What You Need To Know About Using Hashtags On Instagram

So you know you need to use hashtags but you’ve no idea where to start?
 
Here’s a handy starter guide to what you need to know about using hashtags on Instagram.
 
You Can Use 30 Hashtags Per Post - however check the current stats on the number of hashtags that receive the most engagement and run with that. 
According to an analysis by TrackMaven, posts with nine hashtags receive the most engagement. (February 2019). As with all things social media, things can change overnight, so keep your eye on any changes frequently.
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Conduct Hashtag Research
There’s no point using hashtags unless you know they’re relevant for your image and for your accounts.
 
Hashtags should be used to attract new followers so using the right ones is crucial.
 
There are a few ways to approach hashtag research. You could start by going through your account to see what posts have the best engagement and then seeing if there are any common hashtags between these posts.
 
Look at your niche and what are relevant and popular hashtags for your industry that could help you to be seen by more people.
 
Look At What Hashtags Other Accounts Are Using
Another way to research hashtags is to look at what hashtags other accounts in your niche are using.
 
See what kind of engagement they’re getting on their posts and what hashtags they’re using.
 
Make a list of ones to test on your own posts and monitor the results to see if they’re worth adding to your hashtag collections.
 
Add Them To Your Stories
Did you know you can add hashtags to your stories too? This is one of the best ways to get your stories seen by accounts that aren’t already following you.
 
You can add one official hashtag to each story using the # option on the sticker tab, but you can also add more hashtags to written text in your stories too.
 
Use Hashtags To Attract Followers
Hashtags are designed to help you get seen by people who aren’t following you currently.
 
That’s why it’s so crucial to use the right kind of hashtags.
 
Look at the volume associated with each one – if it’s got 1 million plus posts, chances are you won’t get too much visibility with it.
 
Make collections of hashtags that have a range of volumes – for example:
 
5 hashtags with 20k posts or less
5 hashtags with 20k-50k posts
5 hashtags with 50-100k posts
5 hashtags with 100-500k posts
5 hashtags with 500k+ posts
 
Don’t Use Spammy Hashtags
There are heaps of spammy hashtags on Instagram. They make your account look desperado for followers so you want to avoid using these.
 
They include ones such as:
 
#follow
#like
#comment
#likeforfollow
#followforfollow
#likeforlike
 
Find out more about spammy and banned hashtags on Instagram here.
 
Use Hashtags That Are Relevant To Your Image
Always make sure at least a few of your hashtags are relevant to your image and unique from your saved sets of hashtags.
 
This tells Instagram that you aren’t a bot and have taken the time to post unique content to the platform – something they love.
 
Track Results Through Insights
Once you start putting some serious effort into your hashtags, you’ll want to track them to see how they’re performing.
 
You can do this via Instagram insights if you’re using a business account (which you should be!).
 
Look at what reach and engagement your posts are getting and see if you can find patterns as to what hashtags may have helped you achieve better results.
 
When looking at your reach via IG Stories it clearly shows you how many people you reached due to each individual hashtag so they’re a great way to see which hashtags are bringing you new eyeballs and followers.


Would you rather let someone else take care of your hashtags and IG posts? Then you need the team at Frame Social Media.
 
Frame Social Media specialises in assisting start-ups, small to medium businesses and corporates to have a social media presence.
 
We have a range of social media management packages, priced to be as affordable as possible for businesses just like yours.

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