HOW TO USE HASHTAGS TO GROW ON INSTAGRAM
Have you been using hashtags to grow on Instagram? Anyone who says that hashtags are ineffective is simply not using them correctly. In fact, hashtags are actually an integral part of growing your Instagram account. As with any other online marketing techniques, it is important to create an effective strategy in order to see results. Here are some important tips to help you create a simple, yet productive strategy to make hashtags work for you.
HOW HASHTAGS WORK
First and foremost, it is important to understand how hashtags work in the first place before you begin implementing them. Hashtags are the primary way that Instagram users are able to find your account. You can post the most creative, informative, valuable content, but if you aren’t putting hashtags to use, no one will ever be able to find it! Users may search for individual hashtags, or they can click through some related hashtags that Instagram will recommend to them based on their searches.
DON’T USE THE MOST POPULAR TAGS
Deciding on which hashtags to use can be tricky. It is a delicate balance between selecting hashtags that have just enough popularity to actually increase the visibility on your post, but not so much that your photo is lost in a sea of content the second you post it. Don’t use the most popular tags that have tens of millions of uses when you are first starting out. These tags are not conducive for smaller creators looking to grow. The posts from smaller accounts are rarely seen and in turn, receive little to no engagement.
ALTERNATE YOUR HASHTAGS
As with just about anything in life, you don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Keep a running list of relevant hashtags and group them together based on the niche or area of interest. When creating a post, alternate the group of hashtags that you use to broaden your reach and to get in front of a few different audiences. This will allow for more growth than if you were to just post the same 30 hashtags for each and every piece of content.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR TRENDS
While you want most of your hashtags to be relevant to your brand, you also want to give yourself room to grow. Keep an eye out for trends on Instagram and include a few of the trending hashtags in your post. To really target the right audience, it is best to wait for a hashtag within your niche to start trending. If hashtags don’t typically trend in your niche, try jumping on some trends that reach a broad audience that include current events or holidays. This will give your content an opportunity to be seen by a new audience and may pique the interest of users who are not usually browsing hashtags in your niche.
With some research, time, and patience, you’ll be able to develop a functional hashtag strategy that drives users to your page. Establishing your brand is not an overnight process, so just keep at it and soon enough you’ll begin seeing the fruits of your labor!
