How To use Instagram Hashtags
Hey ya’ll, welcome back to JWPB! Chances are you probably are an Instagram user like millions of others. You may be using the platform to grow your photography business, an account for you adorable puppy or simply growing the presence of your personal account. Did you know one of the easiest ways to increase interaction is to use hashtags?! I’m here today to give you a few tips how to successfully use hashtags!
Let’s start here, what is a hashtag? (Yes, it was previously was known as the pound sign but now has a new use!) When you use # before any word, it will now make the word searchable. This is a nice feature because it allows a whole new audience to be exposed to your content that may have never found it otherwise.
On average, a single post to Instagram that has used at least one hashtag will see around 12.6% more traffic than a post without a hashtag. However, it has to be the right one! When you’re writing your caption and trying to decide how you’ll tag the image keep in mind how many times that tag has been used by other users. Words such as “beauty” “love” or even “photography” are so over saturated that your post will fall into the dark abyss of Instagram. Choose a tag that is relevant to the content you are sharing and the audience you intend to attract. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, rather than using #wedding try being a little more detailed. What kind of wedding was it? If it was a beach wedding, use #BeachWedding. Doing this will allow your image to have a better chance of being viewed when someone is searching for the same topic!
Hashtags are a great way to brand your business. Along with the descriptive words used for each post, this is a great time to start using a tag with either your business name or motto for your company. (ex #JanaWilliamsPhotography or #StayInspired) This was new viewers have your company and motto fresh in their mind! Another fun new trend for using hashtags is that has been around for a little while; having hashtags for specific events. Concerts, weddings, heck even birthday parties! It’s an easy way to see who posted at the same event when you’re not friends with others involved!
If you’re dedicated to growing your Instagram following, it will make your life a little easier to keep the hashtags you use organized! It’s a little bit of leg work in the beginning but will help you down the road to save time when you post. Commonly people will create a list on the notepad of their smart phone. This way you can simply copy, paste and post. Other users take it as far as creating a spread sheet in Google Sheets or Excel so they can keep track of how many times this tag has been used, what category they’ll use it for and any other notes about the specific tag.
I hope these quick tips help as you’re growing your online presence! What are some other things you may be struggling with when it comes to branding your business? Leave a comment below and maybe I’ll write a blog post or do a video about that! If you’re in a creative rut click here to get a few ideas how to keep training your eye!
Stay Inspired,
Jana
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