Q & A: INSTAGRAM HASHTAGS 101

If you're a business owner, you're probably always looking for ways to increase your reach and engagement on social media. One effective tool to achieve this is by utilizing Instagram hashtags. Hashtags can help make your content more discoverable by your target audience, as well as increase your chances of appearing on the Instagram Explore page. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of using hashtags on Instagram and provide some tips on how to use them effectively to drive engagement and grow your business.

What are Instagram hashtags?

​Instagram hashtags are essentially clickable tags that consist of keywords, which can be used in your post to attract like-minded people to your page. They provide a way to get discovered and increase your chances of being featured on the platform's explore page. By using hashtags that effectively target your desired audience, you can achieve positive results. While hashtags can help you reach a wider audience, it's the specific tags that land you on the explore page, which can bring you in front of your ideal customers and drive better outcomes. Hashtags serve as the SEO for your Instagram account.

What is the ideal number of hashtags to use on a post?

It's recommended to use all 30 available hashtags, as each one presents a new opportunity to increase visibility. Think of hashtags as lottery tickets, where each tag is a chance to win. Every hashtag provides the potential to be featured on the explore page, and ultimately attract new customers. Despite any contrary opinions, it's best to take advantage of all 30 tags!

Where should you post the hashtags?

When it comes to posting hashtags, there's no hard and fast rule about placement - it all depends on your personal preference. Some people, including myself, choose to include them at the end of the caption, while others opt to post them as the first comment on the post. However, if you're pre-planning and batching content, there is some concern that posting hashtags in the comment section may be viewed as spam and suggest that you're a bot. This isn't ideal, as your comment section should be reserved for community engagement. To be on the safe side, it's recommended to put your hashtags at the very end of your caption. It's better to err on the side of caution.

How do I figure out what kind of hashtags to use?

You want to use keywords that represent what your target audience is actively searching for. A local influencer in Connecticut I worked with used the following hashtags below to increase awareness and traction to a local business. These hashtags are all keywords to the kind of audience the local business is wanting to attract. Using the hashtags allowed them to get discovered through the hashtags and the explore page. Look at your competition to gain inspiration on the types of hashtags they are using. Then sit down and sit in your customers shoes on what type of hashtags they would be looking up and the type of content they are being served to on their explore page.

Hashtags are free money to your business to increase your reach and get seen by customers who want your products, it's a no brainer not to use them. ​Hashtags are just 1 piece of the puzzle to a successful social media strategy. If you're struggling to grow your business with Instagram, feel free to reach out to me with my contact form below to find out how I can help your business grow!