ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT HASHTAGS?
How to find the right accounts to follow and the perfect hashtags to attract clients who can’t wait to work with you!
[thrive_2step id=’2398′]#DownloadTheHashtags[/thrive_2step]
FINDING THE #RIGHT HASHTAGS
Do you ever feel like most of the people who follow you on Instagram are other photographers and wedding vendors?
Photographers are great, but I also want to reach brides on Instagram. I want potential clients as followers!
By now, anyone using Instagram knows that using the right hashtags is important if you want to gain new followers.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly which hashtags your target market is using and interacting with on Instagram?
In this tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how to make your own list of hashtags for attracting your perfect clients on Instagram!
[thrive_2step id=’2398′]I’m Lazy, Give Me The List![/thrive_2step]
START WITH YOUR #AUDIENCE
Hopefully you already know some details about your target audience.
Lets start with the basics. If you’re a wedding photographer, you probably want to find people who are engaged, and most of your clients will probably be somewhere between 22-35, and its pretty likely that the girls are more interested in seeing your photos than the guys.
So how do you know what engaged 22-35 year old women are doing on Instagram?
Use the Facebook Audience Insights tool of course!
Once you’ve selected some things about your audience on the left (you can get as specific as you like) you’ll get some information about your audience on the right. When you click the “Page Likes” tab, you’ll get Top Categories and Page Likes. These are the things that your selected audience is most likely interested in on Facebook. Make a list.
But we aren’t talking about Facebook right now. We want to know whats happening over on Instagram.
Before we go, lets use one more Facebook data mining technique to expand our list a little more.
Go visit some of the top pages from your new list. So in this example, one of the popular pages liked by engaged women is Weddington Way.
When I visit the Weddington Way page, I can scroll down and see other pages “liked by this page.” Not every page will have this, but some of the bigger pages will have some great additions for our list.
By doing this, I came up with a list of over 65 new accounts to follow!
[thrive_2step id=’2398′]Um, Can I See Those?[/thrive_2step]
LET’S DO SOME #FOLLOWING!
Now that you have a list of things your audience is into, lets go exploring on Instagram!
This part is super easy. Just open Instagram and start searching for accounts that are on your list from Facebook. MOST of these pages/interests will have Instagram accounts.
The great thing is that Instagram will automatically suggest related accounts every time you find a new one to follow.
Bonus Tip: When an account has hundreds of thousands of followers, and follows a few hundred, you can also check out who they are following, because those accounts are likely industry leaders!
#HASHTAG #HUNTING
I’ll go ahead and tell you, there are easier ways to find hashtags. I’ll even show you one in a few minutes.
However, now that you are following the industry leaders and influencers, you’ll be able to see what hashtags are being used RIGHT NOW. You won’t be relying on a list of tags that are “soooo 2014.” Another bonus is that you’ll get to see which emojiis are in right now 
Now you have to do some digging. Get out a pencil and paper, or have your laptop open beside you while you search.
Start by going through the feeds of some of the popular accounts you just followed. Look to see what hashtags they are using. Write them down.
Go ahead and click through to some of your favorite new hashtags.
If the tag is popular enough, Instagram will suggest similar tags at the top of the feed.
The real hidden gems are the other tags you’ll find on the “top posts” photos. Almost all of these top posts will have other hashtags related to the one you are browsing. Sometimes you’ll need to browse the comments (usually near the beginning).
Just keep digging! Write everything down.
Oh, and while you are searching, don’t forget that this is a good time to be finding new connections, leaving some comments, and interacting genuinely with things you love!
Oh, I came up with 95 hashtags when I was searching. If you want a jump start…
[thrive_2step id=’2398′]Download My List![/thrive_2step]
#POWERTOOLS
Now that you have a nice running list, you can continue to build that list over time.
I like to keep my hashtags in Evernote, but there are some awesome tag manager apps you can use as well!
I personally like Hashtags by PreGram, which makes it super easy to copy and paste saved groups of hashtags.
There are also some powerful 3rd party search tools available for uncovering popular hashtags.
My favorite is Websta. Search for keywords, or put in specific hashtags to get even more ideas!
#engagedcupcake
#SUMITUP
Hopefully you now have all the steps you need to build the perfect hashtag strategy for your business. Lets review:
- Get the inside scoop on your audience using Facebook’s Audience Insights Tool.
- Follow industry leaders and influencers.
- Dig for hashtags.
- Use tools to manage and expand your list.
- Save hours by downloading the accounts and hashtags I’ve already uncovered
Save Time, Get My List of 60+ Accounts to Follow and My 95 Favorite Hashtags (it’s FREE)!
Click the button below and tell me where to email you:
- 60+ Accounts You Should Follow
- 95 of My Favorite Hashtags for Wedding Photographers
- A BONUS section on how to craft the PERFECT local hashtags!
