There’s plenty of chit chat about whether we should still be using hashtags on Instagram posts & if they still work! Our short answer = YES! From our experience working with our dozens of clients, we still strongly recommend using relevant, targeted hashtags on every Instagram post (note: not on Facebook)!

When creating relevant content that you want to reach new audiences, adding a set of hashtags is super beneficial! Social media platforms that include hashtags will be discovered upon searching, seen by those following the tag & will add extra keywords to your post. Here’s our reasons why you shouldn’t throw out hashtags just yet;

Reach

Relevant, active hashtags extend the reach of posts more than posts that don’t – we see this in every client’s data! By omitting hashtags, you simply miss out on potential eyes seeing your content! We have found that posts with the maximum amount of hashtags, 30, always outperform those without a hashtag or a smaller number of hashtags.

Keywords

Hashtags also act as different keywords in your caption that help Instagram to categorise your content. Using relevant hashtags on social media platforms can optimise your account on Instagram’s search, with the more hashtags in your caption, the more opportunities available for someone searching that keyword to find your Instagram page.

Branding

While it won’t increase your reach on Instagram, a branded hashtag could be a great choice to increase your brand visibility & recognition on Instagram. Ask your customers to tag your username & to hashtag your brand hashtag when posting about you!

So are hashtags still needed on Instagram? For all social media platforms, including Instagram, relevant hashtags are a great way to keep your content discoverable. For more information on social media hashtags, contact JR Marketing Group at 1300 334 590.