Hashtags have emerged as a natural way for consumers to categorize their content and are the key to brand discoverability on Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter. White Twitter and Tumblr have strong virality features such as retweet and reblog, Instagram has chosen not to build a “regram” feature as it emphasizes original content and creativity from its users. Given the absence of “regramming”, hashtags are really the only way a brand can get visibility beyond its followers and grow the community.
Hashtags are a prominent way to discover new photos on Instagram: Whether clicking on them in the feed or entering them into the search bar, hashtags are leading consumers to the content they are looking for. Clicking on a hashtag is tantamount to searching for a key phrase on Google.
With Instagram users’ apparent appetite for hashtags, and the number that users add being all over the map, just how many should brand marketers be using? The answer is not obvious, so we decided to dig into our data and crunch some numbers. Piqora looked at 150,000 Instagram posts by 200 brands, and what we found makes it clear that marketers making optimal use of hashtags have a huge advantage.
Research Findings
One of our most important findings is that likes increase with hashtags and seven hashtags generate the most post likes. It appears that you can get away with adding up to eight, but there’s a huge drop off at nine. It’s possible that more than eight will be perceived as spam.
Brands Underutilizing Hashtags
Brands are severely underutilizing hashtags: nearly 30% of posts have no hashtags, while more than half average one or less. Adding just three can result in huge gains, but only 10% of brands are doing so, while just 4% are in the optimal range.
Adding Even Just a Few Hashtags Boosts Likes A Lot
By going from just 2 to 3 hashtags, brands can gain a 110% increase in likes on their Instagram posts, while adding 5 results in a 180% increase. So, 3 hashtags should be considered the bare minimum, but more is better.
Here are some specific recommendations to help you get most out of research and find success on Instagram.
1. Think & Act like Instagram users
Do your best to make your brand feel more native and less brand(y). Don’t just use your branded hashtag – it looks too promotional. Learn which hashtags your target audience is already using, especially influencers, and add them regularly to your posts so long as they are relevant. When selecting hashtags, think about what users want. Hashtags are like web links;they have to look interesting and relevant for users to click. Use natural keywords like #fitness and also try spicing it up (for e.g. #fitnessaddict). Avoid long hastags: they are difficult to read and don’t have mass appeal.
2. Make hashtags appropriate for your business vertical
Contextualizing things based on your business vertical is a great way to figure out the best hashtags to use. Here are a few quick examples. For e-commerce consider expanding your hashtags by using color names (#cutepink), product attributes (i.e. #rustic), and product category (i.e. #outdoorfurniture). For Fitness, consider category hashtags such as #yoga, #crossfit and result-oriented hashtags like #lookgood, #feelstrong etc. For Food, use hashtags that describe taste, cuisine, recipe etc. Again, emulate other Instagram users posting about your category.
3. Want to get discovered? think SEO.
Getting your brand discovered on Instagram, and increasing likes and engagement on your posts, actually have a lot in common with getting found on Google. Luckily, Instagram SEO is much easier that Web SEO. Search Marketers who want to get found on Google are thinking about one thing: Am I using the keywords that my target audience is searching for? Users are effectively searching Instagram in the same way they search Google, but instead of punching keywords of interest into a search bar they click on hashtags they are interested in. As an Instagram SEO’er, your goal is to add relevant hashtags that your target audience is searching for. Be sure that some have broad appeal and are commonly used: those help you get incremental reach and visibility beyond your profile followers.