We all have heard some conflicting things about hashtags in Instagram these days, so here is what I found and what I recommend to get the most out of your hashtags for 2022.

Straight from the horse’s mouth, Instagram recommends:

• Feed Post - 3-5 hashtags in caption or comment

• Reels - 5-7 in caption

• Stories - ZERO (hashtags are unsearchable in stories, so not worth the effort)

*So I will be focusing my tips on Feed Posts and Reels.

Hashtag Tips:

1. Use up to 30 hashtags for feed posts BUT must be relevant to the post and you must change up the amount and word use up.

2. Variety - Location, Industry, Branded (your branding-based hashtags), Descriptive, and Community Based (like “#SDMom”).

3. Use hashtags between 10k-200k to maximize your reach.

4. Double-check that your hashtags aren’t on the banned list.

5. Check what hashtags your ICA is using.

6. Make better content. Hashtags can’t save mediocre content. Think of a hashtag more like salt on a dish. Salt just enhances, but it can’t fix a garbage dish.

7. Don’t rely on or stress about hashtags! Honestly, I forget to put them half of the time, hashtags aren’t the make or break that they used to be. Think of tip #6 and focus your effort on making good content.

You may have caught that I said to use up to “30 hashtags” in tip #1 but IG recommended 3-5, well I have a theory. Hashtags just make it easier for the spambots to find and it does come across as spammy, so maybe they are hoping lower numbers bring more focus and authentic engagement.

Hashtags on Instagram’s platform work more like SEO keywords and are more searchable, not something to just use because of trending (like on TikTok). So treat them more like a search optimization.

With all that said, here’s what I think and recommend. The sweet spot hashtag-wise for me seems to be 7 to 20 hashtags of varying amounts and words. I never stick to the same. So don’t post the same number of hashtags and the same hashtags everytime, try to experiment with a varying amount or even just using IG’s suggested amount and see.

Let me know what seems to be working for you. I’m interested to hear everyone’s experiences.

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6 social media marketing strategies to watch in 2022, some you may know and others might surprise you. Let’s dive right in!

1) Video - You’ve heard me preach about this time and time again, but video is huge and will just continue to just grow. Instagram is still pushing reels like crazy! Though, maybe you noticed Instagram got rid of the “IGTV” and the spot it was in your profile/wall. Well, now that spot is just simply video. Take a look, you maybe notice all your old videos and boomerangs from your feed now lumped together there, (it’s next to your reels section before tagged posts). But, really! Video, Video, Video! 90% reels in my feed, it’s almost weird to see still image in the feed these days.

2) DMs - Create connections in those DMs, get to know your followers. Show up, so they know you’re a real person, not another spambot just trying to get their money.

3) Perfectionism is Out! Be authentic!!! No perfect feed! No perfect makeup and hair! Days of color-coded aesthetics are out. IG wants people to show up and be real. *Photographers, still stay true to your eye and aesthetics, clearly you are not the same, but still show up in video as the real you. Show that behind the scenes.

4) AR/VR - So IG/FB aka “Meta” owns Oculus (VR Headset) this is a shift to tie that in. I’m also not an expert in this space yet, but Ive heard they are hoping to be a space for virtual meetings, like one step closer to in-person than zoom chats could be. This maybe is your chance to launch an app? Or maybe like the artists selling those skins? Or NFTs? Bitcoin? Like I said, not my specialty, but it’s coming. In fact, when I recently purchased my new glasses through Zenni Optical, they have a feature that uploading a selfie along with some measurements gives you a pretty clear idea of what your glasses purchases will look like before they arrive.

5) User-Generated Content (UGC) - Get your users and followers to generate content for you. As a business using client/influencer/user-based content is the way of reaching your sales audience in another authentic way, sharing other people’s voices and opinions, examples of your products out in the world. Just a great way to meet new target audiences as well.

6) Memes/Gifs - Yes, I just said “memes,” lol, but video or static, these are the way! They have been the way for a long time and that won’t be going away anytime soon. Memes and gifs are great conversation starters, great for creating feedback, interaction, and shares. So how can you meme? (Don’t worry I plan to bring in a specialist in this area for a talk soon.)

In short, at this point, it’s highly unlikely it’s just you in your line of business, even if you are in a niche market, so you gotta step up and lean into what your superpower is in 2022. Are you wondering what your “superpower” is? Easy, it’s being you! No one else like you and you want to create that connection that begs for sales. Show up, show your face, be in those videos/reels/stories! And, make sure to keep an eye out in the EFF Facebook group for more live trainings for all 6 of these growing media options.