Are you tired of wading through hashtags, trying to make sense of them and use them in a non-slimy way on social media?
Well, I’ve got some BIG news.
What if I told you that you don’t even need them?
Wait, I can stop using hashtags?!
Pretty soon, the answer might be yes.
Thanks to the growth of Instagram SEO, Google officially has a new competitor. Instagram introduced a brand new search option that will make growing your business or organization on the platform a whole lot easier.
So yes, you can stop relying on all those #hashtags to get found — IF you get strategic with your Instagram strategy.
You need to make sure the people stopping on your Instagram page are the RIGHT people.
Here’s how to do it in a way that feels true to YOU and your brand:
1. Watch your competitors – Of course, you don’t want to stalk your competition obsessively and if your “competitors” are nonprofits, we truly are all in this together. But it is important to know what they’re doing online. Now this is easier than ever before. Search your competitor’s keywords and observe how they’re reaching their audience. What are they doing that works? What are they doing that you could alter or do better?
2. Think like your ideal customer – Get in the mindset of your audience. What would they be posting about or sharing in their captions? Use IG’s keyword feature to search for those words and phrases. When you make time to research your audience and REALLY get to know them, you’ll be able to make your brand’s keywords and captions even more specific. Tip: We do this for our clients weekly!
3. Use this FREE tool – What if I told you there was a FREE tool that would become your keyword secret weapon? There is, and it’s called Google Keyword Planner. Use this the next time you write social captions to help skyrocket your Instagram SEO. Start by creating a Google Ads account (with any Gmail account — you may already have one). Then head to ‘Tools & Settings.’ Choose ‘Keyword Planner’ and click ‘Discover New Keywords.’ Play around and get to know this tool. It will help you find valuable new keyword ideas and show you how many people are interested in those subjects. This should be a guiding resource for your content strategy. Need help with all of this? We got you.
Instagram’s SEO feature is long overdue. But regardless, we’re just glad it’s finally here, and I want YOU to take advantage of it as soon as possible.
Why not block out 5 minutes on your calendar today and try one of these 3 tips? Before long, you’ll be a pro at the new search option and on your way to SEO success.