If you’ve been marketing your business through Instagram, good job! It’s demonstrably the best way to reach a younger audience. You’ve likely crafted a detailed content calendar, posts are flowing regularly. Unfortunately, there’s one problem – you’re not getting engagement. The single most likely reason for this missing crucial piece is your hashtag game needs some improvement. This week, we’re taking you on a hashtag crash course to help you get the results your business deserves.
Getting the Basics Right
Instagram allows users to include 30 hashtags on a post and up to 10 on a story. Just because you can use this many doesn’t mean you should. Just like keyword spamming has fallen out of favour in the SEO realm, so has hashtag spamming. Instead, you’re going to take a different, more refined approach. This approach starts with a little research…
Finding the Right Hashtags for Your Brand
Check the Competition
The hashtags you use for your posts should depend on several equally important factors. Start by taking a look at your competitors; after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Take a look at their engagement levels, are they higher than yours? If so, what are they doing differently? Now, we aren’t advocating you copy what they’re doing. Instead, use it as a learning exercise. Perhaps you’ll see some hashtags to add to your collection. Or, you’ll spot the weakness in their strategy and select the hashtags you need to ignore.
Influencing the Conversation
Whether you’re a fan of them, or think they’re useless, influencers can play a starring role in helping you identify the right hashtags. Check in on what they are tagging their posts with. Debates about their talent aside, these people are connected directly to your target market and are well versed in marketing to them. Lean on this experience and identify hashtags that can help you grow your engagement.
Look at Your Best Performing Posts
Until recently, you’ve likely taken a more carefree attitude toward your use of hashtags. That’s ok, even a stopped clock is right twice a day after all! Check in on your old, well-performing posts and look for a common hashtag. Identify if a particular hashtag has been performing well for you. If so, it’s time to dust off the classics and include it in your hashtag set. Think of it this way: The Rolling Stones have been putting out albums for five decades, but they still make sure to play ‘Paint it Black’ at every show.
Test Your Results
Have you switched your Instagram profile to a business profile yet? If so, Instagram’s suite of analytics is available to help you test your hashtag success. When you make a post with hashtags, you can easily check how many impressions you received from those hashtags. Simply click the “View Insights” button below your post to see how many profile visits, website clicks and engagement you received. Scroll further down and you can even see how people found your post. Hashtags is conveniently listed, allowing you to see whether your hashtag efforts were successful.
Let Us Help
GD Commerce works with several clients on their social media, delivering sustained increases in leads and conversions. Let’s meet for a chat and talk about raising your social media game.
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