How hashtags help to get more engagement on your Instagram posts

Twitter may take credits for the invention of hashtags but Instagram is the platform that popularized its usage and advantages. There are so many businesses that owe their success to Instagram, and hashtags being one of the Holy Grail for social media marketers. Many choose to gain Instagram followers, however, some choose to grow Instagram engagement organically. The strategic use of hashtags can help you to increase engagement on Instagram organically. So if you’re still skeptical about the use of hashtags, here are some insights on how hashtags can help to get more engagement on your Instagram posts.

1. ORGANIC DISCOVERABILITY, VISIBILITY, AND REACH

Increased discoverability, visibility, and reach are crucial to generate leads and increasing revenue. But the rising crowd on Instagram can lead to content getting lost and mixing up with the crowd. Here comes the role of hashtags. Hashtags can help to effectively categorize your content that further helps in increased visibility. By using relevant hashtags you can expand your audience beyond your Instagram followers.  This is because using hashtags will show your content to users who are not even following you. Leveraging popular hashtags can dramatically increase your probability to be discovered by a large audience. Even small businesses with a limited budget that cannot afford to buy Instagram followers or avail other marketing services that leverage hashtags to level up and attract an audience. Even though it’s suggested to use relevant hashtags as per your vision, some of the most popular hashtags that can help you increase engagement on Instagram include #love, #instagood, #photooftheday, #fashion, #happy, and #beautiful.

2. ATTRACT TARGETED AUDIENCE

When you insert trending hashtags of your niche, you can target an audience that is always looking for the same solution. Instagram allows its users to follow hashtags they’re interested in or search for different hashtags. So if you want to generate targeted leads, you can use relevant hashtags of your industry. By narrowing down the pool of targeted audiences, you can build an active community that helps your brand to increase engagement on Instagram. Having a highly targeted and narrowed down pool of audience can increase your rate of conversion. For instance: If you’re a tourism company featuring Canada in your posts, using targeted hashtags like #CanadaTourism instead of simply using #Canada can help interested tourists reach out to you instead of the other way round.  Using long-tail hashtags is another way for a more advanced targeting.

3. BRANDED AND ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

Most of the top-performing brands outshine themselves by using personalized and customized hashtags dedicated to a particular campaign. So if you want to advertise and create awareness about a campaign, using targeted hashtags can help you increase engagement on Instagram. Pairing up targeted hashtags with giveaways and contests can help to serve your goals without having to buy Instagram followers. For instance, you can introduce a giveaway and state in the guidelines that one has to repost in their stories using the promotion hashtags to enter the contest. When you use a targeted hashtag for a promotion, your followers use the same hashtag and a cycle continues. Using targeted hashtags not only allows you connect with your audience but also form a space where your audience can connect with one another. So, try to use one branded hashtag and one campaign hashtag in each post for campaign promotions. Make sure that the hashtags are unique to your brand, simple yet actionable and consistent with your brand ideology.

4. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE BETTER

Hashtag research is a simple yet effective way to know and understand the needs of your audience better. Hashtags help in narrowing down your search by specifically knowing what type of content does your audience enjoy engaging with. Once you figure out what really catches the eye and attention of the audience, you can incorporate similar hashtag practices to increase engagement on Instagram, with having to buy Instagram followers. Moreover, there are various third-party platforms that can give you a detailed analysis of what type of content and hashtags have previously worked for you.  This intricate understanding of your audience can help in tailoring content that can compel your audience to engage with your posts.

5. KNOW YOUR COMPETITION AND INDUSTRY TRENDS

Hashtags are a great way to laser focus your research in your lookout for hot industry trends and competitor analysis. You can simply head over to your search bar and search for a topic under the hashtag section. Not only will the search results reveal the most trending posts and accounts around that keyword, but will also show suggestions for similar trending hashtags of the same niche.  As you become aware about your competitor’s account and their active practices, you can take inspiration and optimize your platform accordingly. You can also look for the most trending accounts and opinion experts of your niche to see which industry-specific hashtags can help you increase engagement on Instagram.

CONCLUSION

If you want to enhance your Instagram branding, you can now see the effectiveness of hashtags to increase engagement on Instagram. From reaching out to potential customers to increasing discoverability without the need to buy Instagram followers, hashtags are like a magic wand that can up your Instagram game. So go and search for the most trending and relevant hashtags of your niche, and stay tuned for more insightful tips.