Image from Wikimedia Commons
Since it was first used on Twitter more than a decade ago, hashtags have become quite popular on other social media platforms too.
On Instagram, they have gained even more widespread usage & versatility. This has made it easy to utilize them in various ways & achieve impressive results for gaining followers & marketing products.
Hashtags now have several interesting uses on Instagram. So how to use hashtags on Instagram? You can include up to 30 different ones in your posts or 10 on your Instagram Story. It is also possible to add them to your bio & Instagram users can now follow hashtags like regular accounts.
All this means with correct usage, your Content can end up on the feed of users that are not even following you.
Business profiles can also benefit from using them & even measure how effective their usage has been. You can now check the number of impressions you have been getting from using a hashtag.
However, like every other marketing tool, using hashtags effectively requires some strategic planning.
You can create entirely new ones for your brand or simply use relevant hashtags that are already popular on Instagram. Either way, your choice depends largely on the space you are operating in & the type of Content you are posting.
Finding relevant Instagram hashtags
Being able to find relevant trending hashtags in your niche is important. There are various ways to go about this.
You can simply search on Instagram for trending hashtags & find the ones related to your brands. You can also check out your competitors or influencers in your niche & find out the hashtags they are using or use the related hashtags button on any page to find relevant related content.
How to use hashtags on Instagram
Each social media platforms have simple hashtags usage rules that must be followed for optimum results. While these rules are not set in stone, they are vital & should be followed if you will get desired results.
1st, it is important that you always use relevant hashtags. It is not enough to simply jump in on a trending one; you will only engage your audience when you are able to give them what they are looking for.
You should also avoid spamming your posts with too many hashtags in a bid to gain attention. An irrelevant trending hashtag might get you a few new followers but they might not be people that are interested in what you are selling. You can also create branded hashtags that are short & unique to your brand or products you are selling.
Additionally, there are some simple usage tricks that can be of help to you. For example, instead of overwhelming your posts with hashtags which will distract your audience from your content you can learn how to hide them in the comments or add it into the caption for your post.
Without question, hashtags open up a wealth of marketing opportunities which you can leverage for impressive results. However, be sure to use them correctly for optimum results.
Image Credit: Instagram
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