The hashtag 1×1
What you need to know to stay ahead!
Instagram hashtags are the key to the visibility and reach of your posts on Instagram – often underestimated, but of great importance! To make sure you don’t make any mistakes and don’t have to worry unnecessarily about the ideal hashtags, we’ve put together the best hashtag strategy for you. This will help you choose the right tags with ease in the future.
What are Instagram hashtags?
Let’s start with the basics: Instagram hashtags are keywords or phrases that are labelled with a ‘#’ (hashtag). They are used to categorise content and make it visible to a broader target group. This enables users to find relevant posts.
By choosing the best hashtag strategy, you can target users who are interested in your topic and boost engagement, as posts with hashtags receive more likes, comments and shares. They also enable community building by positioning you in certain groups. Using current trends and popular Instagram hashtags can therefore help you to benefit from the increased attention.
The right number of Instagram hashtags
The use of Instagram hashtags is often misunderstood, resulting in sub-optimal reach and engagement. Many users tend to use the maximum number of 30 Instagram hashtags without thinking about their relevance or target audience. This can lead to posts getting lost in the crowd or being perceived as spam.
The best hashtag strategy is to choose a balanced mix of branded, general, niche and location hashtags. Instead of simply maxing out the number, users should choose around 10 to 15 well thought-out Instagram hashtags that are directly linked to the content of the post. This will not only help you reach a targeted audience, but also increase the likelihood of real engagement and interaction. Quality over quantity is the key here!
Types of Instagram hashtags
The right hashtag strategy can make all the difference. As already mentioned, there are different types of Instagram hashtags, each with different objectives:
- Branded hashtags: unique hashtags created specifically for the brand. These promote the brand identity and help to create a community.
Examples: #justdoit, #myikea, #givesyouwiiings, #migroskind, #haribomachtfroh, #flyswiss
- General hashtags: Popular and widely used hashtags. These increase visibility as they are searched for by many users.
Examples: #inspiration, #instadaily, #photooftheday, #tbt (Throwback Thursday), #fitnessjourney, #creativeprocess, #selfcaresunday, #techtrends, #craftyideas
- Niche hashtags: Specific hashtags that relate to certain flavours or products. These appeal to a specific target group and usually relate directly to the post or reel.
Examples: #veganchocolate, #solotravel, #slowfashion, #shotoniphone, #budgettravel, #startuplife, #digitalmarketingtips, #workplaceculture
- Location hashtags: Geographical tags (e.g. #swissfood, #restaurantbern) to target local customers and increase visibility in certain regions.
Examples: #swissfood, #bestpizzazurich, #yogabern, #fitnessgenf, #baseleats, #streetfoodzurich, #sporteventsswitzerland, #museenbasel, #furthereducationbern
A good mix of these types of Instagram hashtags is key. Too many popular and generic Instagram hashtags (#love, #yummy, #nature, #event) should be avoided, as the posts get lost in the crowd or appeal to too many consumers outside the target group, as well as irrelevant or too specific hashtags.
To summarise:
- Relevance is key: The best hashtag strategy is to choose hashtags that are directly related to your content.
- Balanced hashtag mix: Combine widely used tags with more specific ones to achieve both broad and targeted reach.
- 10 to 15 Instagram hashtags per post: Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags - but too many hashtags are perceived as spam, so ideally use 10 to 15 tags per post!
- Experiment and analyse: Test different combinations and observe which work best for you.
Little tip: Use hashtag analysis apps to get there faster!
Hashtagify:
- Provides comprehensive analyses of hashtags, including their popularity, related hashtags and trends.
RiteTag:
- Part of RiteKit provides real-time analytics for hashtags and suggests relevant hashtags based on your content.
Keyhole:
- A powerful tool for tracking hashtag performance on social media that also provides analytics on keywords and campaigns.
You can also learn a lot about your hashtags from Instagram’s internal metrics. For example, a high reach can indicate that your hashtags are effective, or a high engagement rate can indicate that your Instagram hashtags are attracting the right audience – or you can compare the performance of posts with different hashtags or without hashtags overall to find out which strategies work best. So: It’s worth trying it out!
Final:
Overall, Instagram hashtags are an essential tool for any Instagram user looking to maximise their reach and build an engaged community. They help to ensure that content is not only seen, but also put into the right context, which ultimately leads to more interactions and a stronger brand presence.
However, if you are still unsure about how to strengthen your brand presence on Instagram and increase your follower count, we are happy to help! As an experienced agency, we are at your service. Together, we will develop a customised strategy to achieve your goals and realise your full potential.
Contact us today for a free consultation!
