You probably aren’t unfamiliar with hashtags, but you may be wondering if they’re productive for you. Hashtags are a great way to get noticed and get followers when utilised correctly. Do you plan on developing an Instagram hashtag strategy? Let’s go over what hashtags are and how they work before diving into how to find the right hashtags and how to use them effectively.
The hashtags and their purpose
Hashtags function similarly to a social media repository. If you put #vintagefurnituremakeover into Instagram’s search bar, you’ll be directed to a page displaying all content tagged with that term. Like a folder for paperwork. This facilitates the discovery of relevant content and the discovery of like-minded individuals.
In the past, knowing the correct hashtag was necessary since Instagram only provided results that were a perfect match. But now, when you type a phrase into Instagram’s search field, relevant hashtags will be returned. A user may search for the hashtag “vintage furniture” or anything similar and still obtain relevant results. (Remember this; it will come in handy when developing our hashtag approach.)
Think ahead
Hashtags are the weak link in the social media strategy of many content authors, company owners, and social media managers. Hashtags are commonly included at the very end of the process of submitting information because of this. But keep in mind that you want to be discovered by a wider audience, not simply your fans. Lackadaisical effort won’t get you more fans.
I get it completely. After putting in a lot of time and effort, all you want to do is hit “publish.” Also, the autocomplete feature makes it ridiculously simple to learn which hashtags are trending as you type.
Use these seven different kinds of hashtags
You should learn about industry, specialty, service, community, trending, seasonal/event, and local hashtags before developing an Instagram hashtag strategy. You can contact everyone you need to and more by picking from these seven crucial groups.
Industry
To reach the largest possible audience in your field, begin with the most generic hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to reach a large audience in a certain sector, discipline, or market, and you should be familiar with the ones used in your business. Imagine everyone you’d like to know about your company and brand — not just your ideal customer.
There are probably a number of hashtags floating around the business that all do essentially the same thing. Compare the user bases and content on each to pick the ideal one for your needs. Hashtags like #restaurant, #restaurant, and #restaurateur are good examples of umbrella terms for the food service business. Don’t clutter up your captions with dozens of nearly identical industry hashtags. Keep in mind that searches don’t necessitate an exact match, so a more effective hashtag would be one that includes the core term, like #italianrestaurant.
Service
What extras do you provide that aren’t directly related to your main offerings? Use hashtags like “#takeout,” “#delivery,” “#outdoor dining,” “#grubhub,” “#installation,” “curbside pickup,” “#private lessons,” “#virtual classes,” “#consulting,” and “#24hours” to promote your business.
Community
Which communities surround your company the most? What would you call a gathering of your most devoted fans if they actually did form? Use Instagram communities like #plantparents, #floristsofinstagram, #mushroomhunters, and #kombuchalovers to expand your reach.
Trending
Hashtags that promote social justice or charitable giving may be popular in your field, field of interest, or community. Or they’ll be a commentary on whatever’s happening in the globe right now. More recent examples include #maskup, #socialdistance, #crueltyfree, #fragrancefree, #vegan, #supportlocalbusiness, and #stopasianhate. Share your support for a cause with the world if you feel strongly about it or if it has any bearing on your business.
Some of the most popular hashtags right now are associated with exciting new challenges and social movements. The #hobbylobby, #yogaeverydamnday, #nomakeup, and #bookcoverchallenge are just a few instances from the past. Taking up a task with regular people gives your company more personality.
Events and seasons
Your Instagram hashtag strategy relies heavily on time-sensitive content, which is essential for the expansion of your social media following.
Using year, season, month, week, day, holiday, or industry-specific hashtags may help keep your postings current and easy to discover. Using these patterns, we get #coloroftheyear2021, #fallcollection, #septembersale, #fashionweek, #casualfriday, and #backtoschool, all of which are relevant to the fashion industry.
If at all feasible, time your campaign to coincide with a week or day of recognition. In honour of Music Therapy Awareness Month, musicians and singers can make posts using the designated hashtags. If you are organising a live or virtual gathering, you may even come up with your own unique hashtag.
Try out some terms that evoke specific senses
Always keep in mind that Instagram is a place to share and discover visual content. Keywords are frequently used by users to find the content they want. Consider using words like iridescent, ambient, flowery, salty, and slow to describe sights, sounds, scents, flavours, sensations, and actions if they are relevant to your topic.
These words or word combinations are concrete, making them the natural choices for most individuals when searching for specific terms. They are quite simple to abuse. Avoid using generic tags like #orange and instead use something more descriptive like #cheesepull to represent the action of the item.
Summary
Choose your Instagram hashtags with care. Use a combination of hashtags to account for all the contexts in which your content could be discovered. Don’t make the common error of only utilising one hashtag type.
Make use of sector, subfield, service, community, trend, season, event, and location hashtags. Last but not least, use vivid, sensory language to bring your postings to life using customised hashtags.
Spell check, investigate your topic thoroughly, and model your behaviour after the norm. With your newfound knowledge of hashtags and their uses, you may design a hashtag plan to increase your following.