In the modern world, Instagram becomes one of the most popular social media platforms, where all types of businesses are considering taking advantage of this platform for market growth and advertisement. The use of the hashtag feature on Instagram helps in a great way for the users to find content in it. So using this hashtags more effectively should be an essential concern for setting up an Instagram marketing strategy for all the businesses.
So first we look into, why Instagram hashtags matters. As hashtags are an integral part of it, so they help in everything like helping in expanding the reach and connect to customers, tracking of user-generated content (UGC) or spark discussion. There are a lot of ridings available, for using the right hashtag tactics for getting more engagements and followers on your business platform — a recent feature released by Instagram that allows users to follow hashtags in addition to other users. So users can now follow everything from #Seattleshopping to #Ravenclawforever, and if you can crack the hashtags, your target audiences are most likely to follow, which allows you, having an instant way of getting into the feeds of audience members, who have not even heard of you yet. The reasonably generic hashtags like #TGIF or #retailtherapy, are most likely to be followed by most users in large numbers and are an excellent place to start. So find some popular hashtags which apply to your business and start attaching them more frequently to your posts. The subjects involving a community of some sort like Game of Thrones or Star Wars may also have immense benefit irrespective of local or niche interest.
So here, are three ways of effectively using hashtags on Instagram for achieving the marketing goals according to Shane Barker:
1. Using of Multiple Location hashtags for Building on Local Awareness
This tactic will help to increase your followers count more than any other. Even, if you are a local business or massive e-commerce, using location-based hashtags, is an excellent way of connecting with your community. As people love business in their areas, so they are likely to scout out local events and places on the platform, and this will help you to be on their radar, even if you weren’t before. For example, if your local business is in Ohio, you can use some hashtag variations like:
- #iloveohio
- #ohio
- #ohioshopping
- #ohiodessert
- #ohiolocal
- #ohioevent
- #ohiohalloween
For a local business, try using at least three location-based hashtags for every post. By diversifying your usable hashtags, you are more likely to reach different people in your targeted audiences over time.
Also read: How to make Facebook video ads?
2. Co-opt Fun Hashtags for Commanding Immediate Attention
Throw a fun or tongue-in-cheek hashtags, if it suits your business. This is a great way to boost engagement by adding personality to your profile and appeal to users. Though these are hashtags, where you cannot expect a lot of people to search for, it can add some extra focus to your caption. Using this tactic will give your brand a distinct voice that people will like to follow. Examples like #treatyoself and #wewonttell use several variations of this type and are doing exceptionally well. In some cases, for the users to read them, you can use these as the very first hashtags in the sequence, and the other may only be there for reaching purposes. For illustration, if your business offers mint gelato, you could use the hashtag #getyourgreenon. If owning a small boutique, try hashtag sequences like #whosaidshoppingcantfixeverything #theylied #yesitcan. Though it may sound a little goofy, it may work, and you might find followers commenting just on the hashtags on occasion.
3. Creating of Branded Hashtags for Encouraging UGC Campaign Participation
Conversations can be generated for having your own hashtags and simultaneously, it makes it easier to track the discussions, even if it occurs off, of your channel. This is why, all big-name brands have hashtags which often include their brand names like, #loveloft and even may have seasonal or contest-related hashtags like, #redcupcontest. You may also get a distinct edge, of having your own branded hashtag. For helping to promote their brand, a lot of brands also struggle to get the UGC. However, most customers are more than happy to create content and are just waiting for some instructions. So give users, the idea of what kind of content to create for encourage sharing like, “Did you get #MarriedInModcloth? Let us know!”. The big bonus lies here, when users are attaching the hashtags, they are sharing the content (brands can also create promo videos for themselves to stand out) in such a way that you can track and get benefitted from and while all their friends and followers are being exposed to your brand too.
Hashtag Researching Tools
There are tools available for researching hashtags for popularity and trending potential. As most businesses and online marketers understand keyword research. Like keywords for your site, the right hashtags can help you to show up in searches and allows your target audiences in finding you. Since it’s a good practice to put multiple hashtags on each post, and that will lead you to do hashtag research upfront using tools like Hashtagify. So when you search for a hashtag, you can see the total and recent popularity of the hashtag. This helps you to root out trending topics or event-related hashtags, which are no longer relevant. The tool also shows the other hashtags related to the one you searched, and that could give you some new ideas of other terms and phrases. This might be appealing to your target audiences and saving you a ton of time in the long run.
So choosing the right hashtag could make a world of difference in both your engagements and reach in Instagram and this isn’t the area that can be ignored. Do your research by taking time, test different strategies, and track the results to find out, which hashtags seem to work the best for you over time. So the hashtag following feature of Instagram mainly can pay off even more than it has historically.
