Pankaj Narang January 24, 2021 It is no secret that the growth of Instagram is beyond super. The increased use of hashtags and user base has made Instagram the go-to for business owners and marketing managers. The use of the little # (hashtag) has gained a golden position in business marketing campaigns for nearly all types of existing businesses.
Keeping this in mind, the main purpose of hashtags and why marketers and business owners will continue to incorporate them in 2021, are due to the following
- To spread information concerning a cause or event
- Use hashtags to monitor what people are posting and saying about the business
- Collect content about the business that is being posted and shared
- Create and spread brand awareness
- Collect results about sales and web traffic
- Increase engagement and followers
Importance of Right Instagram Hashtags
Choosing the right Instagram hashtags will take some work and research. We know the use of hashtags helps to increase engagement and make your content easier to find. There is nothing better for your business than when a consumer clicks on a specific hashtag that brands him/her to your content and what your business offers. But the question always exists on how to find the right hashtag to get the job done.
The hashtag you will want to choose will depend on the niche your business is located in. For example, you are in the travel business or handle social media for a travel business. The most popular hashtags would probably be #travel, #travelling, #travelwell, #travelblogger.
As you can see there are many to choose from. If you want to increase engagement and followers, the best piece of advice is to make sure that the hashtags are very specific. The broader the hashtag the more content that will be generated with the hashtag and makes your content harder to find.
Find the hashtags to use on Instagram
- Research Competitor Hashtags – What are the competitors using for hashtags? By checking the hashtags that the competitors are using you are gaining two different views. The first is that you can see the actual hashtags and see how they are doing. By checking the competitor hashtags, you may be able to add a few new ones to the campaign. The second reason is that you may choose to select which hashtags to stay away from by viewing the competitor’s success with them. If certain hashtags do not do well then why would you want to incorporate them?
- Use the Instagram search tool – Although this is a basic suggestion it is shocking how many forget the tool exists for this reason. Type the keyword that you want to use into the search bar and then click on the TAGS tab. You will then get a list of all the hashtags used with that specific keyword along with many posts that are tagged with it.
- Search Related Hashtags – Now is the time to consider related hashtags. By taking the time to search for related hashtags you may find a few that fit the business niche better. The more targeted the hashtags the better chances that you can get the content in front of the target audience. Do not be afraid to play with both niche and popular hashtags. The results may surprise you and get just the traction or grip you are hoping for.
- Track Influencer Accounts – Search the influential people in the industry and have a look at what hashtags they are using. This is a great way to learn and get in on the action. Hey, if the big influencers have large followings this is what you want for your campaign!
How To Run Branded Instagram Hashtag Campaign with Influencers
Instagram is one of the best platforms available for implementing an influencer marketing campaign. The reason why? Because influencers choose it. Many influencers feel it is the best platform out there to share and engage with the target audience.
Using Instagram for your influencer marketing campaign has a proven success record among marketers and business owners. Hashoff reports that 91.9 % of over 150,000 influencers use Instagram as their main platform.
And, it is estimated that about 70% of consumers that fall under the millennial category are influenced by their peers when it comes to purchasing decisions.
Planning of the Campaign
Before you even begin to plan the campaign, you will want to research and decide on a budget. Not all marketing will be expensive, but you will want to plan accordingly with no last-minute surprises. It’s important to keep in mind the prices for working with the best influencers will differ according to the industry your business is in and the influencer’s following magnitude.
Influence.co reported that the higher the following size the more the influencer will charge. Influencers with fewer than 2,000 may charge nominal. The cost may go high for influencers with more followers and a higher engagement rate. The higher the followers count the more each Instagram post will cost. Influencers will price the cost of each post according to their own pricing fees.
The best recommendation when it comes to finding the right influencers for a specific industry is to do the research. Yes, researching takes some time but it is well worth it in the end. Understanding the cost involved will go a long way in deciding on how much to spend on the campaign. Once the campaign budget is decided on you can then decide how many influencers you want to do business with.
Discovering the Right Influencers
The right influencers can have your brand taking off overnight. There are two different types of influencers.
Macro-influencers are those who are known everywhere and in all niches. These influencers are normally celebrities or those in sports. Although they are very well known most people have a hard time connecting with them. Let’s face it, we all do not think like or trust the stars.
Micro-influencers are those who have worked hard to create a following in their niche and have become experts in what they do. These are the influencers that are more like the consumer and are more trusted.
The next step will be discovering and choosing the right influencers. This can be one of the more challenging moves when it comes to working on your influencer marketing, and this is true for all social media platforms.
It is best to know right up front what your campaign is looking for in working with an influencer. What qualities are you searching for in the influencer? The influencer should be engaging and creative. And, it goes without saying that the influencer should have a broad reach.
Steps to Find Influencers
Here are a few steps to help begin the process of discovering the best influencers for your campaign.
- Google Search – It is a basic search idea to start with. You can do a general search for something like “top Instagram social media influencers”. An advanced search would give you the most relevant search results.
- Branded Hashtags– Search for influencers who are already posting about your brand and are fans. By performing a search for a branded hashtag, you will discover who is talking about your service or product. Once you have the posts with the branded hashtags you can investigate who posted them and this will lead to potential influencers. You can analyze Instagram branded hashtag campaigns of your competitors to know influencers they are working with.
- Relevant Hashtag Search– Although your brand may be new yet it is still possible to perform a search using relevant hashtags. This is another great way to find influencers who are interested in the type of service or product that your business is offering. You can search generic hashtags on Instagram to check influencers.
- Marketing Tools– Do not be afraid to get the help of marketing tools to help you dig deeper. Compile a list of potential influencers using tools that allow you to research certain hashtags and keywords. Hashtags tools will allow you to both analyze and track hashtags for deeper research. Some of the best tools available are Socialert, BuzzSumo, and Influence.co. These tools will also allow you to define how many followers, location, and reach each influencer has.
- Influencer Platforms – Tools like shoutcart helps you to find influencers for your domain.
Start Influencer Hashtag Campaign
- Contests- Send your product to the influencer you have chosen and have them organize a giveaway using your product. Users love content!!
- Posts that are sponsored work and be completed with using your product as a feature or story.
- Reviews- Have the influencer do a review of your product or business. This is also a well-known way to get your business out to the masses.
Conclusion
Once your influencer marketing campaign is underway it is important to keep an eye on the progress. How is the influencer helping? How far is the reach? As with any campaign do not be afraid to review and evaluate from time to time. Every marketing campaign takes time and effort, but the results can prove to be spectacular. It is important to work with the influencer and have communication so that the goals of your marketing campaign can be reached.
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