26 Jul Hashtags for Instagram
If you’ve spent any time on Instagram you’ve probably come across a hashtag; #throwbackthursday, #funisthebest, #followme, etc. So what is a hashtag, how do you use them and how can they help your business? Welcome to Instagram Hashtag 1o1.
What is a hashtag?
A hashtag is created in Instagram by using the “#” preceding any word or phrase.
What are they for?
Hashtags on Instagram are used to categorize photos, drive followers, help user’s search certain subjects or just to be funny.
How should you use them?
Anytime you post a photo on Instagram think about what the photo is about. Let’s take the example of a photo featuring a skier going through powder. You can easily research popular ski hashtags by using the search feature in Instagram. The hashtag #powderday has 126,138 posts but #powder has 2.5 million!
A best practice is also to add a location hashtag such as #jacksonhole and many companies use their own company name as a hashtag or have their own hashtag they’ve created. Grand Targhee Ski Resort uses #targheebound in almost all their posts making it easy to find all their posts but also other people can use #targheebound to give a shout out and be found by other people following or searching #targheebound. As a business you can follow your hashtag to engage with people who use it.
A good sample post for this photo might be.
We were so lucky to be out on the slopes today #powder #powderday #targheebound #wydaho #sorelegsfromskiingallday
We have a good photo, a comment about the photo, two popular hashtags, a company hashtag, a location hashtag and one just to be funny that everyone can relate to.
So how do these hashtags help my business?
Instagram users use hashtags to research destinations, subjects, sports etc. Here’s an example. If an instagram user was headed to Jackson Hole for the first time. He or She might go to Instagram and search for posts that used hashtag #jacksonhole, #tetons, #yellowstone by doing this they will discover not only some great photos but also who’s posting them, exciting things to do and see and might even come across a new business to check out.