Jun 9, 2019
Hashtags are an inseparable part of Instagram. Surely, the platform can well operate without any tags, yet an efficient hashtag strategy makes IG much more powerful. Particularly due to tags brands and Instagram marketers reach broader audiences, generate more engagement and attract more followers. However, this doesn’t mean any hashtag has that much power. If you want to “squeeze” all the power a hashtag has, you should experiment those you use, try new ones and build various combinations. Today InstaBF your faithful IG and IGTV provider is going to help you find the best hashtags for promoting your brand.
Make a Hashtag Research Before Using It
The first rule of using the right hashtag is making research on it beforehand. So that the tags you’ve picked boost your results, they must be perfectly relevant to your post and audience. Slightly relevant hashtags won’t do that. Do never go after super popular hashtags unless they are relevant to your post, otherwise, it will look spammy and bring you a bad reputation on Instagram.
Captions Clean of Hashtags
Instagram has made it possible to post up to thirty hashtags in one caption. Using all of them can be beneficial and is definitely tempting. However, agree that a caption full of tags looks messy and even spammy. To avoid this, you can post a clear caption and include all your hashtags in the first comment under the caption.
More Niche Tags
As we have already mentioned, using super-popular hashtags is really tempting. You get extra attention by using those tag researched by millions of people around the world. But are you sure you need particularly that kind of attention? If you make posts with #instagood, #love or other similar tags, your post will be viewed millions of times but those will be by people who won’t ever come back again for more posts of yours. That’s why it’s recommended to leverage niche hashtags in Instagram posts. They are the clue to a more targeted audience.
Mix Them
In the passage above we spoke about the benefits of using popular hashtags. However, don’t forget that the more popular the hashtag is the less your chances are your post will be noticed. Therefore, use a mixture of hashtags. These can be super niche tags that gather 100-1000 posts or middle-of-the-road ones gathering hundreds of thousands of posts.
Don’t Use the Same Tags
Agree that sometimes it’s tempting to use those hashtags, which you think, were a success over and over. We deeply advise you not to. If you do that you will end up facing the same audience over and over. Besides, the Instagram algorithm isn’t there to let you learn which tags work for your brand the most. So, explore and try new tags.
Measuring Results to Optimize Your Hashtag Strategy
Anyway, if you still plan to discover which hashtags work for your brand the best, it’s worth having a glance at your Instagram insights. This way you will get better ways to improve your hashtag strategy and move further. Constantly keep a close eye on your analytics.
Obviously, there are other ways of bringing a post to success. But hashtags aren’t the thing to neglect. Use them, monitor your metrics and see your efforts bring a good outcome.
Apr 13, 2019
One of the most effective ways of boosting your Instagram engagement is making use of some great hashtag hacks! Particularly which? Let’s find out that together with InstaBF, a leading Instagram and IGTV provider.
Add as Many Hashtags as You Wish
Is there any right amount of hashtags to add to an Instagram post? Some Instagram users recommend using from five to ten tags while others (expert Alex Tooby, for instance) advise using the maximum 30 tags allowed. Most probably this number must be picked up individually. And if you have found out your account benefits from using multiple hashtags, there is a grandiose hack that will let you use even more than 30 tags in one post! However, make use of that hack only when you have more than 30 super-relevant hashtags you simply can’t miss out.
Add Line Breaks Before Hashtags
Many Instagrammers complain about Instagram removing line breaks from captions. This is definitely annoying especially when you invest much love and energy into creating captions. By adding individual symbols (such as dashes or stars) you could create the necessary line breaks. And now you can do this with special applications. And if you have determined to include around thirty hashtags, using line breaks will make them look less messy and cluttered.
Pick Up Hyper-Relevant Hashtags for Higher Engagement
If you are a fan of those ultra-popular hashtags such as #instagood, #love, etc. you must know that using them won’t raise your engagement. All that you can expect are a few likes. To raise engagement, opt for super-relevant and niche hashtags that best describe your brand and meet your target audience’s needs.
Adding Hashtags to Insta Stories to Appear on Explore Page
One of the best ways of making your Insta content more discoverable by new audiences is adding hashtags not only to ordinary posts but also to Stories. Once Instagramers look for a hashtag, they can view real-time stories on the hashtags’ page. So, to make use of this, add a hashtag either through using the hashtag sticker (allows adding only one tag) or typing your hashtags out with the text tool. The second method allows adding as many as up to 10 tags on one Story!
Hiding Hashtags in Stories
Surely, hashtags boost the discoverability of Stories, yet they can also ruin its aesthetic look (especially when you post several tags on one Story). To avoid this, simply hide the tags. How? Just type them and then pinch to make them small (not too small or Gram will not register them). After this, hide them with an image sticker or a GIF. Additionally, you can write the hashtags in the same color that is your Story background. This way they will blend into the background while still being searchable.
Adding Hashtags to Bio
Another great means of driving engagement to Instagram posts through hashtags is including them into our Bio. This is highly functional. You see, this way you can promote your Gram community, announce campaigns, and even highlight your branded content. However, mind that hashtags in bio are clickable only on the web and not on the mobile application. Use this means to get the content created about you particularly by your followers, connect with your customers, and set long-term relationships with partners.
Implement these few hashtag hacks on your account and boost your engagement on Instagram!
Jan 3, 2019
Some time ago Instagram announced about the intention to allow users to hide hashtags from their posts. Most probably you have noticed yourself that the long lists of hashtags (sometimes reach up to 30 tags per post or caption) ruin the whole aesthetic look of this social platform while Instagram is all about good aesthetics! As the new feature presumes, not all hashtags added to a post will be displayed. However, will this new option be only beneficial? And generally, is that a good thing? InstaBF, your reliable friend in the industry of Instagram and IGTV likes, comments, followers and views, is going to find answers to these questions right away! Just keep up with us.
How You Can Hide Hashtags on Instagram
If you want to make your posts look neat and clean with no spammy or messy clutters of hashtags, it makes sense to hide them. This is a straightforward task that won’t take you much time. Here’s a detailed guideline how you can do it:
- Download a text editor for your device.
- Make five dots – type a dot and then press return. Repeat this five times to get a pretty vertical line of dots on the left side of the note.
- List the necessary hashtags. You can add up to 30 hashtags per one Instagram allocation.
- Copy all of the content including the line breaks and dots. On most devices, a long press will bring up the copy option.
- Go to your Instagram account. Upload the image or video you intend to post and create an appropriate caption. While doing this, there’s no need to add any hashtags. Just post the content and share with your followers.
- Add your comment. Tap the button indicating comments, open it, paste what you have copied from the text editor (use a long press to bring the option).
After all these actions, your post will be accompanied with all the relevant hashtags (hence targeted at the right audience) which, yet, won’t be visible to viewers. You will just have a clean image with no cluttered caption underneath.
To Hide or Not to Hide? That Is the Question!
Instagram hashtags are such useful tools in promoting the necessary content to the right audience! Hashtags help people find the content they need, enables businesses in promoting their products/services, and generally, make crafted posts more discoverable. Quite many brands don’t find it necessary to hide any hashtags and proudly display them. Generally, whether to hide hashtags or not majorly depends on your marketing goals and your target audience.
Anyway, though appearing aesthetically more pleasant, hidden hashtags may also cause certain problems. In fact, the new option may lead to fewer users browsing the hidden hashtag feeds which, in its turn, will lead to brands’ lower engagement and a lower number of new followers discovering the brand through hashtag feeds.
So, to find what works for you and what not, you mustn’t be afraid to test it. Go ahead and find out what is more beneficial particularly for your brand!
Sep 16, 2018
Those Instagram business users, who have already been effective in gaining an army of followers and driving sales, will confirm that a clever use of hashtags is one of the keys to success. And if you promote your business on particularly this social network, there are six golden rules of using hashtags to your benefit. In this post, InstaBF, a service which offers you multiple Insta and IGTV likes, views, comments, and followers, is going to address to these important rules.
Use All the Thirty Hashtags
Some Instagram experts are sure that using all thirty hashtags available will be a mistake and your post may get lost in that stuff. They say that around a dozen hashtags per post are an optimal variant. However, if you can and need to use all the thirty hashtags, why not? But how you can differentiate right tags from wrong (like #love #cool, etc.)? Just make certain the tags you use to get into your target market. What can your potential customer search for to get to your niche? Bare this in mind and start “investigating” your competitors. What hashtags do your top competitors use? Combine the two groups of hashtags revealed and add those that Instagram recommends for you.
Put them in Order
Now, when you have a huge list of hashtags relative to your brand, don’t hurry to use them all willy nilly. It’s better to test them and find out which are working for you the best. This can be detected by using the hashtags. Keep a track on which tags bring you more likes, comments, and new followers.
Another way of checking this is searching the hashtag on Instagram and looking at the place your posts are on.
During all these processes, remember to put them in order depending on how many times you use them. Check this order regularly and once you find out this or that hashtag brings you more engagement, keep on using them until you hit your plateau.
Add Hashtags to Comments, but Not Captions
Surely, there is absolutely no difference for a hashtag whether it is added to comments or captions. In all cases, it will work as it would. Yet, when one sees too many hashtags in captions, that irritates a bit. People have to visually scroll down till they get the start of the caption text. Hashtags added to comments, meanwhile, make them look nicer and more engaged.
Add Hashtags Before Making the Post
Maybe you know and maybe not, but the Instagram algorithm does not start working unless the hashtags are added to a post. This means that if your post without any hashtag collected, say 100 likes and comments, they will be annulled the moment you add a hashtag belated. Hence, do it before making the post. Besides, the faster you add hashtags to your post, the faster your target market will find you!
Change Hashtags Regularly
Remember you searched for a huge stuff of hashtags in the Rule #1? Now it’s time to start using the vast majority of them. Recently, people talked about Instagram Shadow Ban a lot. And it turns out to be more expedient for brands to change the hashtags they use on a regular basis. Be certain, you hashtag research will give you at least three sets of hashtags to change out from time to time.
Look Where You Use Your Hashtags
Using your brand’s name as a hashtag doesn’t mean others won’t use it, either. But when you add that hashtag into your Bio, Instagram search of that hashtag will directly lead to your account! And what’s the purpose of a hashtag if not that?!
And don’t forget to actively use your hashtags in Stories and regular posts!
May 5, 2018
A branded hashtag can become a powerful tool if used wisely. Surely, the primary purpose of a branded hashtag is promoting the business’s products and services. Yet, a series of other grandiose ways exist and each of them is sure to enhance your marketing efforts on Instagram. Right now, InstaBF is going to reveal them one by one. So, stay tuned!
Branded Hashtags Gather UGC
If you are interested in Instagram marketing, you must have heard about the power of Instagram user-generated content and the contests structured around it. These are very entertaining and, of course, all the vogue! And particularly this sphere is where your correctly picked up branded hashtag can make wonders! To benefit from such a UGC campaign, make up an ongoing contest based on the participants contributing something and expecting a reward in return. For instance, if your business is based on selling modern T-shirts, give a start to an online contest and encourage your followers to post their photos with your T-shirts on. And don’t forget about rewards for the most successful photos. This entire contest is to be tagged. Particularly here you will need a good brand hashtag.
Inspire Your Community with a Branded Hashtag
Storytelling on Instagram has an incredible influence on the social network’s users. Through images, people get the opportunity to tell about their experiences and inspire others. It will be quite a good idea to use a branded hashtag for inspiring your Instagram community and attracting new followers. For this, use an appropriate content and let people post their content with it just like Lulemon did. Their #thesweatlife hashtag got immensely popular on Instagram and motivated people lead a healthy lifestyle. As many as four hundred thousand posts were made with this brand hashtag!
Spread Behind-the-Scenes Branded Hashtags
Be sure, your faithful customers would like to know how the products they obtain are designed and created. Why not let them peek into this part of your business by the means of a branded hashtag?! They can get acquainted (well, at least through your brand tagged posts) with the people working on the production.
You can also use it to keep your customers aware of all the new products lines and company news.
Brand Tag an Upcoming Event
Are you going to host an event and seek a means to encourage your followers spread the content about it? A brand hashtag can be your solution. The latter will not only drive a huge engagement but also organize all the posts made with your brand hashtag on one page.
What you should be careful with, is creating a really catching brand hashtag to announce a special event. It needs to be so attractive that Instagram users want to retweet and repost it.
Brand Hashtags Promoting New Product Lines
And at the last, use branded hashtags for promoting your new product lines. Once your company releases new products, hurry to reach new people interested in them. To make this efficiently, use those brand hashtags that best describe particularly the new products.
These were the five ways of using branded hashtags for your business suggested by InstaBF. However, besides this, we would also like to present to your attention several packages of Instagram likes, comments, and followers. Order any package you need, and be certain, it will be implemented in a timely manner!
