Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat…….all of the social media platforms are constantly evolving, and periodically changing their algorithms. It’s important to stay abreast of all these developments, one of the many reasons to hire a qualified marketer to oversee your brand building.

A cardinal rule of digital marketing is to keep content meaningful.

Keeping your instagram hashtags relevant is more important now, than ever. Instagram recently launched the ability to follow hashtags which means that instead of someone having to search for a hashtag and scroll through an endless feed to land on your content, your posts can now show up automatically in the feeds of potential new followers.

Instagram’s algorithm has always favored the use of specific and relevant hashtags. This new feature makes using hashtags that make sense more important than ever. Users now have the power to mark your hashtagged content as something they don’t want to see! Once a user is following a specific hashtag and suggested posts begin to show up in their feed, they’ll have the ability to select a new “Don’t Show for This Hashtag” option to mark the content not interesting or not relevant. While this information is meant to tell the Instagram algorithm what sort of content a user enjoys, having too many of your posts marked like this could potentially penalize your account and negatively affect all of your other content as well.

Change your Instagram Hashtags Slightly in Every Post to Avoid “Spammy” Behavior

During all of the anxiety surrounding  shadowban, one thing became clear– you should no longer just copy and paste the exact same list of Instagram hashtags into every single post. Doing so might be seen as spam by the Instagram algorithm and could affect your post’s visibility. The new rules for Instagram hashtags include changing up your hashtags for each post. Coming up with a slightly different list of hashtags every time you post may seem a bit of a job, but Center Street Interactive’s team has automated tools that are monitored by live human beings to make the process effective.

Choose tags that describe your account, your business, and your target market. For example, SouthFork Funding is a mortgage company based in Long Island, NY whose target market is homebuyers and Realtors.

We use hashtags to describe it’s product and business like #homebuyers, #realtors, and #longislandrealestate as well as its own branded campaign hashtags like #takingyouhome.

We also use hashtags for SouthFork that describe its ideal customer like #justmarried, and #babyontheway, along with community hashtags for homebuyers like #lirealestate.

Community hashtags are Instagram hashtags that connect like-minded users around a specific subject.  They’re a great way to connect with others, improve the searchability of your posts, gain followers, and grow your own community.

Look to industry leaders and influencers, as well as brands in your niche to find out what community hashtags they’re using. With the ability to follow hashtags comes a brand new way to research additional hashtags to add to your posts. Once you start following a hashtag, you can click on your followings from your profile and toggle from the users that you follow to the hashtags you follow. By following hashtags related to your industry, you’ll be able to gather these new suggestions the are noted by Instagram as being highly relevant, and add them into your posts!

Are you Using Instagram Insight Tools? Do you Have a Business Account?

Focus on what you are great at and leave your digital marketing to Center Street Interactive, Long Island’s top digital agency. Your online identity is more important now than ever, and managing it professionally is a full-time job that requires knowledge and constantly evolving techniques.

If you are running a serious Instagram campaign you should have a business profile so that you can use insights to check on how your accounts are growing over time. You can also analyze how individual posts are performing and compare the specific results from each. You’ll be able to see exactly how effective your posts are at attracting a new audience, based on impressions from various sources– including your Instagram hashtags!

Having access to these insights can help you to continuously optimize your hashtag strategy. By being strategic about which hashtags you use in a post and checking your individual post insights, you can begin to narrow down the hashtags that are most effective for your business.

Hashtags are Useful and Relevant. You’re Missing the Boat if you’re not Using Them

As previously mentioned, Instagram released the ability to follow hashtags. Users can now stay up-to-date on different topics by choosing to follow hashtags that cater to their interests. Following a hashtag is just like following a user’s profile. When you find a hashtag you want to follow you just open the hashtag page and tap on the follow button.

Once you have selected to follow a hashtag you will begin seeing top posts from that hashtag in your feed and in your stories bar. You can encourage your existing audience to follow your branded hashtags so that you connect more easily with them. You can also use this new feature to keep an eye on competitors or discover new partners by choosing to follow industry-specific hashtags.

Now you can Add Instagram Hashtags to your Stories too

Are you aware that you can now add hashtags to Instagram Stories? Using instagram hashtags within your Instagram Stories, will give your content another way to be discovered by a new audience.

Most Instagram geo-locations and hashtags have their own stories attached to them. While this is an under-utilized Instagram feature, it is expected to become more popular in the coming year as Instagram users get more comfortable with watching and creating stories.

When people search for a hashtag on Instagram, if it’s popular enough they will be able to view an active, real time Instagram story on the hashtag! Hashtag stories show up across the top bar of the hashtag page along with the new follow button.

You can add hashtags to your story two different ways: by using the hashtag sticker, and by using the text tool and simply typing your hashtags out.

A lot of people don’t know that you can add up to 10 hashtags into a single story, However, it can get really messy, so consider shrinking your hashtags down and hiding under a sticker or emoji.

What’s the Magic Number? How many Hashtags Should I Use?

There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about how many Instagram hashtags is the right amount. The jury is still out.

Most social media Rockstars recommend using the maximum number of hashtags allowed by Instagram, which is thirty. While thirty might seem like a lot, using the maximum amount of Instagram hashtags gives you more opportunities to be discovered.

There have been all sorts of strategies and ideas on how many hashtags are the most effective, but if you can find thirty super relevant hashtags to add to each post, that is ideal according to leaders in the field.

It’s okay to experiment with the amount of hashtags on a post in search of the sweet spot. The most important factor is using hashtags that your target audience is searching for and following.

Instagram Hashtags without Question WORK!

Using Instagram hashtags strategically is and always has been a great way to connect with customers. It is part science and part art; something perfected by top agencies like Center Street Interactive. CSI will find content created about you by your followers, and build long-term relationships with influential partners! Let us implement some new ideas and strategies around these new Instagram rules!