In this day and age hashtags can be viewed as a little bit #cliche. However, they are a powerful tool in the world of social media (when used correctly).
If your brand is still clinging to the #yolo day and age – let’s hold it right there.
We can do better. Before adding a handful of random hashtags into your posts, it is imperative to know how hashtags work and which ones are trending for your industry.
Using the latest lingo to sound relevant can actually be more detrimental to your brand.
Let’s get back to basics:
Hashtags are used to help social media users discover your account. Recent Instagram numbers show if a post includes at least one hashtag, your post has a higher level of engagement than those with none. Even now followers are engaging with hashtags, plain and simple. So whilst you may not use them for your personal accounts, they are a must-have for your business’s social media use.
Why should I use hashtags?
One word – Growth!
What hashtags should I use?
Variety is the key when considering what hashtags to use for your brand. Looking at your target audience is imperative. Are you targeting locals to come to your farmers market? Or are you trying to target an international audience with your products? Is it a little bit of both? Have a good mix in there and try to narrow your ideal audience down, then think about the relevant hashtags to that audience. An example of this is a surf clothing brand in Byron Bay. Questions to ask when compiling your hashtag list are:
- Where do you ship to? Local, International.
- What are your audience’s hobbies? Surfing, skating, etc.
- Where are they likely to frequent? Byron, Bondi, Central Coast etc.
- What are their values? I.e sustainability, locality, etc.
- After you gather this information, have a look at the most relevant hashtags to these places/hobbies/values.
- Use a hashtag tool to have a look at other trending tags (more on this below). These can be higher ranking hashtags to give you a good mix.
Go Branded
You should use a branded hashtag amongst your 11#’s. This can be an effective way to promote and create awareness for your business. Asking your clients/suppliers to pop in the hashtag is also a fantastic way to gain more reach with your posts.
Tips & Tricks
Hashtags begin with # and will not work with spaces, symbols or punctuation.
If your account isn’t public there is no point in using hashtags.
Industry research is your best friend (this includes a cheeky competitor analysis to see what other brands are doing within your industry).
Short and sweet = higher levels of engagement.
Relevancy is key.
Less is more. Here at Four Drunk Parrots we stick to the golden rule of 11 any more and you’re stepping into the land of spammy. Just because Instagram allows 30, doesn’t mean you need to use them all.
Neat and tidy. Use a tool like Spacie to create clean looking copy and hashtags.
Change is a good thing – experiment with your hashtags. Are there certain things that you feel aren’t quite working? Try using the same hashtags for one week and switch them up the following to gain more understanding about your brand.
Use a # tool!
Create a list of hashtags within their categories – i.e. local, global, sustainable etc.
Want some tips on how to increase your reach? Feel free to schedule a call below, flick us an email or call one of the team on 02 6686 0117 so we can share some of our marketing experience with you and your business.