Hashtags reach the right users

PITTSFIELD — If you are putting energy into creating social media content for your business you want to know that you’re reaching people and growing your audience, too.

It can feel like an uphill battle to gain new followers on Instagram but it can be done, even now as things keep changing.

Always keep in mind though that your follower count is more of a vanity metric than a key performance indicator (KPI) at this point. While you want it to grow you should be more focused on getting the existing followers to engage with what you’re creating and, hopefully, converting more often. What should you be doing to make that happen and see your followers grow?

Take five to 15 minutes of your time to visit each hashtag daily if possible and like as many posts as you can in five minutes. When you visit the feed go right down the list

First, find one-to-two hashtags that your audience is using. I know. You’ve heard this one over and over. But this isn’t about helping your posts reach more people. This is how you connect with new people directly. Take five to 15 minutes of your time to visit each hashtag daily if possible and like as many posts as you can in five minutes. When you visit the feed go right down the list and like as many posts as you can manage in five minutes. If you are using a popular hashtag there will be plenty of new posts to like each time you check in during the day. Double tap as much as you can and when the five minutes is up, stop. The goal is mostly to show up in the notifications of your target audience.

The next step is to go beyond liking posts and genuinely engage in that time. While I am scrolling and liking posts, I will comment on any posts that actually pull me in and make me feel like I want to comment. This will add another layer of engagement and allow you to make some real connections with people that you may enjoy chatting with regularly.

Within 30 minutes of doing this I usually have one-to-three new followers and lots of new post likes on my recent content. As the day goes on the followers will continue to come. If I have time to engage with the hashtag again it will help boost that and it will grow more. If this isn’t happening then try this process with a different hashtag. There are literally endless hashtags to work with so keep trying them until you start to see real results. Give this a try for the next week and see which hashtags work the best. This will help you see growth more regularly and not require a ton of your time.