Let’s admit it: hashtags are real game-changers. No Instagram post is ever truly complete without the use of that innocent-looking pound symbol. For influencers, brand marketers, and even small-scale business owners, there’s no denying the fact that hashtags are a powerful marketing tool.
Everyone knows the basic dos and don’ts when it comes to using hashtags to gain the best results.
It is time for us to figure out how to find trending hashtags on Instagram that are effective. Using trending hashtags is one of the best strategies that you can use when posting content on your Instagram account, but like all good things, not all trending are beneficial.
You know what they say: quality is better than quantity. So in this article, we’ve collected several tips to help you differentiate quality trending hashtags from those that are not.
1. Manage your expectations
Before anything else, the first thing you have to understand when putting trending hashtags on your posts is that it may not give you the results you’re hoping for. Just because it’s trending doesn’t mean it will drive engagement.
Why is that? Because more often than not, there are a million other users on Instagram using the same trending hashtag you’re using. So how will you be able to avoid this? See point #2.
Related: How to Get More Followers on Instagram: 19 Tips to Grow Your Real Audience
2. Narrow down and be specific
Specify the keywords you’ll be using on your hashtag depending on the niche that you’re in. Just because the hashtags #love, #dogs, and #selfie are trending doesn’t mean you have to use it as well if they have nothing to do with your post.
3. Instagram’s Search is your friend
With the use of Instagram’s Search, top trending content based on your previous activity on the app will be the first thing you’ll see. This can be helpful if the hashtags you’re looking for are related to the content you regularly interact with.
However, if that’s not the case and what you’re looking for is on a totally different topic, Instagram displays tabs at the top that will filter out relevant posts.
4. Use the Tags button
One of the helpful features on Instagram that will help you discover trending hashtags is the Tags button. Just enter a simple keyword or phrase on the search bar, click the Tags button, and voila! You’ll see a list of hashtags using the same keyword you entered, including all of them related to it.
Another good thing about this is that you’ll be able to see the number of posts made just below the hashtag. The ones on top of the list are most likely the ones that are trending, so from there you can go ahead and choose the first 10 and narrow it down to what you think fits your post best.
5. Generate trending hashtags using Task Ant
When you’re presented with too many options, your judgment can get cloudy, and it might be difficult to choose which hashtags to include.
One effective way to simplify this process is using a hashtag app or generator.
This app knows how daunting and time-consuming it can be to develop effective hashtags, so it is designed to make your hashtag search a lot easier by allowing you to use its simple and effective features for free.
Task Ant’s features include the following:
- Finds hashtags, including in-depth results of related hashtags
- Organizes hashtag sets
- Measures performance
- Track Competitors
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6. Keep up with current events related to your niche
Although this strategy may not be as useful on Instagram as it is on other social media apps like Twitter, keeping yourself updated with what’s currently happening in your field may still give you leverage.
For example, if you’re in the fashion retail industry, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with what’s currently hot in the market. Chances are a lot of users, especially your target market, are on the lookout for those products, and one effective way for them to search for it is through hashtags.
7. Check what influencers are up to
Make sure to follow a good number of influencers that are related to your niche or target audience, so you can observe how they present their content, what hashtags they are using, and how you can apply it to your posts. If it works for them, then who knows? It might work for you too!
Always remember: Growing your Instagram account and creating positive branding just doesn’t happen overnight. Sure, using the trending and most effective hashtags could be helpful, but that strategy alone is not enough.
After you’ve found which hashtags are effective for your brand, don’t forget to engage and connect with your customers and followers. Growing your audience is one thing, but making sure they don’t unfollow your account is another.
