A hashtag on Instagram is similar to keywords on Google you use to attract visitors. Your great posts will not reach people if there is no path to direct it on. And, Instagram hashtags are the roadmap to assist you to be an active member of a wider community and easily discoverable online.
Instagram uses these hashtags to organize and categorize millions of content and present the relevant content to the right users. Instagram hashtags are a potent source to increase engagement and get visitors to read your posts.
Using relevant hashtags for Instagram is the most effective way to reach new audiences without investing much time. It leads to enhanced engagement and increased customer base for your business. Hashtags on Instagram are used to organize and categorize your posts, including photos and video content.
Using Instagram hashtags to grow your audience or You can consider an automation robot to help you generate hashtags, too.
The Types Of Instagram Hashtags
The different types of Instagram hashtags have a specific usage to help you connect with your audience. These include:
Community Hashtags
These hashtags are perfect to connect like-minded users interested in a specific subject. Use these hashtags to enhance your posts’ searchability and expand your community by reaching the masses. There are nine types of Community Hashtags available to use for specific businesses. These are:
- Hashtags indicating your product or service (#coffeeshop)
- Hashtags indicating your niche in your industry (#travelphotographer)
- Hashtags for Instagram communities in your industry (#foodiesofinstagram)
- Hashtags for special events or seasons (#nationaldonutday)
- Hashtags using location (#pastrynyc)
- Daily hashtags (#wellnesswednesday)
- Hashtags with phrases relevant to what you do (#bakerylove)
- Hashtags with acronyms (#qotd for quote of the day)
- Hashtags with emojis (#🌞)
It’s very effective to use a combination of these hashtags for Instagram on your posts to reach more people and several communities. For example, If you have a coffee shop in New York City, you can use #coffeeshopnyc and also use #coffeeshop. This way your posts will reach people who are looking for a coffeeshop in NYC and to those interested in the product in general.
Branded Hashtags
In the simplest terms, a branded hashtag is unique to the type of business you have. It can be your company name itself or the tagline, in case your brand has one. If you are promoting a specific product, the hashtag can also be the name of that product. Overall, these hashtags have everything to do with your brand identity using Shopify.
The main intent of branded hashtags is to develop a connection with your audience on a specific theme. It’s also used to promote your campaign and collect user-generated content.
When your followers use your brand’s hashtag on their posts, your business will reach new audiences on Instagram. You can share these hashtags on your stories for users to tap on them and find more posts about your brand.
Campaign Hashtags
These hashtags for Instagram are used for a shorter period, typically for a few days or for a particular season. The reason for their short-term usage is campaigns are meant to run only for a specific number of days or for a specific period. These can be new product launches, special events, sales during specific seasons, or new partnerships.
How Many Hashtags To Use On Instagram?
While there are no specific number of hashtags to be used (the maximum is 30), a comprehensive research says that less is optimal. By less, it means that on an average each post can have up to 10 hashtags. That again depends on the type of business you have and your promotional strategies.
Using all 30 hashtags for Instagram can look spammy that is very similar to keyword stuffing in website content. It can be a put off for your audience and is not an effective way to get new followers. It's best to make use of organizational tools to include the best and the minimum number of hashtags for your posts.
There are different strategies for including the number of hashtags for your posts. In the rarest cases, if you can find all 30 super-relevant hashtags for your posts, it's better to go ahead.
The Takeaway
At the outset, instead of the number of hashtags, the right types of hashtags convey your ideas to your audience. The ideal rule to follow is the “less is more” with some experimenting to find that sweet spot.
This fine combination of using hashtags can make your content easily available for your audience and help find new ones. The perfect combination of hashtags also work wonders by connecting with users on other social media platforms following a common theme.