Are hashtags dead, or have you just forgotten about them?
Admit it, you probably (among everyone else) have been convinced hashtags are old school and they don’t do anything for your page.
Well, we’re here to tell you they’re more alive and relevant than you think!
What are Hashtags, and how do they work?
Hashtags on Instagram are essentially keywords or phrases preceded by the "#" symbol. When added to a caption or comment, they become clickable and serve as a way to categorise and discover content on the platform.
Hashtags were introduced on Instagram to make it easier for users to find and engage with relevant content. By using hashtags, users can group their posts with others that share the same topic or theme. When someone clicks on or searches for a specific hashtag, they are presented with a feed of posts containing that hashtag.
So, why should you use hashtags?
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post! That’s 30 new ways for your account to be discovered and enhance your reach, engagement, and overall social media presence.
Now you’re wondering why they are so important.
Hashtags will allow you to:
Increase visibility allowing your content to reach a wider audience.
They keep your content categorised and discoverable to an audience interested in that particular topic or niche.
Target a specific audience and build your community.
Increasing brand awareness.
How to apply Hashtags.
Hashtags should be included in all your posts, but don’t worry, we have a little secret to not make your caption feel overdone with hashtags.
Paste your chosen hashtags into your first comment, that way, when someone comes across your post, the hashtags aren’t screaming at them, and they’re nicely tucked away.
Here we’ve listed 4 things to consider when choosing your Hashtags:
Search keywords associated with your business, brand, product and/or service.
Keep them specific to your business and location (important for growing your community).
Choosing hashtags that aren’t over-saturated (search the hashtag you want to use, and if it has more than 100k tags, your post will most likely get lost, we aim to choose hashtags with posts between 2,000-60k)
Keep them simple and not too complicated (think about the keywords you’d search when wanting a specific brand and/or business)
To tie it all together, hashtags are very much alive, and with the saturation of the platform today, they are more important than ever to help your business grow and create your ideal community!
Use hashtags specific to your brand, service, location and product to help you reach your target audience and to those who have never heard of your business.
And we’re not asking you to #every #single #word, in-fact this is the opposite of how you should be utilising your hashtags, but remember, it’s 30 new ways for your business to be discovered.
Are you now wondering how to create a hashtag strategy?
Check out our blog, ‘How to Develop a Hashtag Strategy.’