What are hashtags?! Doing keyword research for our blog, we’ve found out that this simple question is popping up in SO MANY minds all around the world. So what was our first thought? You’re right! We need to elaborate on that, to make an answer clear and comprehensive so you realize the full potential of them – and you won’t find yourself wondering “what is the purpose of a hashtag?!” ever again.
Imagine walking into a music store looking for a vinyl – you don’t have a particular band in mind, but you’d love to buy something relaxing for long, summer evenings. Chillstep maybe? Or smooth jazz?
You’re here for the first time – the store is HUGE, and you’re sure that sooner or later you’ll find what you’re looking for. Their assortment is impressive!
As the minutes go by, you get a little bit overwhelmed because shelves here don’t have any labels on them. Actually, you feel lost. You don’t want to judge vinyl records by the covers, but you have no idea what genres they could be and which direction you should turn to head to the smooth jazz section.
You’d ask someone who works in the store for hints or advice, right?
That’s precisely what hashtags do on Instagram! They direct people to the posts they may be looking for. They’re organizing the content to make it easier for you to find what you want to see.
What are hashtags, and why are hashtags so powerful?
Let’s begin with the first WHY.
Why are they such an effective marketing tool? Using them can be a significant differentiator between effective and ineffective content marketing. When used correctly, they’re such a great tool to get discovered, grow your reach, and attract like-minded people.
With this in mind, we’ll be discussing all the benefits of developing a conscious hashtag strategy – and using 30 well-tailored hashtags every time you post on Instagram.
While the algorithm keeps on changing, the focus on reaching new audiences – especially your target audience, of course – remains the highest priority.
Do hashtags make a difference?
It’s really easy to answer that question.
One proper hashtag could mean the difference between one or two people seeing your content (people who already follow you, your current followers) and hundreds or maybe even thousands of NEW people seeing it.
Hashtags are organizing the content really well.
When you use the Instagram search engine to look for, let’s say, #bali, the platform will direct you to all of the Bali posts – the posts other Instagram users have categorized as content about traveling to Bali by using the same hashtag.
With thousands of different hashtags, how do you ever choose the right ones?
Now you know how essential and game-changing hashtags can be.
So, we bet you’d love to use them to work in your favor.
One sec!
Well, the example we’ve used earlier on — #Bali — is not the best and most compelling example of a hashtag to use on Instagram. Why? It’s a very generic, vague hashtag, the one with millions of posts, some of which unfortunately have nothing to do with Bali (the beautiful views from Bali beaches) at all.
So what your hashtag strategy should look like instead – what to do when you shouldn’t put a # sign before every short (key)word that comes to your mind?
Choosing the proper hashtags is more critical now than ever before. So do your research! How? Check and see what hashtags people are already using when talking about topics from your niche, and prioritize them. You don’t want to use the easiest, most generic ones but the ones already driving results for your competitors.
Before you use them, ask yourself if they’re genuinely relevant to your content as well of course.
The hashtags you use should be relevant to what you’re writing about (or what your photos/infographics contain). It’s also a beneficial practice to use trending ones to get your content thrown into the light. Yes, jump on the trending bandwagon!
It’s surprisingly challenging to find them on your own – so it’s better to trust handy tools which can do it for you. One totally worth recommending is – you might have guessed! – our IQ Hashtags tool – the most intuitive and advanced one out there. It’s where you’ll polish your hashtag strategy: even with no experience and even when you have zero inspiration.
Hashtags are your (best) friend
Data is the voice of the truth – seeing is believing, and many times your stats will tell you that hashtags totally DO WONDERS. Track your analytics about content effectiveness, and you’ll see that the posts with really well-picked hashtags perform much better. It’s worth the effort – you won’t regret this time investment.
Instagram is FULL of valuable content – and random, crappy copy-cats too – what can you do to cut through the noise? Use well-tailored hashtags to find followers who will appreciate your expertise and the heart you put into the content creation. We promise you’ll see the results.
Follow our upcoming posts if you dream of grabbing audiences’ attention and growing your account faster and smarter. Keep your eyes open and see what’s going on in the Instagram world, and look at what other content creators are talking about!
We know you will love her passion for anecdotes, remarkable insights, and her new addiction - Reels! 📸
- Instagram SEO Explained: Instagram Has Changed Because of Instagram Keywords - October 16, 2023
- Instagram Search Engine Optimization: Identify Best Hashtags and Avoid Banned Hashtags - June 26, 2023
- Boost Your Instagram Presence: Uncover Insights with IQ Hashtags Instagram Profile Analysis - June 26, 2023
Comments are closed.