Instagram and hashtags – that’s one of the most compatible couples we know of. Like pancakes and Nutella. Champagne and strawberries.
So why did it take us so long to figure that hashtags work for Instagram Stories, too?
Instagram Stories have a particular appeal to business owners and those who want to build their personal brands. In January 2019, the number of active Instagram Stories users on a daily basis was 500 million. As for hashtags, 36.2% of Instagram posts have 1-3 of them.
When we combine these two trends, we unlock huge marketing potential. Let’s see how we can do that.
Use Hashtags in Instagram Stories to Boost Engagement
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Understand How You Can Place Them
In an Instagram post, you use the hashtag in the caption. There’s not much to be said about this: you use it in the middle of a description or you add a series of hashtags after the description. You may also use it in the comments.
In the Stories, you have more opportunities.
- You can add a location tag. That’s very useful for coffee shops, stores, and other businesses that have location as a crucial factor. When someone sees the story and checks out the hashtag, it will take them to a map
- You can add text in the story and use a hashtag in the middle of it
- You can use an individual hashtag
The best thing about using a hashtag in Stories is that you can style it. It will look like a sticker, so you can experiment with it.
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Moderation Is Key to Success
In your usual Instagram post, you can use up to 30 hashtags. That’s too much and online marketing guides often recommend you to restrict yourself. In a story, there’s less space for hashtag. One is enough.
You can use a hashtag that fits the occasion. If you need to promote the location, you’ll use it as a tag. If you want to work on brand awareness, you’ll use the brand’s name. To promote an influencer you collaborate with, you’ll use their Instagram handle.
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Use Hashtags to Promote Other Profiles
If an essay writing service has a business profile on Instagram, it will focus its presence on building brand awareness. But the marketing team may decide to start another profile that would share tips and tricks for students. In that case, the Paper Writing Pro Service will share a story that tags the new profile and takes its followers there. When the second profile gets popular enough, it will often post stories that lead followers towards the main profile. That’s a great method for capturing leads.
When the service gets a review from EssayShark, they will promote that page in their story, too.
You get the picture, right?
Through hashtags in your story, you can promote profiles you’re related to. You’ll send your followers there because they can get more information about your business. But they will also gain value as Instagram users. They will see something fun, and they will appreciate you for that. The profiles you promote will eventually return the favor.
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Use a Unique Hashtag for Your Stories
Instagram Stories give you a great foundation for developing a marketing campaign based on storytelling. Whatever business you have, you can give advice that your followers benefit from. If, for example, you’re promoting beauty products on Instagram, you can share makeup tips through your stories.
Since these are not the only type of stories you’ll share, you’ll label them with a unique hashtag. Then, you’ll highlight them, so your followers can continue seeing them on your profile.
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Set the Mood of the Day
Hashtags are a lot like emojis. #Happy means the same thing as the happy face you’d use in online communication. Such a hashtag may set the mood for special days. You can use it when something big is happening for the brand.
But don’t stay limited to it. There are all kinds of emotions that you can use for marketing purposes. You try to set an emotional tone with each story you publish. An appropriate hashtag will contribute to that goal.
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Support a Cause
Cause-related marketing works when you want to make your brand popular in the Instagram community. But it also works when you want to contribute towards a special cause. Your brand has values, which the followers identify with. Invite everyone to support a cause by using a hashtag.
In addition, you can tag the official Instagram page of the non-profit organization in the story.
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Inspire Your Followers to Use the Same Hashtag
This is the ultimate way to spark engagement. You can organize a giveaway and promote it through a story. You’ll use a special hashtag. The rules of this giveaway will involve people filming stories and using the same hashtag.
If your giveaway is great and you promote it well enough, the Instagram community will spread it. The hashtag is the tool that connects all stories in a cohesive whole.
Hashtags Are Cool. Use Them Wherever You Can!
If Instagram gives you a feature that you could use, there’s a goal you need to meet: find a way to make it profitable for your marketing campaign. This platform is really flexible. You can post all kinds of stories that engage your audience. Hashtags are flexible, too. They add to the usefulness of the story, but they also enable you to get creative.
Are you using hashtags in your stories already?
Author Bio
Lauren Adley is a writer and editor at AssignmentMasters, Bestdissertation, BrillAssignment, and uk.bestessays.com. She is dedicated to her family, work and friends. She is keen on reading, playing the guitar and traveling. She is interested in educational, marketing and blogging issues. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter.
