Instagram Hashtags: Why They Are Important

Instagram is a powerful tool for marketers to utilize in 2019. With over 500 million active users logging into the platform every day, it’s essential for your business to stand out. Instagram offers a multitude of ways for companies and marketers to engage with people on the platform. From live videos to stories, to influencer content, brands share their message with users all over the globe. An excellent way to get a larger following is through the use of hashtags.

Instagram allows 30 hashtags per post. Hashtags give users a way to discover branded content through the topics that interest them. People can go to the “Explore” tab to search for content that they want to see. Hashtags are paramount. They can help your posts reach a target audience, attract followers, improve engagement, and develop a more positive reputation.

HASHTAG STATS: 
• 88% of brand posts include at least one hashtag.
• 91% of posts by top brands have seven or fewer hashtags.
• Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.

WHY HASHTAGS MATTER:

With a surge in popularity of the past few years, it’s difficult for Instagram to deliver the right content to the right people efficiently. There are about 95 million images posted every day on the platform. Having the correct hashtags increase your chances of being visible within the search results. Hashtags help your post get discovered by viewers most interested in seeing it. With the statistics above in mind, hashtags play a significant role in so it’s essential to have a strategy for your brand. Here are some of the reasons hashtags are necessary for your Instagram account:

1. Exposure and Engagement: The most notable benefit of using hashtags is that you can communicate with potential customers. Those customers can be people have already heard of your brand and those who have never heard about you. With the right hashtags, you can get linked with large numbers of new users and enjoy better interaction with them through your posts. Instagram is consistently growing, and you can continually reach new people with the use of hashtags.

2. Links: Hashtags not only help your brand gain visibility, but they also act as links. Instagram can automatically link you to other users. Hashtags appear in the search results that are relevant to your campaign, which is why it is crucial to add them to your posts.

3. Visibility: Users will actively type and search a specific hashtag. It’s important that your posts are public and have relevant tags that you know will gain the attention of your audience.

HOW TO CHOOSE INSTAGRAM HASHTAGS

Research Hashtags Others Are Using

To start, do some research on your competitors. You can accomplish this by seeing what hashtags they are using on their own posts. Look to influencers in your industry as well. They have a large audience and have knowledge of what people are searching within that field.

Organization Is Key

Create an organization system that helps you keep track of your hashtags. It helps to categorize hashtags. You can keep track of which hashtags you use and how often you use them. This data will assist you in seeing which hashtags are most popular. Over time it will get easier to decide which hashtags work best for your brand.

Branded Hashtags

These are custom hashtags for your business. These hashtags encourage your audience to share them whenever they post anything related to your brand. It often includes the name of your business.

Test How Many Hashtags Work for You

There’s not one specific number that works for every single strategy. To find out what number of hashtags works for you, you need to experiment. Instagram will not allow more than 30 hashtags. It’s important to test them out and make necessary judgments based on your findings.

Location – Based Hashtags

If you are a local business in the area, you can build a following with people right in your own community. People often search for different locations on Instagram to check out current events. Utilize that to build a relationship with people in and people who are seeking your area.