KTTK: #BreakingHashtagHabits
So you use 30 hashtags right? You think of just about anything that applies to your brand and hashtag it, right? Would you be surprised if I told you that you're doing more harm than good? Don't believe me, keep reading.
In this series, Keys to the Kingdom, I'm letting you all in on some big secrets to make the most of social media and probably solve your most unanswered questions as to why you're not growing.
Hashtag with Purpose: To be honest, there's no need to use 30 hashtags. If you're trying to reach the most people, you need to use MEANINGFUL hashtags. I promise you no one is searching #lips or #pink or #scrubs. Researchers recommend using 5-10 hashtags at most. 2-3 of those hashtags need to be unique to your brand. Not the industry you're in but YOUR BRAND! When you start to use too many hashtags on IG, the algorithm could potentially think you're a "bot" and it won't get the results you want. Too many hashtags can also dilute your reach to your target audience. Know who you want to reach and stick to it.
2. Paid Promotion: So many of us have used Facebook Ads or IG Ads or maybe even considered it. To be honest, you could do better without them as long as you're consistent. If you must use them though, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Before you go publish another ad look at your most popular posts. Look at where people were engaged the most and really liked what you did. Gather that information for about 3-5 posts and plan out your ad. This is called your campaign objective. For your Facebook Ad to work its best you need to know your target audience, where they are, if they want to see your website or products, whether you need follows or shares, and more. You can bring a horse to water but you can't make them drink. Do the preparation so that you can see the benefits of using paid promotion.
3. The Perfect Batch: You probably link your social accounts 500 times a month. But are you paying attention to what your potential customers and clients are seeing? This is specifically for IG. When you're posting content, think 9. When someone clicks on that link to follow you or see your page, they see the most recent 9 posts. Are these pictures of progress, does it show a exciting announcement, or is pictures of things that have nothing to do with your business? Instagram may be triggering us all with its constantly changing algorithm but you have to know how to make the most out of what you're bringing to the table. Your posts need to have your business name on it SOMEWHERE, it needs to showcase what you do or offer, don't be afraid to think outside of the box, and don't downplay your brand. Use exciting, happy, and thought provoking words!
Tell me what you think of Part One of Keys to the Kingdom in the comments!