How to Use Hashtags on Instagram to Connect with a New Audience?

Instagram hashtags are one of the best tools to connect with a new audience and increase engagement. By utilizing hashtags properly, you can improve discoverability of your content, boost engagement, and attract more users that shows interest in your niche. The post below briefs an exclusive guide on how to use hashtags effectively.

1. Understanding Instagram Hashtags

Generally hashtag is nothing but a keyword or phrase preceded by the “#” symbol. Hashtags are very helpful in organizing content on Instagram and also make it discoverable to users who search for or follow that specific Hashtag. For instance, a post tagged with #Businesstravel becomes visible to users browsing that hashtag.

Hashtags serve three main purposes:

1. Discovery: They help users find content related to their interests.
2. Categorization: They organize content into specific topics.
3. Engagement: Posts that properly utilize hashtags generally use to get more engagement.

2. Opting Right Hashtags

While connecting with target audience it is very important to select the right hashtags type. Here’s how to do it:

• Understand Your Audience: First of all you need to identify the interest of your audience and the type of hashtags they generally used to follow.
• Research Popular Hashtags: You can utilize the tools like Instagram’s search bar, Hashtagify, or you can simply take the help of social media analytics in order to find niche and trending hashtags that best suit your business type.
• Balance Popularity and Relevance: You should always avoid popular hashtags like #Fashion or #food which are also single word hashtags in your content because your content will get vanished among crowd. You should always prefer for niche-specific hashtags that suitable for your content.
• Use Branded Hashtags: In order to improve your brand awareness and encourage user-generated content, you should create branded hashtags.

3. Types of Hashtags to Use

By properly utilizing a variety of hashtags will help you reach targeted audience as well as broader reach. Below are various hashtags types that you can utilize:

• Industry-Specific Hashtags: These type of Hashtags relate your niche directly, such as #deleciousfood is best suitable for a restaurant.
• Community Hashtags: These type of hashtags will help you to connect you with specific groups, like #petlovers or #PlantGardening.
• Event or Campaign Hashtags: These type of hashtags are mainly used for promotion or current events, such as #NewYearDeals.
• Location Hashtags: These types of hashtags help you to attract users in a particular area. Example of such hashtags includes #NYCFashion.
• Descriptive Hashtags: Hashtags with this type are helpful in describing the content in your post. Example of such hashtags compromises of #SleepingBaby or #NonvegRecipes.
• Trending Hashtags:  One of utilize trending hashtags that best suitable for your content type and will help to gain exposure in short time period.

4. How Many Hashtags to Use

Maximum 30 hashtags per post are allowed in each Instagram post, but you should always avoid to use all of them at once while posting on Instagram.  

• Optimal Number:  As per studies one should be using around 9–11 hashtags per post in order to get the better result.
• Placement: One can add the hashtag either in the first comment or in the caption section. Both methods are effective, but placing them in the first comment keeps captions visually cleaner.0

5. How to Find Effective Hashtags

• Analyze Competitors: Check which hashtags your competitors are using and identify any patterns or ideas.
• Use Instagram Insights: For business accounts, Instagram provides data on how your hashtags are performing.
• Explore Related Hashtags: When you search for a hashtag on Instagram, the app suggests related hashtags. Use these recommendations to diversify your strategy.
• Experiment: Test different hashtags to identify which ones help increase Instagram viewership for your posts.

6. Using Hashtags in Stories and Reels

The popularity of Instagram Stories and Reels are growing continuously. Hashtags can boost the visibility of these formats too:

• Stories: You need to add hashtags either in text or hashtag sticker in your stories. In order to increase the discoverability of your content, you must use a mix of popular and niche hashtags.
• Reels: You can add hashtags in your real on caption or comments section. Reels with relevant hashtags generally used to have a broader audience reach. This main reason behind this is the video content on Instagram are favoured by the Instagram algorithm.

7. Avoiding Mistakes on Hashtag

• Should avoid Generic Hashtags Overuses: Because they may result in irrelevant or spammed engagement. 
• Don’t Use Banned Hashtags: Certain hashtags are periodically banned by Instagram Instagram due to their misuse. Using them can hurt your post’s visibility.
• Avoid Repeating the Same Hashtags: By reusing the same set of hashtags continuously will appear spammy for Instagram’s algorithm. Rotate your hashtags to maintain authenticity.
• Focus on Relevant Hashtag: You always need to make sure that all your hashtags align with your content. Irrelevant tags can lead to lower engagement and user frustration.

8. Creating a Great Strategy for Hashtag

A great hashtag strategy will have maximum impact. Follow these steps:

1. Set Goals: You should set your goal first, you goal can compromise of brand visibility, high followers or more engagement. 
2. Segment Hashtags: You must create a list of hashtags and categorized them based on their popularity: 
3. Experiment and Adjust: You need to monitor performance of your strategy and adjust according that best suitable for your niche.
4. Track Metrics: You must utilize either Instagram Insights or third-party tools to track your hashtags and check how they are contributing to your reach and engagement.

9. Engaging with Hashtag Communities

Hashtags are not only used of exposure purpose; they’re also a lot helpful in building relationships:

• Interact with Posts: You must engage with content under hashtags that you use either through sharing, liking or commenting. 
• Follow Hashtags: You should always stay informed on your niches trending topics.
• Inspire User-Generated Content: You can ask your audience to use your branded hashtags in order to get featured and this is only possible by creating campaign. 

10.  Make use of Tools to Improve Your Hashtag Strategy

• Hashtag Generators: There are plenty which are used to generate hashtags based on keywords. To generate best hashtags for your niche, you just need to type few words. 
• Social Media Analytics: Sprout Social and Later type of platform are very useful in analyzing your hashtags performance.
• Hashtag Tracking: Keyhole tool are very helpful in monitoring the reach and engagement of specific hashtags.

Conclusion

It really requires both an art and science to effectively utilize hashtags on Instagram. By continuously refining your strategy, understanding your targeted audience, relevant hashtags research, you can easily grow your presence on Instagram platform. But you should always keep in your mind that, consistency and authenticity always plays key role. Start experimenting with your hashtag strategy today, and watch your Instagram community flourish!