built incredible internet friendships (oh, and biz partnerships) just be knowing and using community hastags. Some hasta
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Check out what those in your industry are using and compile the most popular keywords that relate to your message and the types of content you will be posting. You can grow that list by searching for those popular keywords, tapping the word to view the feed and then thumbing through the related tags at the top.
What words relate specifically to your brand? How can you leverage different aspects of your business to encourage participation? Before you settle on a couple for your own business that you will use regularly we suggest you double check that they haven’t been utilized previously.
#CreativeEntrepreneur #SmallBusiness
#TCCBackstage #ABMLifeisColorful #StudioDIY
LOCATION
GROUPS/COMMUNITY
People care where you are in the world whether your business is applicable to everyone in the world or people just in your neighborhood. Check out other businesses in your area. What are they using to tag the community they live and work in? Perhaps it is a mix of location and niche.
Whether you realize it or not groups you are already in are using #hastags specific to them. Check out the group or communities profile to see what #hastag is trending.
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#HASHTAG DO’s DO : Find your community Use social media as a way to meet new friends and followers to build your network. We’ve built incredible internet friendships (oh, and biz partnerships) just be knowing and using community hastags. Some hastags are generic, but also in a specifc niche. Rather than using #blogger which has more than 13 million posts, we narrow it down a bit by using #midwestblogger. There are people (like us) that browse these hashtags to find other in a similar niche. Don’t forget to like and comment to increase your engagement.
DO : Inject your personality Not all posts (even on your business feed) should be a sales pitch. You have to find the balance between personal posts so followers can get to know you. It’s easy to turn what could be seen as just another business post into something a little funnier and more relaxed just with hashtags. For example, we might post a shot of new props we’ve picked up, but add #sorrynotsorry or #targetismylifeblood. It easily turns a non-commenter to a commenter because they can relate.
DO : Market At the end of the day you’re a business there, well, to get more business. Using #hashtags for marketing is easy but takes research. Things that may seem obvious #hashtags to you, may not be utilized or full of posts that do not relate to your ideal client. Check before you post.
#HASHTAG DON’Ts DON’ T: Overuse #hashtags! This is annoying “just finished up a #wonderful #lifestyle #session in #tulsa! Can’t wait to just #relax at #starbucks and #getsomeworkdone ;) #photographer #photography #tulsaphotographer #tulsaphotography” Please, do not become this person! We’ve seen it happen and it makes us cringe. We have UNFOLLOWED accounts because they do this. You have to keep your text flowing like a normal conversation. For wit, add 1 or 2 max to your post description.
DON’ T: Add hashtags to your post description (past that 1 or 2) But do not load up your post description with a long list of hashtags. That just screams spam. And your post description is prime real estate for engaging copy. Protect it! Instead of cluttering your post description with hashtags, comment on your own post and include the hashtags in the comment. The hashtags will function in exactly the same manner and your description itself remains clear and succinct.
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DON’ T: Use generic hashtags We’ve seen way too many “instagram tips” telling you to find the most used hashtag on instagram (it’s #LOVE by the way) and use them always. Please don’t! It’s a waste of your time. You’re followers will spike and then disappear (possibly even in the same day). The accounts that generally give likes or follows on super generic hashtags are typically spam. They will even leave comments like “FolLow mE to SeE hOw U cAn mAkE $4,000 a dAy.” Ain’t nobody got time for that. We are not saying you absolutely cannot use these or that you need to make sure the #hashtag is not super popular before you use it. We just don’t want you to rely on getting quality followers with this method.
DON’ T: Use punctuation This may seem obvious to some, but we’ve seen it pop up lately. The point of a #hashtag is for it to be a clickable link to a feed of posts that are using the same hashtag. Using punctuation automatically disables the link. So if you’re trying to say #can’tstopwon’tstop you have to say #cantstopwontstop. Yes the first may be easier to read or make more sense, but it won’t be clickable. You just look like you don’t know how to use #hashtags.
