How to Hashtag for INSTAGRAM {in 2021}

After reading this article you will know how to use HASHTAGS correctly on INSTAGRAM in order to grow your following and gain exposure to a wider range of people who may or may not come upon your account.

No matter what type of business you have {product or service-based} Hashtags matter.

?If done correctly and thoughtfully, Hashtags are still considered an effective growth strategy. Instagram posts with Hashtags generate at least 12% more engagement than posts without them.

It’s also fair to say that Hashtags help Instagram sort through the millions of posts on its platform and categorize them. Hashtags make it easier to navigate Instagram and find the things that you’re searching to uncover. From a marketing standpoint, this sorting process delivers content to the brands, businesses, creators, and followers who need it most.?

Let’s do a deep dive analysis and break down the importance of Hashtags on Instagram – how to leverage them, and tips and tricks to researching the best ones for your content.

Why Hashtags Matter on Instagram?

While the?Instagram algorithm changes?with relative frequency and Hashtags aren’t as important as they were earlier, they can still help getting more eyes (and customers) on your posts.

Instagram growth can be driven by researching and implementing the right Hashtags. That said, the importance of Hashtags can’t be understated if your goal is to grow your audience and increase your engagement.

There are several key performance indicators that revolve around Hashtags on Instagram. Here are a few of the most important factors:

Audience Discovery????????????????????????????????????????????

Ultimately, Hashtags are an easy and effective way to get your content in front of a new audience. When Instagram users search for specific Hashtags, the goal is to have your content populate within those search queries.?

Audience discovery on Instagram has always been prompted by Hashtags. They can also help you generate business for your brand. For example, let’s say that you make beautiful bags and also use those materials to make one-off fashion items. By using hashtags like #bags, #bagsforsale, #designerbags, and others that speak to your work or your location, anyone on Instagram searching for bags will be able to find your business and possibly become a new customer.?

Getting your content on its corresponding Hashtag page provides an opportunity for discovery. You are giving yourself of your business the chance to be seen. The effort of adding Hashtags to your posts is very small, but the potential audience discovery that could come from it is huge.

?Increased Engagement

Similar to audience discovery, Instagram Hashtags also live to help increase your engagement. By their very nature, Hashtags work to heighten content visibility. So, by using Hashtags on your grid post, Stories, and even in your Lives, it’s easier for the Instagram audience at large to find you.?

As mentioned above, Instagram posts with Hashtags receive significantly more engagement. That means the potential for more saves, shares, comments, and likes.?

Engagement on Instagram looks different these days. Likes aren’t the most impressive engagement metric anymore –?saves are! So, using a variety of different yet thoughtful Hashtags will help you reach a wider audience that could engage with your posts. Research proves it’s?best to use 5 Hashtags in your post. Think of it as the magic number.

A/B Testing

A/B testing is important in any aspect of marketing. The same goes for Instagram Hashtags.?

There is no more valuable way to leverage Hashtags on social media than testing different ways to implement them. For starters,?extremely popular hashtags are largely irrelevant. Hashtags with millions of searches won’t help you at all. Your content will just get lost in a sea of others, leaving you no opportunity for audience discovery.?

I suggest is using more niche Hashtags with lesser search volume so it’s easier for users to find you. For example, #love is an extremely popular hashtag that won’t generate much engagement. However, if you use, say, #loved or #lovehim or #loveher, there’s a much better chance that your content has discoverability.?

Make sure you switch your Hashtags up as much as possible. Using the same Hashtags over and over again can sometimes make your content look spammy and Instagram doesn’t like that. Some have even pointed to this as a?reason for a shadowban.?

A best practice is to use a third-party APP are generating the least engagement, remove those, and then a/b test new ones. You’ll also want to steer clear of including Hashtags in your caption if at all possible. Add your Hashtags using a tool like our?auto-post first comment feature?to both strategize your approach and save a little time.

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Now let’s look at how Hashtags work on Instagram and share some of the most underrated Hashtags in 2021 that can help grow your Instagram's following.?

For business owners and influencers, consistently growing an engaged following on Instagram can mean more clicks, sales, and partnerships. Once you've got into the rhythm of regularly posting to your Feed and Stories, Hashtags can help get more views, likes, and saves from new audiences. The question is: which Hashtags will actually drive growth on Instagram?

Hashtags continue to be a leading factor for new people to discover you through Instagram. There are a few challenges with developing a Hashtag strategy:?

1. Identifying the right Hashtags and using them thoughtfully without them seeming spammy?
2. Popular Hashtags are oversaturated with new posts every day – making it difficult for content to stand out among the crowd or stay relevant?

Let’s address some of these challenges and set you up to use Hashtags with ease and success.?

How to Identify the Best Instagram Hashtags:

While you can use up to 30 Hashtags per post, a best practice for 2021 is to limit yourself to 5 Hashtags per Instagram post. But, how do you know which ones will actually turn into your content landing on Instagram's coveted Explore page??

1.???Begin by Analyzing Your Top Competitors?- What Hashtags are they leaning on in their bio and posts? When you search for a common hashtag relevant to your brand or business, what type of content do you see? For example, if you own a vegan restaurant, which accounts dominate the results when you search #veganmeals? Dive into those posts and view the other hashtags they use frequently. (Related:?How to Research Hashtags for Your Audience)

2.????Develop a List of Hashtags for Your Common Types of Instagram Content?– For every content bucket or theme, develop a list of 10-20 hashtags you will use for each post. For example, if you frequently post pictures of your product, create a set of hashtags for all product-related posts. For each type of core content bucket or theme, establish 4-5 hashtags for these hashtag types to ensure a balanced mix.?

• Brand-specific (e.g. Bumble uses #makethefirstmove)
• Niche (e.g. a plant shop uses #snakeplant)
• Location based (e.g. Austin restaurants use #512eats)
• Product-specific (e.g. Adidas uses #yeezy)

Repeat this process to identify a list of 10-20 Hashtags for each type of content bucket or theme you frequently post in the feed. You can use a PLANNING APP's Hashtag manager feature to create your Hashtag lists and easily add custom groups of Hashtags to posts before they are scheduled.

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The Most Underrated Instagram Hashtags for Niche Industries?

I cannot express enough how important it is to find and leverage the niche Hashtags in your community. Using small Hashtags with less search volume may seem like a small thing, but it's very meaningful to the users and potential customers that notice your effort to reach them. This is how you target your audience and ultimately identify potential customers.

Enthusiasts?

#humor

#memespage

#ilovemydog

#instadance

#slayathome?

#instacars

#notforprofit

#instainteriors

#drawings

#bepositivetoday

Sports?

#phantomvenom

#nikeboots

#adidassoccer

#cleat

#nikefutbol

#ilovesoccer

#unisportlife

#golffashion

#pgatour

#golftips

#soccerfreestyle

#cleatsquad

#unisportlife

Food and Vegan Community

#Todayfood

#Eater

#Foodgawker

#Foodfluffer

#veganbaking

#veganbreakfast

#glutenfreevegan

#healthybaking

#vegandessert

#vegannews

#bestofvegan

#sprinkles

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Hairstylists and Makeup Artists

#hairtreatment

#haircolortrends

#makeupart

#unconditionedroots

colorfulhair

#haircolorexpert

#hairpainting

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Plants, Botanicals, and Florals?

#pothos

#houseplant

#monstera

#succulents

#plantstagram

#plantparenthood

#houseplantcommunity

#plantgang

#indoorgarden

#indoorjungle

#philodenron

#plantlovers

#pilea

#plantfamily

#sansevieria

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Literature and Publications?

#literature

#classicliterature

#classiclit

#williamshakespeare

#romeoandjuliet

#bookmemes

#literaturememes

#literary

#literarymemes

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Instagram Hashtag Best Practices

1. Understand Your Target Audience?– Before creating relevant hashtags, make sure you understand what your target audience is searching for and how they search for it.
2. Use 10-20 Hashtags for Each Type of Instagram Post?– Use the strategy of developing a balanced list of 10-20 hashtags for each content bucket.?
3. Mix it Up?– Use a combination of brand-specific, niche, location-based, and product-specific hashtags in each Instagram post.?
4. Put Hashtags in Your First Comment?–?The best way to add hashtags to your posts is by adding them in the first comment under your post. Placing them in your caption adds a bit of clutter, and is the reason content can look spammy.?

Researching and establishing a set of frequently used, popular hashtags is a part of every effective Instagram growth strategy. With the right mix of hashtags with these tips and well-researched hashtags, look forward to generating more engagement, followers, and sales on Instagram!?

How to Create your Hashtag Strategy Review for Instagram

While it’s important to remember to be clear, concise, and accurate while using Hashtags, you can look up the competition to see what's working for them. You can also create your own unique Hashtag?to be playful and fun.

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Also, make sure you SAVE your HASHTAG GROUPINGS somewhere on a Word Doc or whatever App you are using for your documents {just in case it gets lost}. Remember you should change your Hashtag groupings often so you don’t get blocked on Instagram.

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Remember, you want people to not only find you on Social Media, but you want them to get to know, like, and trust you so that they will hang around and buy from you. Having a clear Hashtag Strategy!

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If you like this article, please come visit me at https://www.esteestein.com and find out more fun stuff or work with me. Or simply follow me on Instatgram at https://www.instagram.com/esteestein and let me know what you think of this article & what do you want to know about. Thanks for reading all the way through! Estee

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