Do you need some hashtag help? Hashtags are user-generated keywords preceded by the # symbol. This is a type of metadata used by social networks to allow content to be cataloged and searched by other users.
Twitter and Instagram are the main social networks that utilize hashtags. The great thing about these networks are they are probably the easiest platforms to grow your audience organically (or without paying for ads). These networks allow for organic growth with the use of hashtags. Some people use hashtags to emphasize points or to be funny, but Instagram and Twitter will catalog your posts based upon what hashtag(s) you use.
The first hashtag you should make and use is YOUR branded hashtag. Whether its #YourCompanyName or #YourName or #CompanyTagline or #YourGoal, you should have one hashtag you associate with all of your posts. Keep in mind special characters like "&" will break your hashtag so you need to spell out "and". Before committing to a branded hashtag, make sure you research the hashtag usage and make sure it isn’t already being used by a competing brand or inappropriate content.
Determining what other hashtags you use should be based upon what audience you want to reach. If you know your demographic, you can find what hashtags are best to use. Using some popular hashtags are fine. A podcast might use #podcast or #podcaster. The popular hashtags will get you in the mix but it is very easy to get lost in the mix when you are using the same hashtags as millions of others. You need to mix in some niche hashtags too. That same podcast might want to use hashtags that are specific to the genre or topics discussed in the podcast.
Make sure your hashtags are relevant to your individual posts. If you are talking about a city or county, throw the regional hashtag into your post. Putting hashtags into posts just because they are popular won't get you followers because the hashtag doesn't relate to what the viewer was looking for. If a viewer finds content valuable or what they were looking for, they will become a long term follower.
Some say the secret number of hashtags for Instagram's algorithm is nine or eleven. So the recommendation is you use nine or eleven hashtags in each post. The social networks are constantly changing their algorithms and they don't disclose their criteria, so this may not be accurate information. Also, there are conflicting thoughts about whether to put the hashtags as your first comment or in your post. We are on "team" put hashtags in your post.
Here's another good article about hashtags from Later Media: The Ultimate Guide to Hashtags in 2020.
https://later.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-using-instagram-hashtags/
If you would like additional help with hashtags, feel free to reach out to BBD Marketing Solutions. We are always willing to help businesses grow their social media presence.