Hashtags are an integral part of social media. Users across the globe utilize them to connect with a wider audience. But, do you know how to use hashtags to further grow your reach and cater to your audience? Find Your Influence offers the following tips and tricks to better utilize hashtags to expand your reach.
Grow Your Organic Reach
With Instagram’s ever-changing algorithm, it can make it a bit more difficult for users to grow their organic reach. When using hashtags, make sure you don’t use too many as it can lead to your account getting shadow banned. When your account is shadowbanned, it means the Instagram algorithm flagged your account, claiming you did not follow community guidelines. The account is essentially invisible to new followers and prevents your content from being seen, especially on the hashtag search results page.
You can avoid this by using precise and relevant hashtags. For example, if you are posting about the Grammys make sure to use #Grammys2021 instead of just #awards. The relevancy all depends on who your target audience is, so make sure to use hashtags that relate both to your content and your audience.
Create Branded Hashtags
Branded hashtags are the perfect way to promote a product or brand as an influencer. Utilizing these builds a connection to a brand and/or product you are promoting and it allows you to reach a wider audience. According to a study by Simply Measured, 70% of the most-used hashtags on Instagram are branded hashtags created by businesses. An example of a branded hashtag could be Coca Cola’s #ShareACoke. To further grow this campaign, they collaborated with stars like Ryan Seacrest and Selena Gomez. It became a viral hashtag campaign and continues to be promoted by the brand.
Involve Yourself in Trending Topics
Trending topics have the ability to become popular on multiple platforms and create a larger conversation. Using the correct hashtags can further promote the product or brand you are partnering with. They can also be seen by those who aren’t your typical follower, further growing your reach.
Be careful that you don’t only post about trending topics in your niche. Followers want to see a wide variety of content and your content can often become stale if it’s just focusing on one topic. One way to involve hashtags not related to your niche would be to use them during the holidays, because it will be easier for you to take part in holiday trends and topics, regardless of your niche. If you are unable to find that connection between your niche and a trending topic, you can form your content so that it fits the topic. But, this has to be something that is at least remotely related to your niche. Tyson Apostol is an American reality television personality and Pickleball’s #1 influencer. Although his main focus is pickleball, he engages his followers by including content on his page of his children and everyday life.
Build a Community Around a Hashtag
Hashtags have the ability to help you grow your brand as an influencer. If you are successful in creating a hashtag for a campaign with a brand, your followers can have the ability to communicate with you through the hashtag. These hashtags can allow you to create a close-knit relationship with your followers and allow them to feel connected to you. Make sure that the hashtag is unique to you and emphasizes your connection to the brand partnership. Although the majority of the time brands have a say in the hashtags you use, make sure you have a conversation prior to the partnership about what hashtags you feel align with your brand as an influencer and what has led to your success in the past.
See What Your Audience is Using
One of the most effective ways to use hashtags is to see what your audience is using and is interested in. Take a look at your following, what they are talking about, and what trends they are engaging in? You then can tailor your hashtags to what they are excited about. This will not only keep your current followers engaged but attract potential followers’ eyes to your content.
Are you someone who wants to grow their popularity as an influencer, but you don’t know where to start? Reach out to our Influencer Management Team with your questions today. Send us an email at info@findyourinfluence.com.
Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Gemma Weinstein.