Why use hashtags on Instagram? 10 genuine reasons you must

HASHTAGS! An element of Instagram and overall online presence. Hashtags have become such a crucial part of any Social Media Strategy that you simply cannot ignore them. Let’s talk about Instagram. Why use hashtags on Instagram? Is it a necessity? What if we don’t use them? How will it affect our social presence on the most loved social network? In general, we wish to know the importance of hashtags in Digital Marketing.

What are Hashtags? Why use hashtags on Instagram?

HASHTAGS are words or phrases that come first before the pound symbol. On social networking sites, it acts as a sign {for users and algorithms} that a bit of content relates to a definite topic or follows a particular category. Thus a hashtag helps us make our content discoverable on platform searches and finally reach more people. If you want to take the maximum benefit of social media presence, you must follow this.

What is the hashtags principle?

1. They always start with # but they don’t work if we use spaces, punctuation or symbols. 
2. Make sure your accounts are public; otherwise, they won’t be seen by any non-follower. 
3. Hashtags tend to be comparatively short and easy to remember. 
4. Use relative and specific hashtag.
5. Hashtags should be in limited numbers.

Some of the popular hashtags for Instagram are as follows

Other than these, there are 10 categories of hashtags:

PRODUCT OR SERVICE HASHTAGS:-  These hashtags are used by the companies for posting about their product or service offerings example #hairsalon

INDUSTRY NICHE HASHTAGS:- These types of hashtags are for specific work you do and are more precise than your product or service hashtags.

BRANDED HASHTAGS:- Branded hashtags help in building community, especially to your brand or business.

CAMPAIGN HASHTAGS:- When running a sponsored ad, you can use a unique hashtag to keep track of activity associated with that campaign.

USER GENERATED CONTENT HASHTAGS:- This type of hashtag is designed specifically for your users. People can visit this to look at unfiltered and unsponsored photos of your product.

INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY HASHTAGS FOR INDUSTRY:- These are great for getting more visibility with other Instagrammers who do what you do.

EVENT OR CONFERENCE HASHTAGS:-  As a business owner or company, this hashtag can be used to add to conversation relating to a definite event or industry conference.

CULTURAL MOVEMENT HASHTAGS:- These hashtags are used to uplift the voices, for sharing information, and make your company’s viewpoint clear; for example #feminism #LGBT+PRIDE

LOCATION HASHTAGS:- Location hashtags are great for targeting users in your area. Example #hairsalonnyc

PHRASE HASHTAGS:-  Phrase hashtags like #bebrave can hint at what you do while encouraging users.

Importance of Hashtags on Instagram

Hashtags are combinations of letters, numbers, or emojis preceded by the #symbol. Their main purpose is to classify the content and make it more noticeable. They are a great way to grow your Instagram audience; such that they will help in creating a community online. People can also see each other’s posts if they happen to follow the hashtags on Instagram.  

So why is it important to use hashtags on Instagram? Let’s check out the following reasons.-

Hashtags can make your content more noticeable

Adding hashtags to your posts will become evident in your corresponding hashtags feed. Using similar hashtags can increase the chance of users finding your content and liking it. This can only happen when you create engaging content by using trending and similar hashtags with it. So, you got the answer to “Why use Hashtags on Instagram?”

Get discovered by industry trends

Using trending hashtags can help you join trending conversations and can give you more exposure to your brand. These types of hashtags are rapid, uncertain, and temporary. One needs to properly use these hashtags considering why it is trending and regardless is similar to your business.

Hashtags will help you in promoting your brand

By using various hashtags marketing tactics you will increase your brand awareness and grow your business. These include using two types of hashtags they are:

Campaign-specific hashtags:

You can create short, persistent, and uncommon hashtags for specific campaigns such as product launch, brand building or contests.

For example, LAYS introduced the “Do us a flavor” while launching three new flavors; wherein they allowed their customers to vote for their favorite flavor by using the #SweepstakesEntry hashtag paired with their choice of #VoteEverythingBagel #VoteFriedGreenTomato #VoteCrispyTaco on Instagram and Twitter.

Content Related Hashtags

These types of hashtags don’t have to be popular or trending, instead, these will help you in getting your content seen by the audience searching for specific phrases. You can use hashtags similar to your product, location, event, lifestyle, and so on. The very important key is to put yourself in the customer’s place and then think of words they’ll use for relevant products, services, or content.

       Example – If you’re selling cold coffee you can use tempting images of coffee with the hashtag #coldcoffee

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How to search hashtags on Instagram?

Branded hashtags are a unique way for your business which also contains your brand name, company tagline, or one of your products.

How many hashtags to use on Instagram?

Instagram Creators account says, 

DO THIS:

1. KEEP THE NUMBER OF HASHTAGS BETWEEN 3 to 5.
2. USE SPECIFIC HASHTAGS FOR YOUR AUDIENCE TO FIND YOU EASILY.
3. MIX WELL-KNOWN AND NICHE HASHTAGS TO BROADEN YOUR REACH.
4. CHECK WHAT YOUR FANS ARE ALREADY USING AND FOLLOWING.

DON’T DO THIS:

1. DON’T USE IRRELEVANT HASHTAGS.
2. TOO MUCH OF GENERIC HASHTAGS CAN RUIN YOUR REACH.
3. USING 10-20 HASHTAGS IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU IN ANY WAY.

Instagram hashtags best practices

We’ve gone over the benefits of using hashtags; now it’s time to learn how to use them effectively. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to using hashtags on Instagram, but there are some guidelines to follow.

Here we have listed seven things to consider about Why use Hashtags on Instagram:

How to choose the best hashtags on Instagram?

Learn from influencers

When it comes to business marketing, influencers are extremely important. As a result, looking for influencers in your field may be beneficial. You can use them to quickly identify and use the most successful hashtags relevant to your brand. 

Social Media Tools Can Be Helpful

Most hashtag-using social media platforms also have tools that indicate just what is currently trending. When you log into Twitter, for example, you’ll get a list of currently progressing hashtags. While this does not imply that you should use them, if you find something relevant to your initiative or brand, it is worth investigating.

If nothing else, you might discover that other relevant hashtags are more effective. Any social media analytics should also be examined. These frequently include trending hashtags as well as hashtags that are relevant to your brand. 

Find Unique Hashtags

Create a hashtag that is unique to you and use it to start your dialogue and campaign. Decide on a caption that is memorable and unique, and that will resonate with your target group.

While there are a plethora of hashtags already available, you can create something truly unique with some effort and imagination. If a hashtag is already being used, you can simply research its usage with the help of an external hashtag analytics tool or your hashtag aggregation tool. 

Short & simple is best

Never make it complicated. Your message should be clear and precise. Hence, the Hashtags that you use must be short, precise, and easy to understand. Try using hashtags under 10 characters.

When it comes to promoting your products and services, hashtags are extremely important. When properly utilized, they can be a powerful tool for expanding your market reach and enhancing your brand’s visibility.

It’s your turn now if you haven’t been using hashtags yet. If you want to reap the greatest number of benefits, make sure you choose the best social media platform to assist you in displaying your content and engaging with your audience. 

So how does using Hashtags on Instagram help grow your reach & business?

By using these hashtags on Hashtags you can spread the word about your business, and what you have to provide. These hashtags would help in building the community of your brand, making it simple for your customers to recall and remember you.

So with the proper use of hashtags, you can grow your audience, widen your reach and raise user engagement. It is hence important to reconsider your outlook on Instagram hashtags and use it more constructively to grow your business. Here we have elaborated some genuine reasons Why use Hashtags on Instagram, which will definitely help you generate a strategy for your next marketing campaign.