Hashtags showed up, and then never went away, but recently Pinterest started to participate in this optimal hashtag search tool, why? Chances are you haven’t been using hashtags to its full potential and have mostly been using them to make a random joke or add small details, but if you are trying to use it for business purposes and gain a legitimate audience then it’s time to beef up your hashtag game!
Using Hashtags With Purpose
Be intentional when using hashtags, they should resonate with not only you, but your ideal customer or client. The purpose of hashtags is for people to search for a specific topic and generate related posts, pictures, or articles in relation. So, why use #notcool when we all know that you are #waycool - in this case, you would potentially attract not so cool clients or unnecessary audiences.
An example of using hashtags specifically is location-specific hashtag if you are trying to attract people in your general area. Connect with your community and people in your industry so that it will connect you with like-minded creatives, this technique works for both Pinterest and Instagram.
Five Or More Sets Of Hashtags
Instagram allows 30 hashtags per post and Pinterest allows 20, but if they aren’t related to your business what good will it do? It’s better to use 3 hashtags that are extremely specific than 20/30 hashtags that are random #saywhat #hello #bye. As a general rule, I always tell my clients to make 5 or more separate lists on your computer or phone, of 30 hashtags that are relevant to your top 5. Why do you need separate lists? Instagram bans users for copying and pasting the same hashtags continuously. Let’s say your top 5 are dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and bunnies each of these topics are different and have specific words to describe them. Using the same hashtags for all 5 would be irrelevant and deceiving.
Make your lists as specific as possible following the 10/20 rule (Instagram) 10/10 (Pinterest)
10 Broad hashtags: #Dog, #DogLover, #DogParent #DogWalk #DogsOfIntsagram
20(10) Narrow hashtags: #HawaiiDog #(Breed)of dog #HawaiiDogPark #SpecificDogPark #PlantBasedDogFood
Eventually you will want to turn your followers into customers because popular doesn’t pay the bills, so be as thorough as possible when creating your lists.
This a great app to store your hashtags Mono - Hashtag Library
Where To Find Hashtags That Work?
Just sitting down and brainstorming works, but there are also a few tricks. One way is to search for relatable people on Instagram and see what hashtags they are using. On Pinterest, it's essentially the same thing. This is an easy way to find hashtags that you can relate too or that are similar to your industry.
Through Instagram, pay attention to the number of people who have used the hashtag and prioritize them by popularity, you have a better chance of sticking out if the hashtag isn’t supersaturated. Also, be mindful of the hashtags that are banned, these hashtags will instantly get you on the shadowbanned list.
Here a few websites to help step up your hashtag game: Display Purposes, ritetagme.com, hashtagify.me, TagDef, TagForLikes
Prioritize Hashtags
A lot of the time we will post something really quickly and not be in the present moment. Next time take your pictures and wait till you have time to prioritize hashtags and feed. Take time to really embody the meaning behind why you are posting and if it is relevant to what you and your business stand for.
1: What is the main goal or objective of this post?
2: What category does it fall under? (think top 5).
3: Do I have time to be intentional with my post and my hashtags?
Different Types Of Hashtags
Location-Specific: #Hawaii
Industry-Specific: #Blog
Holiday-Specific: #SummerVaction
Calls To Action: #ClickToRead
Niche-Specific: #ApothecaryCourse
Brand-Specific: #Apothecary @bluradical
Community-Specific: #CommunityCenterHawaii
Event-Specific: #SuperBowl
Celebration-Specific: #BirthdayInMexico
High Density: A lot of posts (+500K), a lot of competition, harder to rank
Low Density: Low density, not many posts, lower competition, easier to rank to the top posts, small tight-knit community
Hashtags can be such a great tool to find ideal clients, make new friends, and connect to other creatives. Use them thoughtfully and do your research for the best results.