Anatomy of Instagram Hashtag Ladder Strategy for your Business
Introduction to Hashtags
Hashtags are a powerful tool for increasing the reach and visibility of your Instagram posts. By using relevant hashtags, you can connect with a wider audience and attract more likes, comments, and followers.
What is a Hashtag Ladder?
A hashtag ladder is a systematic way of using hashtags to maximize the reach and engagement of your Instagram posts. It involves using a combination of general, medium-sized, and specific hashtags to ensure that your content is seen by the right people at the right time.
Types of Hashtags
Four types of hashtags can be used in a hashtag ladder: general hashtags, medium-sized hashtags, and specific hashtags.
General Hashtags
These are broad hashtags that have many posts and a wide reach. Examples include #instagood, #tbt (Throwback Thursday), and #followme.
Medium-sized Hashtags
They have a moderate number of posts and a medium reach. They are more specific than general hashtags, but still broad enough to attract a decent amount of engagement. Examples include #foodie, #travelgram, and #fitness.
Specific Hashtags
These are highly specific and have fewer posts and a limited reach. Examples include #foodphotography, #travelblogger, and #bodybuilding.
Branded Hashtags
These hashtags belong to your branding needs, brand recall, and brand voice and mainly revolve around your business name I use the #saqibiqbaldigital hashtag to fulfill my personal branding needs.
How to Create a Hashtag Ladder
To create a successful hashtag ladder, it’s essential to mix and match these different types of hashtags to find the right balance. A good rule of thumb is to use a combination of general hashtags, medium-sized hashtags, and specific hashtags. This will ensure that your content is seen by a wide audience, while still targeting the right people at the right time.
Tips for Using Hashtags
Here are some tips for using hashtags effectively on Instagram:
- Research popular hashtags in your industry or niche to get ideas for your hashtag ladder.
- Use a mix of hashtags to reach a wider audience but be sure to keep them relevant to your content.
- Avoid using banned hashtags, as they can get your account flagged or banned.
- Don’t overuse hashtags, a few well-chosen hashtags are better than a long list of irrelevant ones.
- The total limit for the hashtags is 30 but it’s not necessary to use 30 each time you post. The best way is to choose 20–25 maximum which is relevant and performing well for your posts.
- Avoid using the same sequence of hashtags. Rather to copy paste, you can change their order.
- Must use 1 hashtag for your branding e.g. I use #saqibiqbaldigital for my branding.
- Posting a set of Hashtags in the first comment may or may not helps you to rank your content. You need to give it a try. Sometimes, this strategy performs well, and I found that most of the time it won’t work. But you need to give it a try.
Conclusion
The “hashtag ladder strategy” is a method of using a combination of four types of a hashtag that can be used in this strategy: general hashtags, which have a wide reach; medium-sized hashtags, which have a moderate reach; specific hashtags, which have a limited reach; and branded hashtags, which are specific to a brand. To create an effective hashtag ladder, it is important to mix and match these types of hashtags and keep them relevant to the content being posted. It is also important to research popular hashtags in the relevant industry or niche and avoid using banned hashtags or overusing hashtags in general. Using a maximum of 20–25 relevant hashtags and including at least one branded hashtag for personal branding is recommended.
