We know. We must use hashtags. There are thousands of different blog posts on the topic, and while they all provide valuable insight, no one wants (or needs) to read another post on why we should use hashtags.
What we DO need to know is what are the best hashtags for Instagram and how to use them to get more followers and increase our visibility, since hashtags can be our secret weapon to be MORE successful on social networks, using less work.
- Try the “medium” hashtags.
Let’s go with those super popular hashtags on Instagram that have over a million posts using them. Do you think anyone is likely to see YOUR post among all those millions? Especially considering that there are thousands of people who are tagging their posts with that tag every minute.
It’s time to ditch popular hashtags in favor of non-hashtags. Add a couple of the most popular ones if you want, but you should use a wide range of hashtags. Don’t be afraid to try new strategies!
- Use hashtags that really matter.
Think about your ideal audience and the types of hashtags they are likely to use. Now, don’t just include them in your posts, take a look around some of those accounts and follow them. You don’t have to dive into the follow / stop following technique (which is almost as bad as buying followers), but by following what you like, you can get new followers.
This is how it works: if I “follow” the #Ilikereed hashtag on Instagram, I can enter and see other people who have used the hashtag, and if I find an account that I like, I will follow it, or leave a like on their photo .
What happens next? Those people see my username, some of them click on it, and a percentage of those people will see my profile and think, “Hey, this person has cool stuff. I will follow her”
- Don’t abuse the same hashtags.
This is one of the most common mistakes I see on Instagram. You must be constantly trying new things, even something as simple as a new hashtag, to grow your brand. You can’t keep using the same hashtags day after day hoping that they will magically turn into massive growth, especially if the SAME PEOPLE are seeing those posts over and over again.
Diversify your social media a bit and start rotating your hashtag usage to reach different people with each post.
- Do your research hashtag.
You can use any of the apps that exist to search for new hashtags. Don’t always trust what’s most popular – check related hashtags and see what other people are using successfully.