by Maggie Langley | Oct 18, 2022 | Hot Takes, Social Media
How many hashtags should I use?
Social media users have been asking how many hashtags to use since they first started on Twitter (many years before it was X). Then, the questions and confusion over hashtag strategy spilled out into other social platforms. We’re a social media agency that’s been around since 2009. We follow the advice, test, and learn more on social media accounts than most. Here’s what we currently advise.
UPDATE 2024 – Instagram says that Hashtags don’t help reach
May 31, 2024, Adam @Mosseri, Head of Instagram was asked, “Do hashtags improve visibility?”
Mosseri replied, “We should get a domain that is like, dohashtagshelpreach.com…Just put no. Just a no.”
User behavior isn’t keeping up with the advice from social platforms. An X poll shows that X users overwhelmingly want to continue using hashtags, even though Elon Musk says they are a “relic of the past.” Continuing to use hashtags seems to be a security blanket for social media users, making them feel warm and fuzzy about the potential of their post reaching new people. User behavior can take a long time to catch up with best practices, and that seems to be what is currently happening with hashtag use on social media. Unscrupulous and/or uninformed marketers perpetuate the myth of hashtags helping reach because it benefits them to give the impression of having an advanced strategy that an uneducated person couldn’t figure out themselves.
How many hashtags should I use on Instagram?
According to Meta, who runs Instagram, you should only be using 3 – 5 hashtags on each post.
There are a lot of social media experts who preach using the full list of 30 hashtags. That tactic used to work. Lots of tactics used to work. As social platforms mature, they start removing the easy wins for content creators because they have so much content, they don’t need to reward you for contributing to their platform. They already have enough creators hooked on the platform that they don’t need to keep you contributing. They don’t need you. As a marketer, you need them, and they want you to pay for ads. Can you still get good reach with hashtags on Instagram? The truth is that it’s just not as easy as it used to be. You’re not doing anything wrong. You don’t need to start dancing and or looking for the latest viral tactic. You need to start building your business. That means that you need to start using what social media was meant for. You need to be part of the community. Comment on other people’s posts. Start discussions and private message people you know to ask them to contribute. You can’t passively sit back and expect your content to “blow up.”
Instagram Hashtag Research from 2022
- We started working for a new customer in April 2022.
- They weren’t previously posting on their Instagram account.
- We posted 3 times per week.
- They started out with 215 followers.
- We only do organic content creation for them with no ads.
- In July and August 2022, we did an experiment and used the full list of 30 hashtags. For the rest of the months, we used 2 hashtags on each post.
Instagram Hashtag Verdict – Should you use 30 Instagram Hashtags?
No. You should not use 30 hashtags on every post. You will see from our results that using 30 hashtags did initially boost the number of engagements, impressions, and the engagement per impression rate. Notice that we had a larger number of impressions the very first month we started posting content consistently. We’ve always preached that posting consistently is the most important part of social media marketing. The consistency continually puts you in front of new potential customers. You may not “blow up” your content, but you will most likely outlast your competition who don’t have the fortitude to continue with a marketing schedule. Slow and steady wins the race!
Now, back to the social media statistics… (see the end of this article for the data)
You’ll notice that in July, the first month of using the full list of hashtags, the number of new followers dropped. In August, the number of followers stabilized to the usual number. Engagement dropped and was only 4 better than we were doing the month before we added the full hashtag list. There was an increase in impressions but no corresponding increase in engagement. If your posts are branded, even if you don’t get engagement, there may be some value in higher impressions. People who see your brand may not engage with it, but you are building awareness. Familiarity increases the chance they will engage with your content at a later date or be able to recall your business if they need your product or service. Sadly, that’s not money in the bank, and it’s impossible to know whether those impressions will ever convert.
Why we’ve concluded that using 30 hashtags isn’t the best Instagram hashtag strategy
To reinforce what’s important, posting consistently should be your top social media marketing goal. We recommend that you research hashtags that you believe will be relevant to your content and save this list to go back to. By all means, research and pull together a list of 30 hashtags. Actually, if you have the time, research more than 30 hashtags. Choose some popular hashtags, but make sure to choose some that are used in 10,000 posts or less. If a hashtag is being used in millions of other posts, why would Instagram show your post when you only have a few hundred followers (deep breath…or less)? You’re far more likely to get your content seen if you use less popular hashtags. Mix up your list. Choose 3 hashtags per post. Vary your hashtags.
The main reason why we don’t recommend you share 30 hashtags on every post is that it takes longer to schedule your content. You can’t share 30 hashtags on any other platform, but sharing 3 hashtags is perfectly acceptable on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok. (Hashtags are not needed on Google Business posts, but you won’t be penalized for using them, so make it easy on yourself and schedule the same hashtags on each social platform.)
Let’s say you’ve seen our data below and considered our strategy, but all of the other posts you’ve read from Insta Influencers about using 30 hashtags is giving you major FOMO anxiety, here’s a little tip to try. Instead of using the full hashtag list on every post. Once a month, choose a post to use the full hashtag list. Make sure that every hashtag you use is relevant to the content. That one post may give your stats a little boost, and it will give you peace of mind.
Important productivity tip – do record how long it takes you to put together your list of hashtags for the post and measure if it actually makes a difference. Think about the time you are spending and the creative energy you expelled creating that hashtag list and decide whether the extra engagements or impressions were worth it. Would you have gotten a better return on your time if you had called a customer, sent a sales email, or had a conversation with a prospect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram direct message?
If you want to stop worrying about whether you’re doing social media right, check out our affordable social media packages.
Have you always wondered about best practices for Instagram links in Bio? Read our article, Instagram Link Post to find out all about sharing links on Instagram.
Instagram Hashtag Case Study Data
If you think these numbers look low, remember that you’re here to learn because you have doubts about social media hashtags. You’ve read other information that says you should be getting better engagement when you use 30 hashtags. That’s an old tip. “Above 6% = very high engagement rate.” When you have a small number of followers, your posts are not going to get loads of impressions. Buying followers isn’t the answer either. Consistently building a small following of people who like you and your content is the prize, not vanity metrics. Most people are not ‘blowing up’ on social media without paid ads or an unusual event like media coverage or a recommendation by an influencer. That’s a fact! These numbers are real. If you have a nagging voice making you doubt this advice coming from a marketing agency owner who has been helping small businesses since 2009, check out these stats in the article by Advertising Row: What is a good engagement rate per impression?
Apr 2022 2 hashtags
4 followers
17 engagement
716 impressions
2.4% engagement per impression rate*
*engagement per impression rate – the ratio between engagement and impressions received during the reporting period
May 2022 2 hashtags
4 followers
22 engagement
529 impressions
4.2% engagement per impression rate
Jun 2022 2 hashtags
3 followers
34 engagement
525 impressions
6.5% engagement per impression rate
Jul 2022 – used all 30 hashtags
1 follower
57 engagement
594 impressions
9.6% engagement per impression rate
Aug 2022 – used all 30 hashtags
3 followers
39 engagement
685 impressions
5.7 engagement per impression rate
Sep 2022 2 hashtags
1 follower
30 engagement
581 impressions
5.2 engagement per impression rate
by Maggie Langley | Jul 3, 2019 | Hot Takes, How To
The average business owner spends up to 8 percent of their total gross revenue on marketing. Modern business owners understand the importance of creating and maintaining an online presence. As more and more business owners start to use online marketing, the need for SEO agencies will increase as well.
One of the biggest misconceptions most SEO agency owners have is that they need to handle everything on their own. As your client base starts to grow, using white-label services will become essential.
In short, these services act as fulfillment centers for SEO agency owners. Any content that needs an SEO agency can be handled by white-label services. Not only will this help you get your client a fast turnaround on their content, it also allows you to take credit for the work as well.
Read below to find out more about the benefits of using white-label services for your SEO agency.
1. Offer Your Clients More Marketing Services
Are you currently offering a handful of marketing services to clients? One smart way to keep your clients loyal and engaged is by offering more marketing services.
Some of our white-label social media resellers have told us stories about how they had clients cancel on them because they weren’t offering social media. They didn’t find out that the customer wanted to be able to buy more marketing services from one place until it was too late. We’ve had fantastic marketing agencies specializing in SEO partner up with us because they don’t want to lose work to competitors because they aren’t offering social media marketing.
With this help, you can offer more services and increase your bottom line as well.
2. Reduce Your Overhead
The cornerstone of a successful business is low overhead and high-profit margins. Taking on every job your clients need done alone will usually lead to the need for more employees. If you want to prolong the need for employees for a while, then working with white-label services is a great idea.
By hiring one of these services, you can pay one flat fee for the help needed. Hiring new employees means that you will have to spend more on training and benefits. If your SEO agency is relatively untested and new, you should probably avoid hiring more employees for a while.
3. White Label Services Can Help Improve Client Retention Rates
If you are trying to run an SEO agency by yourself, chances are a number of important tasks will fall through the cracks. When these mistakes become a frequent occurrence, your clients are more likely to jump ship and seek out the help of a competitor.
Instead of dealing with the turmoil this can create, you need to hire reputable white-label services immediately. With their help, you will not have to worry about social media posts, blogs or video scripts being produced on time. Increasing consistency and expanding the services your business offers can help you keep clients loyal for longer.
4. A Great Way to Attract More Clients
Some SEO agency owners are scared to take on more clients due to their lack of resources. Allowing this problem to persist may result in you losing a number of great sales leads. You may also not be providing as full of a marketing service to your existing customers as they want. This leaves the door open to a competitor who may offer to do more for them than you can.
Instead of putting your agency on autopilot, you need to take control and hire a white label service. Making this hire will allow you to take on more clients and provide them with a top-notch experience.
Avoid Getting Impatient When Looking for a White Label Service
In most cases, a business owner will have to do lots of research before choosing white label services to hire. Instead of rushing through this process and making mistakes, be patient and thorough.
Are you looking for a reputable white label social media service to hire? If so, contact us to find out how we can help.
by Maggie Langley | Oct 25, 2017 | Hot Takes, LinkedIn, Small Business, Social Media
How can we get more followers on a LinkedIn company page?
That’s a question that one of our social media customers recently asked…
Our reply to the question, ‘how can we get more followers on a LinkedIn Company page…
Trying to get more followers on a LinkedIn page is difficult. In fact, we never offer it as a service for our customers because the process of growing LinkedIn followers requires a more personal touch. The best way to increase page likes is to ask your personal LinkedIn connections to follow your page. A good habit is to send a reply to every new LinkedIn connection and ask them to follow your Company Page. If you have a team, ask them to regularly like and comment on your content, that will help your page content to be seen by their personal connections. (Please note if you schedule the same content to your page and personal profile, do not follow this step.)
When thinking about LinkedIn Company pages, it’s helpful to consider your own behaviors on LinkedIn. How do you personally interact with LinkedIn company pages? Most LinkedIn activities are about people connecting with other people. Sometimes when we connect with someone new, we might click on their company page to learn more about the company they work for. If we see interesting content or we’re interested in that particular company to find a job, add them as a supplier, sell something to them, monitor them as a competitor or learn from their industry expertise, we may click that follow button. Usually we need that compelling reason to follow. How many times have you checked out a LinkedIn company page without following that company. You may have read some of their content without following the page. That’s the nature of the behavioral beast we’re dealing with.
The good news is that there is still value in sharing content on your company page, even if you don’t have a lot of followers. Having your company page updated is beneficial when people check out your page after an interaction with someone who works for the company. If you do get people to follow your page, they are more likely to see your posts in their timeline.
If you have an email list, you can send 2 emails a year asking people to follow your LinkedIn company page. Another way to give your content a boost on LinkedIn is to attach a personal LinkedIn profile to our social media dashboard. This won’t help you get more followers or engagement on your page, but it will get more exposure for your content. When we schedule content to both your LinkedIn company page and personal profile, you’ll stay top of mind with your connections when we appear in their LinkedIn timeline.
Additional resources:
Company Page Best Practices – Learn how to create a compelling Company Page on LinkedIn
by Maggie Langley | Dec 29, 2023 | Hot Takes, Small Business, Social Media
Check out our guide to the four stages of using social media to market your small business.
Find out just how good you really are at social media marketing and see what behaviors you need to change to get to the next stage of social success.
Puppy Stage Social
- You’re unsure that you’re doing social media right. You have bursts of energy and publish some posts you feel good about. Like a puppy who falls asleep midplay, you stop posting completely and then restart.
- When you’re using social media to market your business, you get distracted.
- You feel good about some of your posts. You also fear publishing posts that will leave a mess all over your business socials for everyone to see. In short, you worry that some of your content stinks.
- You may be past feeling you’re making a mess of your socials, but still feel that you have a lot to learn. All puppies can learn some pretty good tricks but still have accidents! If you aren’t posting 3 times a week, you’re still a social media puppy.
Untrained Social
- You’ve been using social media for a while. You post 3 times a week or more.
- You may feel it takes you too long to create your content. You’re unconfident creating designs. You envy how good other business pages look and spend too much time ‘researching’ on social.
- When you create designs, you use whatever font or color looks good. You don’t know what the html colors are for your brand.
- Maybe you’ve used the Meta business suite to schedule posts on Facebook and Instagram. You may have set up your Instagram posts to share to Facebook automatically. You have never scheduled one post to go out to all of your socials, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google Business.
Trained Social
- You post 3 times a week or more and consistently reply to comments and monitor your engagement. You know what to do and have a pretty good social media habit with content you’re proud of.
- You create branded designs but wish that you could speed up your content creation.
- You’ve learned some good tricks online that help your posts perform better.
- You know that people like your social tricks because your posts get rewarded with likes, comments, DMs, and clicks.
Show Dog Social
- You are an influencer who creates content that your audience loves.
- You have a large number of fans and followers.
- You don’t put a paw out of place engaging with followers or producing quality content that converts.
- If your feelings about your socials were a show dog, they’d prance around the competition and win best in show. You know you are an elite performer, and you have the prize of engaged fans who buy from your business to prove it.
