Instagram hashtags… a feature that seems outdated but is yet a trademark for social media and content creators.
Why is Using the Right Hashtag important?
Using relevant and targeted hashtags on your posts and stories is one of the best ways to get discovered by new audiences.
Hashtags are not only a great way to discover content but can efficiently put your brand in front of your target audiences.
Using Instagram hashtags can be very beneficial for your social media brand; it increases exposure and discovery, encourages audience interaction, competitor analysis and content research.
Instagram allows us up to 30 hashtags on a regular post and up to 10 hashtags on a story. That doesn’t mean that you need to be using 30 hashtags on every one of your posts. The best way to approach hashtags is to find a perfect balance of niche ones and popular ones that are related to your brand.
Should hashtags be in your caption or your comments?
This has been a question asked by many, where should your hashtags be located, in your actual caption or your comments?
As we know hashtags make your content easier to find and they make your post more discoverable. Lately, creators have been putting their hashtags in their comments to make the captions look less crowded and messy.
Which option is better for you and your brand? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each of these.
Hashtags In Your Caption
The main pro to having your hashtags in your caption is that timing is on your side, your hashtags start working the second that you publish your post. Worried that the hashtags in your caption are going to give your post a chaotic and messy look? A good technique while putting hashtags in your caption is to add a few rows of dots to your post, meaning the readers will only see them if they will hit the “show more”.
Hashtags In Your Comments
The main pro to having hashtags in the comments is that you can hide them from your followers and competitors all while having a hashtag-free caption. When having a call to action in your caption, using the hashtags in your comments is ideal so that they don’t steal attention.
How to do your research on Hashtags for your brand!
An important part of doing your hashtag research is checking out your competition without necessarily using the same hashtags they use, but for getting ideas and comparisons.
There are many platforms and tools to help you find hashtags, but you can do a lot on your own.
Type a keyword into the Instagram search tool. Then, you will get a list of popular hashtags associated with it. Just make sure that the content tagged with the hashtag is relevant to your brand or business.
Another technique for finding the right hashtags for your brand is seeing what your audience already uses. Keeping an eye out on your top followers and the kind of hashtags they interact with will give you insight into what you should be using on your next post.
The Different Types of Hashtags
Community Hashtags
Every community and industry has at least one hashtag that is used within them and these are usually the ones that are simple and most used.
Community hashtags are the ideal way of connecting yourself and your brands like mind users. As a brand, you aren’t limited to a single community and many niches could be a target audience for you.
Branded Hashtags
If you have been managing a brand presence on Instagram, chances are a version of your brand already exists whether you came up with it or not. Brand hashtags can be created in multiple ways either with your brand’s name, a brand slogan or related to a brand community.
It’s important to create a hashtag for your brand, as it allows for all your posts to be seen in one specific place and can easily be carried over to other social media platforms.
This uniqueness helps you create a niche within your brand.
Campaign hashtags
While branded and community hashtags are meant to last, campaign hashtags are usually shorter-term and run for just a few days, a season, or a year.
These campaign hashtags can show your recent collaboration, a recent product release or a sale and can be added in with any other types of hashtags.
These kinds of hashtags don’t need to be tied to a product, a campaign hostage can be about anything that is under your brand values.
There's a reason hashtags are here to stay. Learning, researching and understanding what works better for you and your brand is the first step to audience reach and engagement.
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