How to Use Instagram Hashtags to Increase Your Audience in 2019

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Want to learn how to use Instagram hashtags to expand your reach and get more followers? Here’s how to use Instagram hashtags to increase your audience in 2019.

The power of Instagram hashtags is truly undeniable, yet so many Instagram users seem to forget about them. Hashtags are not hard to implement and have their own benefits that you will be excited to hear about.

instagram hashtags

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Here’s how you can use Instagram hashtags to increase your audience and get more Instagram likes and followers.

Why Do Instagram Hashtags Matter?

As mentioned above, hashtags have lots of benefits. In addition to being very easy to implement, they also have these three advantages:

⭐ Make Your Content Easily Discoverable:

First and most important is the fact that Instagram hashtags make your content more easily discoverable. Your posts can only be noticed by your followers, but once you start using hashtags, they will also appear in search results for the hashtags you used.

These hashtags are quite similar to keywords used in articles on your blog in order to appear in search engine results.

So, for example, imagine you posted a picture of a strawberry cupcake. By tagging it with #cupcake, people searching for cupcakes on Instagram will see your post in search results. By adding even one hashtag, you make your post easier for users to find.

⭐ Encourage Audience Interactions:

Did you know that Instagram posts that include at least one hashtag get way more engagement than those that have none?

This means that by including hashtags in your posts, you encourage your audience to interact with your content and your brand more. Branded hashtags, in particular, are a perfect way to receive more user-generated content (or UGC).

User-generated content is especially effective as it works as a kind of word of mouth promotion and lets you interact with your audience more by featuring UGC on your own profile. Users want to interact with hashtags, so you just need to provide them with an opportunity to do so.

⭐ Get Along with Industry Trends:

Lastly, you can get along with industry trends by keeping an eye on trending Instagram hashtags. There are many Instagram hashtags generator and free tools to help you do this that you can try out.

The point of doing so is that you can create content relevant to what everyone is currently buzzing about. Moreover, trending hashtags can help you watch out for what your competitors are doing and what people are saying about your own brand.

What Instagram Hashtags Should You Use?

Of course, there is no definite answer to this question. But one thing which is true is that there is a set of tips and tricks that can help you find out what works for you best:

✔ Branded Hashtags:

As mentioned above, branded hashtags are a great tool to help you increase engagement and stimulate UGC creation. More often than not, hashtags you meet on Instagram will belong to some kind of brand, so creating your own must be a matter of time for you.

Branded hashtags can be divided into three main categories: Brand name hashtags (e.g. #Puma), Brand-specific slogans (e.g. #JustDoIt), and Brand name variations (e.g. #MyAdidas).

You can create your own hashtags in all of these subcategories, but even a simple brand name tag can encourage your audience to interact with you more as long as you promote the hashtag once in a while.

✔ Community & Industry-Specific Hashtags:

While branded hashtags are useful when you already have some kind of follower base, community and industry-specific hashtags are the ones that will get you noticed in the first place. The best hashtags are always the ones that speak in your audience’s language, and community hashtags do just that.

These hashtags are popular enough that they will get you likes but not too used that your post will get lost in the mass of other similar content. For example, instead of using #sports you may be using #runningroutine to get through to a more specific and niche audience.

✔ General Hashtags:

General hashtags on Instagram are the ones that don’t necessarily pertain to a certain brand or industry. In fact, they can be as ambiguous as a simple #love tag (the most popular hashtag of 2019).

Including hashtags that are commonly used on Instagram such as #tbt (aka throwback to) or #nofilter can increase your likelihood of being noticed. Statistics show that longer hashtags are more effective with 11 being the magic number for hashtags.

You can also use some holiday-specific hashtags that are time-sensitive and will help you shine at a certain period of time introducing your brand to potential followers.

How to Use Instagram Hashtags?

So, how do you use Instagram hashtags? Here are some of the best practices currently in use:

???? How Many: As mentioned above, the ideal number of hashtags is around eleven, but even with as few as two hashtags, you can still get a lot of engagement.

???? First Comment: If you want to use many hashtags (Instagram allows 30 maximum) but don’t want your caption to look stuffed, simply post the tags as the first comment under your post.

???? User-Generated Content: In order to get more UGC, you will have to encourage your audience to use your branded hashtags. Include them into your bio as well as on your site and in emails.

???? The Right Photo: This is worth stressing yet again: your caption and your hashtags must match the photo. If it is not relevant to your hashtags, then what’s the use?

???? Trending Topics: Using trending hashtags is a must if you want to be on the same page with your audience.

???? Vary Hashtags: Even though it may be tempting to use the same hashtags over and over again, you must remember to vary the hashtags you use to get more people to see your content.

???? Learn the Competition: Instead of blindly using the most popular hashtags, it may be better to do some research and see who you are competing with. Hashtags that have fewer posts will allow you to stand out easier.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Instagram hashtags can really help you if you are looking to increase your follower count. They will get you more exposure and, consequently, increase your audience. Follow the steps in this article to create your own hashtag strategy that will aid you in conquering Instagram.

If you liked this guide on how to use hashtags on Instagram to grow your reach and get more Instagram followers free fast then feel free to share it with your friends on social media networks.

If you want us to write more detailed guides like this regarding best Instagram hashtags, Instagram hashtags for likes and followers, trending hashtags on Instagram, Instagram hashtags generator, and most popular hashtags on Instagram then please let us know via the comment section below.

Author Bio:

william rodgersWilliam Rodgers is a content writer who’s currently working for The Word Point, an international translation service. As he knows several foreign languages, William’s main focus is writing SEO articles for businesses that want to drive their brand in the international market. His goal is to continually help more marketers fill Google search results with content that really matters.

 

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