Once a simple photo sharing app, Instagram has now become one powerful social network with a prediction of adding over 26 million users in the U.S. by 2020 according to eMarketer.
With more and more people having access to smartphones, Instagram adoption is becoming bigger and bigger not just with teenagers and young adults but also older generations as well.
With more users though means more content being produced. That means standing out can become more of a challenge.
So how can you succeed and be effective in this hashtag driven social network? Here are a few tips that you may or may not have been aware of:
- Less Popular Hashtags Maybe Better Than More Popular Ones. While simple hashtags such as #food and #summer are very popular, more than likely they won’t increase your Instagram following or exposure much in the long term. Instead, utilize more niche, community specific hashtags as they will drive more engagement to the right people and ultimately build your brand. One free tool that helps in finding these less popular Instagram hashtags is a site called INK361. Not only will it help with finding less popular hashtags that you may not of thought of, but it will also help analyze your existing audience and help you understand what drives engagement and growth.
- Create a Pod. Pods are essentially private groups of 10 to 15 people that have similar audiences. The main reason pods are setup is to increase engagement with the audience that means the most to you. With an Instagram Pod, when someone within the pod publishes a piece of content the user then shares with the group via a direct message and asks all the other members to like and comment on it. By utilizing this tactic means more genuine comments in your content and a stronger overall post.
- Beware of Banned Hashtags. In a way to clean its platform from pornography and other unacceptable images, Instagram is actively censoring and blocking certain hashtags, even ones you wouldn’t think of. The way to tell if your hashtag is banned and if your post will or will not ultimately receive engagement within the Instagram algorithm is to do a search of the hashtag and check whether it is shown on both the “Top” and “Recent” categories. If the hashtag is suspended or blocked, only a few top posts will be visible and all other recent posts will be removed. Click here for a list of the known banned hashtags.
As you can see, there is a lot more to posting to Instagram these days then just uploading a photo and adding a filter. There is a lot of strategy that goes into getting the right exposure and engagement in your posts.
For a complete strategy and other unconventional Instagram tips contact The Interactive Imprint today at 954-254-1650 or visit TheInteractiveImprint.com.
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