Do hashtags on Instagram still have you confused?
Like, which ones should I use?
And where should I put them?
I'm Sue B. Zimmerman.
And today, I'm going to be teaching you the best practices
when using hashtags on Instagram,
And stick around to the end, because I'm
going to be sharing with you my strategic way of organizing
all of those hashtags that you're
going to want to be using.
[FUN MUSIC]
Let's just back up in case you need to catch up.
Hashtags are words or phrases with the pound
sign in front of it.
And when you use a hashtag, that word or phrase
becomes clickable.
And you become part of all the content
that is in that hashtag hub.
Now, using hashtags strategically
helps serve a dual purpose.
You can connect with other influencers.
And you can also expand your organic reach.
Now, let's get into some details.
Picking the right hashtags.
If you're struggling to find hashtags for your post,
I encourage you to start with a brainstorm.
Jot down all the terms or phrases that you think
are relevant to your business.
Once you have an idea, take a look
at all the other posts from industry relevant accounts.
Do your hashtags align with what they use?
Once you've come up with a bunch of hashtag ideas,
you want to tap into each one.
And it does take time.
You want to look at the conversation and the content
within each hashtag that you're planning
on using to make sure that they are the ones that
are most relevant and that will attract your ideal customer.
This could be as simple as the description of the material
that you use, the product that you create,
or the locations that you're creating your product.
So that you attract people in and around the areas
that you want to do business in.
Ideally, the right hashtags should
ensure that your content, your feed, your video, your post
is being seen by the audience who
is most likely interested in your product or service.
Click each one and make sure that they
apply to your business.
And you might just find some new hashtags to use in the process.
Remember that irrelevant hashtags will just
clog your account with unengaged followers or bots who
leave random comments.
None of these things are going to help you organically expand
the reach of your business.
Location.
I get a lot of questions on where to put the hashtags.
Should it be in the photo caption or in the comments
below?
My opinion is to keep your description front and center
and clean, and not to compete with your hashtags.
So I suggest using spacers after you write your caption
and add your hashtags there.
You can also add your hashtags in the first comment below.
Just make sure, if you're going to post
your hashtags in the first comment
below, that you do it immediately.
So that you have a better chance at showing up
at the top of the hashtag hub.
Following hashtags.
A new feature that Instagram added in 2018
is the ability to follow hashtags.
And when you follow hashtags, they show up in your feed,
just like all the posts do from the accounts that you follow.
OK so, before you follow a hashtag,
make sure that you spend time looking at the content that's
being curated, looking at the videos, looking at the feed,
and even tapping into the stories
to see what kind of content is there as well.
Now, once you find a good one, and I like this one,
community over competition, all you want to do
is tap on the blue follow button.
And now, I'm following it.
The benefits of following a hashtag are twofold.
You can watch your industry and your competitors,
and you can also watch your target audience.
Another way that you can use on Instagram is in your stories.
You can use up to 11.
And there is an Instagram hashtag sticker
that I strongly recommend using as the front and center one.
For example, when I'm giving tips in my stories
about Instagram, I use the hashtag sticker,
Instagram tips.
By using tags in your stories, you
have a greater chance of showing up in the hashtag
hub for that Instagram story.
Here's another example, #videotip
is front and center in my story.
And this is where I'm taking you behind the scenes of showing
you how I create my YouTube videos.
Hashtags in your bio.
Another update in 2018 is to have a clickable hashtag
in your bio.
Let me show you.
Here on my personal account, Sue B Zimmerman,
I have my community hashtag, #RSGCommunity.
And when you tap in to Ready, Set, Gram community,
these are all the people who have invested
in my course, Ready, Set, Gram.
And they all can connect with each other
very easily by tapping in and looking
what each member of this community is posting.
And I can find some great user generated content here as well.
Final tip.
You should also categorize your hashtags.
You can use a productivity app.
I use Notes in my iPhone and have them all ready to go.
So I can quickly copy and paste them and put them on my post
right away.
I have a category for Boston.
I have a category when I teach my Instagram tips.
I have a category for Ready, Set, Gram.
I also have a category for my show on Facebook, The Social
Sip.
And then I have a category when I'm posting a creative post as
well.
For example, if I have a post that I'm doing for The Social
Sip, I just simply tap on.
And I select the hashtags that I'm going to use on Instagram.
I copy.
And then I paste them right there in the description
or in the first comment below.
Having your hashtags drafted and ready to go not only
will save you a ton of time.
But also help you avoid any spelling mistakes that you're
going to make in your hashtags.
And I'm definitely guilty of this.
Did you like this video?
Let me know in the comments below your top three hashtags
that you use when you're posting.
And if you're curious on how to space
those hashtags every time that you're posting,
I have a free guide for you.
Be sure to download that.
And when you do, you will be able to start
using it right away.
And I'll see you in the next video.
[FUN MUSIC]