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Instagram hashtags can make or break Instagram business strategies. If you use the proper of them in your Instagram posts, more people will see your content on Instagram, but if you use the wrong of them under your posts, then Instagram algorithms will see your content. They do not show the audience that it will eventually lead to the loss of followers. Today we decided to examine the different types of hashtags and use them correctly, so stay tuned for the rest of the article.

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag is a combination of letters, numbers, and emojis that are placed next to each other before the # sign (for example, #Danap) and are used to categorize and present the content of Instagram pages to users. The hashtag is clickable, which means that if a user clicks on it or searches for a specific hashtag on Instagram, it will enter a page where all the posts tagged with that hashtag are located.

Reasons to use hashtags on Instagram.

Using a hashtag is one of the ways to attract an audience on Instagram so that your post is placed on the page related to that hashtag. In addition, the use of them in the story also puts it on the relevant hashtag page. So users can follow their favorite hashtag, in which case even if they have not followed your page, they will see your hashtag posts on their Feed page.

These signs are a great way to create online communities that encourage users to engage with your brand. For example, due to pandemic conditions and home-based exercise, the Nike Los Angles page published users’ home-sports activities on its page using the hashtag #playinside.

A variety of popular Instagram hashtags

Instagram divides them into 9 general categories:

1- Hashtags related to products and services

Keywords like #Watches or #Wallet describe your business products or services.

2- Niche Market hashtags

These signs are a little more specific and show the position of your business in the relevant industry. For example, #food_blogger or #blogger_travel are part of this category.

3- Instagram forum hashtags

Users can find and join conversations on Instagram through them. Hashtags like #gardenersofinstagram or #craftersofinstagram fall into this category.

4- Seasonal hashtags or special events

Some of them are related to different holidays or seasons; For example, we can mention the #Summer_Festival.

5- Geographical hashtag

You can also use geotagging in your posts. Geographical hashtags such as #Tokyo_Style or #London_Restaurant are another method that you can use to refer to a geographical location.

6- Daily hashtags

Every day of the week has its hashtag; For example, #MondayBlues or #SundayFunday are among the daily uses.

7- Common phrase hashtag

This category includes a combination of product hashtags, niche markets, and Instagram forums. They are general terms that Instagram users use to join existing discussions. For example, #amwriting or #shewhowanders are part of this category.

8- Abbreviations hashtags

The phrase #TBT stands for Throwbackthursday, one of the most popular things on Instagram. Other popular acronym hashtags include #YOLO and #OOTD.

9- Emoji hashtags

These hashtags include blank emojis or phrases such as sports with arm or soccer ball emojis.

How many hashtags should we put in each post?

You can use up to 30 of them in the post and ten of them in the story, and if you put more in your content, Instagram will not allow you to publish that post or story. But just because you can use many of them does not mean you have to use them all.

Although there is no source for the correct number of them in a business, most experts believe that 11 hashtags make sense to get started. However, most Instagram pages do not use more than 1 to 3 hashtags on average. You have to test different patterns in your posts to select their number.

How to find popular hashtags

Unlike Twitter, Instagram does not display trend ones to users in public. But if you search for the relevant hashtag, Instagram will show the number of related posts. In addition, other famous of them that have similar words to your search will also be communicated to you.

To search for popular ones in the web version of Instagram, you must enter the relevant word along with the # symbol, as shown in the image below in the search field. Type the desired term in the search field and then select the Tags option in the mobile version. You can see the most trendy ones by looking at your feed page, but do not rush to use them. You should only use trend hashtags relevant to your business.

In general, to find the best hashtags related to your business, you should pay attention to the following points:

1- Review of competing businesses

You do not have to use precisely the same strategies as competing pages, but by looking at their hashtags, you can find great clues in your field of activity. For example, you may find new hashtags that you were not aware of in their pages, or you can search for other alternative hashtags.

2- Examining the hashtags used by the audience

If your target audience is using private hashtags, other users are also more likely to use those hashtags. Finding such user forums on Instagram is the best way to expand your audience and interact with users interested in your products and services.

To do this, you must monitor your best followers. Of course, the tools available on Instagram also provide you with additional beneficial information about users’ favorite hashtags. For example, when you search for a specific hashtag on Instagram, the followers who have followed that hashtag will be displayed to you. Keep in mind that this feature is only available in the mobile version of Instagram and is not active in the PC version.

3- Using the ability of Instagram related hashtags

You can find all the related hashtags on the top of the Top and Recent section on the hashtag page. This way, you can find hashtags with a better niche market than the main keyword; by doing so, you can reach a more targeted audience in a less competitive environment.

4- Making a brand hashtag

Hashtags that you design yourself are sometimes the best choice for your brand. A brand hashtag is an elementary tag that you have created to elevate your business. You can use it in your bio Instagram, captions, and stories to inform and acquaint the audience with that hashtag. In addition, you can run a virtual hashtag contest to collect user-generated content.

Remember to follow your brand hashtag via Instagram and related streaming tools. In addition, try to share quality content with your audience and connect with your famous followers. To follow a hashtag, go to the relevant page and select the following option.

Seven golden strategies for using hashtags on Instagram

1. Use the Insight tool to see how hashtags work

If you have changed your Instagram profile page to Business Profile, you can use the Insight tool to check the access and interaction of the audience with your related hashtags. To do this, you must click on the View Insight option below the desired post and check all the associated statistics, including interaction with hashtags.

2- Use your hashtags in your Instagram story

At the top left of the hashtag pages is a story icon that you can click on to see all the stories on the public pages related to that hashtag.

You can add two hashtags to the story using two methods. One method is to do this using the #HASHTAG sticker or by adding text, type the desired phrase with the # symbol in the story.

3. Avoid using spam or banned hashtags

If inappropriate content is published along with the hashtag, Instagram may put that hashtag in the list of banned hashtags. Of course, the hashtag ban does not mean that you can not use that hashtag in any way, but if you click on it, you can only see the top posts and watch the recent posts and the story. You do not have the hashtags associated with it.

In general, it is better to check the status of hashtags before adding them. Using hashtags reduces your page’s engagement, and even if you use good and relevant hashtags in the future, Instagram algorithms will not show you much joy!

Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid using hashtags like #followme, and #follow. It will attract follower bots and spam tools to your content, thus tarnishing your brand image with real audiences and followers.

4- Get acquainted with the function of the Hashtag Page

Hashtag pages, especially in the Top section, are one of the best ways to present content to new audiences. These pages show you all the content related to a hashtag, and if a user searches for a hashtag, they will come across your posts in the Recent section.

Of course, keep in mind that the placement of your post in the Recent section depends on the date of its publication. In other words, if you add a new hashtag in the comments or captions after this date, that post will not be in the Recent section again.

5. Do not use irrelevant or exact hashtags

Copying them of previous posts is very easy, but using the same ones will be sentenced by Instagram algorithms. Also, avoid adding irrelevant hashtags to your post; For example, if you used the hashtag #football below your post, the content of that post should also be somehow related to football and sports lovers.

6- Make sure the hashtag means

Hashtags are usually a group of words that are stuck together without a space. Sometimes the beginning and end of the words in a hashtag are not clear, which can cause problems for you. Amazon, for example, used a vague hashtag to sell the Top Gear TV show. Although Amazon did this with some previous intent, some users made the mistake of combining the letter S in the ownership of Amazon’s word with the word Hit.

Some brands also use a hashtag in their posts without fully understanding it. Challenging topics create many problems for the business public relations department. In addition, some companies use hashtags that have already been trended on Instagram without their knowledge.

7. Save your used hashtags

If you use a particular hashtag for your posts, you can save them in a note file or on a piece of paper to save time. Although using the same of them is not the right thing to do, you should always have a list of hashtags related to your various posts so that you can use them quickly when needed.