Plan Your Hashtags
As a user of the app, the best hashtags to follow in Instagram are those used
more often. These would give you more videos and images on your feed.
However, as a business, using popular ones would not improve your chances
of being discovered or getting more likes and comments.
The better way in choosing hashtags is by using those that have a smaller
audience or niche relevant to your post, brand, or industry. This would give
you a greater chance of being discovered by someone unaware of your brand
and getting engagements on your posts.
But this does not mean that you would use a hashtag that no one or very few
profiles use. These hashtags with only a few posts have a very small audience
so it would not have any impact on your account getting new followers or
engagement. The ideal post volume at a minimum would be at around 1,000
to 10,000 posts per week.
This is why it is recommended to use five to ten hashtags per post. These
should be a combination of hashtags with high volume and low volume of
posts. It is best to choose up to three hashtags with high post volume relevant
to your brand. The rest of the hashtags should each have a hyper-focused
niche audience.
Here are some ways on how you can research hashtags for your posts and
brand:
Use What Your Audience Uses. If your audience uses a hashtag, chances are
they are following it. Take a note of these hashtags and use it when it fits
your content. Taking this approach is often the best way to get your posts on
the screen of your target audience.
Use What Your Competitor Uses. A competitor with good engagement in
Instagram shows that they have done their homework. You can benefit from
their efforts by finding out the hashtags they are using. You can then
determine if these hashtags can fit your content and your audience. If it does,
feel free to use it when appropriate.
Look for Related Hashtags. Use the hashtags you currently use as starting
points to learn new hashtags. For example, if you are using #sailinglifestyle
as a hashtag, you can search Instagram for the keyword sailing to see related