Love them or hate them, hashtags are still one of the most successful ways to get more eyes and engagement on your Instagram posts – here at Purple Giraffe, we love hashtags! Instagram has become a powerful tool for businesses, influencers, and individuals alike to connect with their target audience. The benefits of using hashtags allow users to discover and engage with content relevant to their interests. Using the “right” hashtag can put you in front of your target audience, even if they haven’t connected with you before.
But do you know how to use hashtags effectively? In this blog, we go through everything you need to know about hashtags.
Understanding the Basics of Hashtags
Hashtags are keywords or phrases with the ‘#’ symbol, turning them into a clickable link that categorises and organises content on Instagram. By including relevant hashtags in your post, caption and/or comments, you can increase the visibility of your content and reach a wider audience.
Top Tips for Using Hashtags
Instagram Creators (@Creators) have shared the do’s and don’ts of using hashtags on Instagram:
- Use hashtags that are relevant and relatable to your content theme
- Research and review which hashtags your audience already use and follow
- Use a mix of well-known and niche hashtags to broaden your discoverability
- Keep the number of hashtags to less than 10 to avoid being shadow banned by Instagram
- Be careful not to use overly generic hashtags – it will make it harder for your audience to discover your content amidst a large volume of similar posts
Researching and Choosing the Right Hashtags
Make the most of hashtags by aligning them with your content and target demographic. A good starting point is considering the different types of hashtags you can use. There are five main types of hashtags to consider:
- Location – e.g., #Adelaide #AdelaideHills #SeeSouthAustralia
- Branded – used for campaigns, events or your brand #PurpleGiraffe
- Industry – e.g., #Marketing #OutsourcedMarketing #MarketingExperts
- Community – used for a specific group of people, e.g., #TheTower
- Descriptive – used for the content of your actual post, e.g.,#InstagramHashtags
You can also research popular and niche-specific hashtags related to your business, branding, services, or products. Search for these on Instagram’s Explore page, third-party applications, or websites like Later’s Instagram Hashtag Generator to find relevant hashtags and evaluate their popularity.
Mixing Popular and Niche Hashtags
As mentioned in Instagram Creator’s hashtag recommendations, use a mix of popular and niche hashtags. Yes, popular hashtags can help your post reach a broader audience. However, they are often saturated with millions of posts using the same hashtag. The key is to balance the popular and niche hashtags to allow you to target a specific audience and increase the chances of engagement.
Hashtag Placement – Caption or Comment section?
Instagram has confirmed that hashtags are effective in both your caption and the comment section – it is your choice where you would like to share them. Just remember on timeliness if you are natively posting hashtags in the comments section; you should aim to do it as soon as the post is published.
Expand your hashtag placement by adding hashtags in your Instagram stories or page bio to expand your reach. This is your opportunity to have fun and be creative with story stickers or text overlays to increase discoverability.
Create Branded Hashtags
Branded Hashtags are unique to your brand or campaign and are a powerful way to create community engagement and user-generated content. Encourage your followers or audience to use your branded hashtag when they share their experience, testimonials or use your products. This will increase brand awareness and build a collection of user-generated content for future posts.
Instagram hashtags can be a game-changer for your business page, by increasing your post visibility, reaching new audiences in your target demographic, and increasing engagement.
If the realm of social media feels overwhelming, our expert team at Purple Giraffe are here to help you take your social media to the next level. Chat with us today.
