Hashtags for Instagram

Are hashtags that important? Are they really necessary? These are some of the questions I get about hashtags, but what is a hashtag really? A hashtag is a type of metadata tag used on some social media channels, like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, allowing the people to search specific topics on those social media channels.

Hashtags are often underestimated, therefore not everybody uses them. But, what are the benefits of using hashtags? Well, the answer is very simple; it gives better visibility to your content. When you use relevant hashtags, users that are not following you can find your content by following or searching that particular hashtag.

Actually, hashtags are nowadays so important that when you use at least one hashtag on Instagram, your post will have an average of 12,6% more engagement than a post without hashtags. Therefore, if you are looking to grow your account it really worth investing in a hashtag strategy for your brand.

In this post, I will focus on Instagram Hashtags and how they can benefit your content and interaction.

 

Why is it important to add hashtags to your Instagram Posts

The best way to get discovered by a new audience on Instagram is by using relevant and targeted hashtags on your post and Instastories. When you get discovered by a new audience there is a big chance that you will get more followers, interactions, and therefore more engagement on your content.

How does it work?

Instagram hashtags works as a category, means if I am looking for dinner inspiration ideas, and I give in the search #dinnerideas, all the post that has this hashtag will appear on my search feed and if I see something that I like I will probably open that account, like that post, take a look on the profile and If this profile has great content I will end up following that account.

If you are a fashion photographer, who just post an incredible fashion photograph, you would probably then use the hashtags #fashion #fashionohotography #photographer

Then, that post would be cataloged on Instagram, so other users who are interesting in fashion and photography can easily find that post. Consequently, hashtags can really push your content.

Where to add them?

You can add them to your post, Instastories, and your bio to make your profile even more functional. Therefore is easier for you to turn your profile into a business profile and increase the visits to your website.

How to track them

Turning your private profile into a business profile on Instagram allows you to get the insight of your post. With the Business Profile, you will be able to track and analyze how effective your hashtag strategy is. You can see the amount of new follows, reach, impressions, profile visits, website visits, and discovery.

If you take a closer look at hashtags, you will see how many people discovered your content through the hashtag you used.

Develop a strategy

The best way to start is by doing research on your audience. Who is your audience? Which interest they have? See which hashtags your audience is using, and which hashtag fit your business. They should be relevant, and more importantly, they should contain the keywords that better defines your business and how your audience would look for your business.

Research your competitors

Any type of strategy needs competitor research; find out which hashtags your competitors are using, take a closer look on which one provides more engagement, and develop your strategy

Related Hashtags

Find the related hashtags, like #photography #photographer #fashion #fashionphotographer #fashionphotography and add them to your post.

When is the right time?

The art of Instagram is not just the right content or hashtag, it is also about timing… To discover when your audience is online will determine how much engagement you will get on your content. If you share your content when your audience is most active on Instagram, you will probably drive more engagement on that post. When you have more engagement, Instagram will put that post higher on the user’s feed, which means, you will have more chances to get more engagement. More engagement more visibility

Happy tagging!

 

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