, it makes sense to aim for a mix of both. Once your followers start capturing the five digits, you can target more popular hashtags or go the other way and refine your hashtags for a multi-target niche that should start converting in meaningful numbers. If you go this way, don’t ignore popular hashtags. Use them sparingly to expand your network a little more.
Hashtags are very simple to use on Instagram. What is more difficult is to use them well. If you’re marketing using this social network, it’s a learning process, but a job well done provides satisfaction as well as a growing number of followers.