Why Hashtags Matter
Hashtags are everywhere! When you read an Instagram post, you expect to see hashtags following the caption. They have become such a prominent piece of social media and content marketing, but do they really work? Yes, if done correctly! They can greatly impact your social media reach and get your posts in front of new viewers. However, to have them work for your advantage, there’s a bit of planning that goes into it. We’re going to dive into the world of hashtags and give you some tips on how to use them for your business effectively.
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags, so it’s best to take advantage of this. There is debate on where the sweet spot of the number of hashtags is. Some claim 11-15 is the perfect amount, and others say over 20 is a good number. It’s up to you to decide what the best number is for your posts, but don’t go overboard with your hashtags. Only use those relevant to your content, and that will help you reach the audience you’re looking to target.
Hashtags can go in either your caption or as a comment. Where you choose to post them doesn’t matter as they still reach audiences equally. It’s more an aesthetic choice based on your preference. However, if you choose to post your hashtags in the comments, you must do it as soon as your post goes live. As soon as your picture posts, Instagram instantly begins working on its algorithm and starts to place it among the audience's feed. If you add hashtags later, it can reset the algorithm which will change the position of the post and interrupt engagement.
On top of the timing of your hashtags, it’s important to strategize the words used in the hashtags themselves. It’s ideal to have them relevant to your post, but you don't want them to get repetitive. Using the same hashtags repeatedly for each post can result in Instagram marking it as spam. This doesn’t mean you can only use a specific hashtag once. You’ll just need to space out when you use them. It’s in your best interest to switch up your hashtags for each post. This is easily done if you take the time to create hashtag categories.
Hashtag categories are different sets of hashtags that are specific to certain types of posts. This makes choosing hashtags for your posts quick and easy. We suggest making categories that are relevant to different aspects of your business. Some examples are industry tags, product tags, audience tags, location tags, and content tags. By having certain groups such as these, you can reach more people and appeal to an appropriate audience. When separating these, you can choose certain hashtags for each post and have your list ready for when it's time to post.
Curating the perfect hashtags for your business may seem like a lot of work. Once you’ve determined which ones are relevant to your business and categorized them, it’s smooth sailing from there! Taking the time to do this can lead to an increase in engagement and audience reach. If you’re not taking advantage of hashtags in your Instagram posts, sign up for your free consultation with us using the link below!
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