DESIGN
Hashtags used to be the go-to tool for increasing social media reach and engagement, but in recent years their effectiveness has declined, particularly on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s why hashtags are history on these platforms and what factors businesses need to focus on to reach a wide audience.
Why Hashtags Are No Longer Effective
- Decreased Organic Reach: Facebook and Instagram have decreased the organic reach of posts that use hashtags. This means that fewer people see your posts, even if you use a lot of hashtags.
- Hashtag Overload: The overuse of hashtags can look spammy and turn off followers. Also, if you use too many irrelevant hashtags, it can actually hurt your post’s visibility.
- Declining Search Results: Facebook and Instagram’s search algorithms have evolved, and they’re no longer prioritizing hashtag search results. Instead, they’re focusing on other factors like user behavior, post popularity, and relevancy.
Factors to Reach a Wide Audience
- Quality Content: Quality content is a must to reach a wide audience. The content should be visually appealing, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.
- Engage with Your Audience: Engage with your followers by replying to their comments, liking their posts, and sharing user-generated content. This not only helps to build a relationship with your followers but also increases your reach.
- Utilize Instagram Reels and Facebook Live: Instagram Reels and Facebook Live are the latest features introduced by Facebook and Instagram. They offer a unique opportunity to engage with your audience in real-time, creating an authentic and personal connection with your followers.
Add a Topic:
When creating a post on Instagram, the “Topic” option refers to the ability to add a relevant topic or category to your post. These topics are predetermined by Instagram and can help your post be more easily discoverable by users who are interested in that particular topic.
For example, if you are sharing a photo of your pet, you may want to add the topic “Pets” or “Animals” to your post. This can help your post appear in the Explore section under those topics, which can help increase your post’s reach and engagement.
Adding a topic is optional and can be done by selecting the “Add Topic” button on the post creation screen and selecting the relevant topic from the list provided by Instagram.
- Invest in Paid Advertising: Paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram is an effective way to reach a wider audience. You can target your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, making your advertising more effective.
- Collaborate with Influencers: Influencer marketing is a great way to reach a wider audience. Partnering with an influencer who has a similar target audience can help you reach a new audience and build brand credibility.
In conclusion, hashtags may no longer be as effective as they once were, but there are still plenty of ways to reach a wide audience on Facebook and Instagram. By focusing on quality content, engagement, utilizing new features, paid advertising, and influencer marketing, businesses can still achieve social media success.
