Guess what? Hashtags are very important to your social media marketing strategy as they can help boost your brand’s visibility and attract more customers. That being said, they can still have detrimental effects on your Instagram account. That’s exactly why you should be using hashtags and you should be using them right!

So, if you are unsure how to use Instagram hashtags, you’re in the right place! This blog breaks down what hashtags are and how to use them effectively for your brand.

First of all, what are Instagram hashtags?

A hashtag is a combination of numbers and letters to represent content. It is preceded by the # symbol. E.g.: #christmasvibes. They are used to make content more discoverable. 

Moreover, hashtags are clickable. When someone clicks on an Instagram hashtag, a page displaying all the posts that contain that phrase will appear. It’s like creating a chat room for that topic.

Simple, right? And helpful!

Here are the top 20 hashtags on Instagram in 2021: 

1. #love (1.835B)
2. #instagood (1.150B)
3. #fashion (812.7M)
4. #photooftheday (797.3M)
5. #beautiful (661.0M)
6. #art (649.9M)
7. #photography (583.1M)
8. #happy (578.8M)
9. #picoftheday (570.8M)
10. #cute (569.1M)
11. #follow (560.9M)
12. #tbt (536.4M)
13. #followme (528.5M)
14. #nature (525.7M)
15. #like4like (515.6M)
16. #travel (497.3M)
17. #instagram (482.6M)
18. #style (472.3M)
19. #repost (471.4M)
20. #summer (454.2M)

Now let’s skip to the good part. 

Below are 4 ways to use Instagram hashtags

1- Stay away from banned and spammy hashtags

When inappropriate content appears on Instagram and is related to a specific hashtag. Instagram can ban this hashtag. This means that you won’t see any recent posts or stories associated with the hashtag either, you can only see the top posts.

Hashtags that are not allowed to be used on Instagram will most likely cause a drop in engagement. This is why it is important to check before you add a new hashtag.

Moreover, even if they’re not banned, avoid using these hashtags to ask for likes and followers: #like4like, #follow4follow, and so on.

These hashtags will attract bots and spammers who are intent on not engaging in meaningful conversations with you. They also show that your brand is okay with tolerating spammy behavior and that’s not good for you. 

2- Create your hashtag campaign

Not only are you free to use any existing hashtag, but you also have the ability to create your own. With a brand new hashtag, you can create a campaign that is totally engaging and creative. This can be a powerful marketing tool that can take your brand to the next level. For example, the #icebucketchallenge, ALS Association’s marketing team was able to raise awareness for the organization from the Ice Bucket Challenge. Through this campaign, they were able to raise over $15 million. That’s why it’s crucial to create a hashtag that will let your followers want to use it so that they can spread the word about your business!

3- Avoid using irrelevant hashtags 

It might be tempting to copy and paste the same longlist of hashtags into every post, but doing so will result in your content being penalized by the algorithm.

When creating a post, only use terms that make sense. For instance, if you tag a post with “traveling,” then you should use that term to describe the content.

It’s about getting seen by the right people and not by a lot of people. Because it is the key to increasing engagement and gaining more followers. That’s what hashtags are used for.

4- Save hashtags for later

Don’t Use The Same Hashtags On All Posts! 

Having a list of relevant hashtags is still very helpful if you are creating content related to various topics. 

Simply you can create a list of various hashtags in your notes app that is ready to be added to your post.  You can then pick a few hashtags to use each time so that you don’t have to remember which ones to use each time. This also helps avoid making the same mistakes that were mentioned above.

Keep in mind that every single Instagram hashtag that you use on a post should be consistent with the content of the post.

Congrats! You are officially a Hahstager!

Now, you can finally go out and conquer Instagram hashtagging! Hashtags will help you reach your goals and make a difference in the world. 

And always remember, hashtags are very important to Instagram marketing. They help lift your profile’s likes and followers. When combined with a strategy that focuses on getting more likes and followers, you’ll see immediate results.