To some hashtags might seem like an outdated thing, something we made fun of as teenagers. Others might not even know what a hashtag is! Well I can guarantee you that hashtags are incredibly important when it comes to posting on a business account. In the bustling world of social media marketing, where every post competes for attention amidst a sea of content, one tiny symbol has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses: the hashtag. Specifically, on Instagram, hashtags are not just optional add-ons; they're indispensable tools that can amplify your brand's reach, help you turn posts into customers or clients, and ultimately drive business growth. Let's delve into why incorporating hashtags into your Instagram strategy is so important.
1. Expand Your Reach
Think of hashtags as digital signposts guiding users to your content. When you include relevant hashtags in your posts, you are making them discoverable to a wider audience beyond your immediate followers. Users who are interested in topics related to your hashtags will look up keywords and phrases in the search engine trying to find content that is meaningful for them. They will then see your posts… but only if you actually use them! Using hashtags is how you get your post to show up when someone types something into the search engine. It also helps Instagram and other apps know who to show your content to. If someone is always looking at content about locally sourced tea in the Okanagan, and you own a tea store in Kelowna, your content will then pop up in their feed and discovery a section of Instagram. But again… Only if you use the relevant hashtags!
2. Convert Your Posts into Customers
Why be doing all this work to keep up with creating online content if nothing you ever post seems to convert to actual dollars? If you have been trying to create regular posts on Instagram but feel like nothing you’re doing is helping you grow your business or client base, hashtags could be the reason! If you are selling an online product then you need to get your posts on the devices of people who are really interested in what you have to offer, as mentioned above, using relevant hashtags is the way to go. If you have a local business with a physical location where you need to find your customers, using hashtags are just as or even more important! If you are a small business, in say Kelowna, and you post a picture of your product on your Instagram page, it gets thrown out into the abyss for anyone in the entire world with an account to see. One way to get people in your area to see your posts, as opposed to anyone and everyone in the world, is by using location specific hashtags! For the tea shop owner in Kelowna here are some examples of what they could use:
#kelowna #kelownabc #smallbusinesskelowna #teashopkelowna #okanagan #theokanagan #okanaganlifestyle #okanagantea #teainkelowna #kelownatea #localtea #localteakelowna #localteainkelowna #greenteakelowna #blackteakelowna #fruityteakelowna #homegrowntea #supportlocalkelowna #shopintheokanagan
Remember that hashtags need to be all one word, no spaces, and that you can use up to 30 per post. Use the amount that feels right for you when posting, you don't have to use all 30 if that doesn't make sense for the content you are sharing.
How to Figure out What Hashtags to use!
The key to figuring out what hashtags to use in your post is putting yourself in your customers shoes! Pretend that you are your ideal customer; what types of things would you be searching for to find the product or service you are interested in? If I was interested in purchasing beautiful kitchen accessories for my house I would search details about what I want to find, such as “rustic cutting board” or “farmhouse kitchen decor”. If this is the type of products you sell and you didn't use these hashtags in your post your content will not show up, and I will inevitably buy someone else's products who did. Brainstorm the words and phrases people would use to find what you offer, and use those as hashtags under each post. Some hashtags you will use for everything, those you can write out somewhere and copy paste into your caption every time. But it is also important to use hashtags that are relevant specifically to the content you are posting each time. For example if you sell your kitchen decor mostly at markets in Kelowna you are going to want to always use #localbusinesskelowna, but if you are posting a picture of a flower pot that looks like a ceramic milk jug you’re going to use #farmhousekitchendecor not #rusticcuttingboard.
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