Do Hashtags Actually Work?
We all remember the start of Instagram. The Valencia filter was the hottest commodity, hashtags were rife, influencers were few and far between. As the platform has evolved into a business tool, trends have come and gone, but what has remained is the importance of the humble hashtag.
Why are hashtags so important?
Hashtags are the best way to get your content seen by new audiences. Being discovered by new people online is super valuable for obvious reasons, but on Instagram in particular, more eyes across your posts can translate into better engagement, more followers and ultimately, more customers.
How do they work?
Hashtags are used to categorise content, so if you have a public or business profile and you add a hashtag to a photo, it will appear in the hashtag page. Instagram users can then search hashtags to discover new content and accounts, which is why having a solid hashtag strategy is so valuable. The right hashtags can get the right new eyes across your profile, even if someone has never heard of or interacted with you before.
Instagram introduced a new feature a while back that allows users to follow whichever hashtags they like. This means even if a user doesn’t follow you, they can see your posts in their feed (so long as you use hashtags!).
What is the best hashtag strategy?
Well, the first thing you need to know is Instagram has a strict 30-hashtag limit for feed posts. You can also only add 10 hashtags to your stories.
You should use a variety of hashtags that apply to your brand to attract as many new followers as possible. You should use a combination of branded hashtags (unique to your brand - like company name or tagline), community hashtags (unique to your product, service, industry, location or anything that connects you with your audience) and campaign hashtags (for new product launches or partnerships).
Using a bunch of hashtags that have millions of posts attached to them isn’t the best way to get the most eyes across your content. It makes more sense to find and use hashtags that are smaller, with an engaged audience. This will improve your chances of creating meaningful connections with users.
The best way to find the right hashtags? Do some competitor research to see what brands similar to you are using. Next, audience research. What hashtags do your followers use and what hashtags are they following? Take your findings and apply them to your strategy.
The Memo section of the Simply Simply Social® App is the best place to keep your hashtags for easy access when it comes to scheduling your Instagram content. Download the app today.