When it comes to hashtags, bigger is not always better.
Hashtags are a way for you to reach more of your ideal audience and should always be used strategically.
Instagram give us 30 opportunities on each post to reach more people, so I always recommend utilising that and use all 30 hashtags in either your caption, or your first comment.
Here I will talk you through how to create the perfect bank of hashtags to use on your Instagram posts.
Creating Hashtag Banks
Hashtag banks are sets of 30 hashtags you can access quickly and easily for your different types of Instagram posts.
For example:
- A bank with hashtags focused around ‘business’
- A bank with hashtags focused around your local area (if you are targeting a local audience)
- A bank with hashtags for each of your product sets
Action: Create at least 2-3 hashtag banks for each service/product area and save them to your phone notes for quick access.
What Each Hashtag Bank Should Include:
As mentioned above, bigger is not better when it comes to hashtags. It is advised to avoid using hashtags with over 1million posts as it is highly unlikely you will be found for them.
Each hashtag bank should include the below;
- 2 hashtags under 1k (if targeting a local audience)
- 3 hashtags with 1-10k posts
- 10 hashtags with 10k-100k posts
- 10 hashtags with 100k-500k posts
- 5 hashtags with 500k-1m
Try to avoid hashtags over 1m as it is highly unlikely you will be featured.
How To Find Banned Hashtags
Head to your Instagram app, tap the search icon and search a relevant hashtag you want to check, click ‘tags’ and if you see the below notice, this means it is a banned hashtag. Banned hashtags shouldn’t be used in your posts, firstly because you won’t actually be find for them as they do not show, but secondly if Instagram see accounts continuously using banned hashtags, the account itself can be penalised.
Top Apps For Hashtag Research
What better way to find relevant hashtags then Instagram itself? Head to search and type in hashtags which are relevant to you and your business, then click “tags”. This allows you to firstly see how many posts each hashtag has, whether it is a banned hashtag and also allows you to follow relevant hashtags.
HishHash
I personally pay for this app, which I believe is around $2.99 per week, however, I have been told the free version is also particularly good. HishHash allows you to search and create different hashtags banks, which you can easily access and copy into your Instagram caption.
Hashtag Expert
Hashtag Expert is another great app which allows you search and save relevant hashtags, which you can easily access and post into your Instagram captions. Again, there is a free and a paid version so it is worth checking out both options.
Scheduling Tools
Most scheduling tools such as Later, allow you to search for hashtags and add them to your hashtag lists for quick access.
Analysing your hashtags
A huge part of any strategy is analysing. Analysing allows you to look at what is working well and what isn’t, meaning you can implement what works well into your future strategy in order for you to always improve your social media marketing.
Quick Hack: Here’s a quick hack over on my Instagram that tells you how you can analyse each keyword bank.
Do you have a Hashtag strategy including in your overall content strategy? If not, I highly recommend using the above structure to create your hashtag strategy or if you would like to discuss a more in-depth strategy for your socials, which includes a hashtag strategy, drop me a message using the contact form here.