Hashtags are a great way to connect different posts together in order to increase your exposure. When someone clicks on a hashtag, they can see other posts with the same hashtag, connecting relevant posts together. Therefore, hashtags provide a great way to reach people who are interested in something related to your posts but have not seen your page.
There are a few different things to remember when using hashtags on Instagram. It’s important to include many different hashtags in a post to maximize your reach. However, the inclusion of many hashtags along with a caption can look cluttered. Therefore, you should write a caption and skip a few lines before writing out your hashtags. This formatting will hide your hashtags when your followers are scrolling through their feed, minimizing clutter. However, your hashtags will still be included to maximize your reach.
When using hashtags, be sure to create ones that include the location of your business. When possible, include multiple hashtags that are different, but all incorporate your location. For example, if you own a pub in Hartford, you might include #HartfordBeer, #HartfordBurgers, and #HartfordEats all in the same post. Location hashtags are a great way to help build local awareness of your brand. People like to shop local, and people also like to find out about new businesses in their area. Location hashtags can help promote awareness of your business and connect it to other local businesses in the area.
Another good thing to include in your hashtags is your brand. Attach your brand to a certain occasion or specific content. Then, encourage your followers to include this hashtag in their own posts. For example, if you own a wedding dress store, create a hashtag that incorporates weddings and your brand name and encourage others to include it in their own wedding-related posts. Hashtags including your brand will help promote your business because of the mentions while connecting these similar posts together to generate interest.
Although hashtags are used predominantly to maximize reach, they can also add personality to your posts. Consider using hashtags as an after note in your caption, as a part of the caption that’s meat to be read. For example, if you run a chocolate shop, you might post a picture of your delicious chocolates with a caption such as “That new diet can wait #treatyoself.” In this case, the hashtag is not particularly helpful to maximize your reach, but it can add humor and personality to your post, which will encourage engagement. When your posts receive more engagement, it will increase mentions of your brand, which will increase your exposure.
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We understand that social media can be overwhelming, and it's not always easy to change with each update or refresh. If you are looking to boost your social media marketing then you may want to take a step back and reevaluate the online presence you already have.