What are Instagram hashtags, and why use them?

Instagram is estimated to have 1.074 billion users worldwide in 2021 (eMarketer, 2020). That’s a significant milestone for the most popular photo-sharing network. Today, it is considered one of the leading destinations for social media marketing.

Though the users have found everything quite exciting about Instagram, it improved its services by making specific changes to its algorithm. Now Instagram users can follow specific Instagram #hashtags to search events, stories, and posts. It is shown in the newsfeed with the content they already want to find on Instagram.

As an Instagram user chooses a hashtag, the newly changed algorithm will pick the stories relevant to that hashtag. It will be easier for the user to find stories related to a specific event. However, it might be difficult for Instagram’s algorithm to decide which story is the most relevant to a particular hashtag.

Similar hashtags can be used for a variety of stuff. It does not mean that it is a bad change because hashtags are pretty important on this social networking platform. A business can leverage many benefits by using hashtags. Let’s find out how.

Are hashtags worth it on Instagram?

Instagram hashtags are still working and are one of the effective ways to get more engagement. A post with at least one hashtag averages 12.6% more engagement than posts without any hashtag. If you want to grow your account, it is still worth creating a hashtag strategy for your brand. 

Though things are improving pretty quickly on Instagram, the importance of hashtags remains the same. The users can quickly discover stories relevant to their queries by using specific hashtags. It is also suitable for every business which is investing money in Instagram marketing.

With an impeccable hashtag strategy, a company can bring its posts at the top in different queries on Instagram. Your posts will be discovered quickly and therefore you can find many potential customers on this popular social networking platform.

The number of followers will increase, users will engage longer, and you will eventually get more customers with effective hashtag strategies. That’s why every business must use Instagram hashtags.

Do hashtags actually do anything?

Hence Instagram is an image-sharing social networking platform. It uses hashtags to categorize and organize images and videos posted by the users. Average users may or may not use hashtags because they want to share their content only with their friends. Things get pretty different when it comes to the promotion of a brand and its products.

When a business is trying to generate leads from Instagram, it should always accompany the images with several hashtags and an engaging caption. The content shared with hashtags is delivered quickly because Instagram’s algorithm brings stories and posts associated with specific hashtags at the top.

Suppose you are selling shoes and want to find customers for your e-retail platform. You can use hashtags such as #shoes, #sportsshoes, #partywearshoes, etc. Whenever users on the Instagram search for the phrases used in your hashtags, your content can come up in the search results. Eventually, many people will click on your posts, and many of them might also land on your website.

How do you explore hashtags on Instagram?

Here are our tips & tricks on exploring perfect hashtags for your Instagram posts:

When you want to reach the largest possible number of users on Instagram, the hashtags the posted content should be perfect. You need to have excellent strategies regarding how you will use the hashtags.

Many people make the mistake of choosing popular hashtags. Hence millions of users are checking content relevant to popular hashtags. They think their content will also get placed with top stories. It is evident that any other brands might be using the same hashtags and might already have gained the attention of the maximum users.

You should target users by using some unique and relevant hashtags. It means, if you are selling shoes, choose #comfort, #running, #outing, etc. keep your posts equipped with every possible hashtag that relates to the story. That’s how you can target many new users.

How do you make a post trending?

There was a time when Instagram used to show only the top 9 posts for each hashtag. Fortunately, this approach is changed and now the users can find “top” and “recent” posts with each hashtag.

Instagram follows a straightforward approach to rank posts with each hashtag, it places only those posts at the top which have gained the most likes and comments. In other words, your posts should engage the maximum number of users quickly to get ranked at the top. Your posts must engage the maximum number of users within the first 24 hours to gain the top rank for the main hashtag. Thus, you can engage with a lot of new users within just one day.

The best way of doing that is encouraging followers to like and comment on your posts. It will offer a quick boost to your Instagram marketing campaign. Your followers must engage with your posts and work to bring them to the top in the search. That’s how you can find many new genuine customers for your products.

What are the most popular hashtags on Instagram 2021?

Although using mega-popular hashtags isn’t always the best way for getting more engagement, here is an up-to-date list of the top 20 Instagram hashtags for business in 2021:

#business #investing #digitalmarketing #digitalbusiness #wealth #money #businesstips #startup #entrepreneur #businesscoach #quotes #goals #home #happiness #beautifu #inspiration #nice #video #motivation #investors

How do you make a branded hashtag on Instagram?

Use branded hashtags and make your brand popular.

Branded hashtags always work in favor of the marketer. You can quickly start conversing with your target audience by using branded hashtags. Though it is not easy to trend branded hashtags, you need to try a unique approach.

The first way of trending branded hashtags would be using those hashtags with top trending hashtags. Your posts will be viewed widely, and therefore users would also use your own branded hashtags with their replies and posts. Thus, your hashtag can quickly rank with the top queries on Instagram.

Instagram has quickly become an appealing platform for marketers and businesses across the globe. The reason behind it is its popularity and users’ response to the endorsements made on this platform.

Don’t miss any opportunity of taking advantage of Instagram marketing. Wisely chosen hashtags can play a vital role in trending your posts at the top. Therefore, hashtags are quite crucial on Instagram.