The Hashtag Game
Fortunately or unfortunately, Social Media in today’s time is more than just a passing trend. I believe its here to stay.
The way Instagram has ensured that you will only see what you like is brilliant. A good way to start getting that response from crowds is hashtags. Hashtags improve visibility and get you more followers.
Having said that, I must warn you that you will come across some very absurd hashtags as you explore. As much as we would all like to overlook them as something trivial, these hashtags are not going anywhere. In fact, they are probably taking you places. While we’re at it, the least we can do is make sense of what they mean and find out how popular they really are.
#instagood – 484 million hashtags
Extra proud of a particular picture? Let your audience know. This is one of the most popular hashtags there are. Hold on to the true essence of your photography skills and accompany this with #nofilter (Suggesting you haven’t edited the picture). Most people insist every picture that goes up is their best. Why not.
#TBT – 344 million hashtags
Throwback Thursday is a perfect awww trigger. Your followers scroll, scroll, scroll and they see your picture and they are hit with a wave of nostalgia and voila. Instantaneous connection with your followers. Post a funny memory that your audience can empathize with and wait for them to tell you just how much they relate.
#igers – 198 million hashtags
Turns out, this one means nothing more than being an Instagrammer. A group of you are #igers. Fascinating.
Get out there and connect with your audience, show them you are just like they are. An instagrammer. Be a part of them because lets be honest, you already are. Embrace it.
#instamood – 176 million hashtags
Give your pictures a human feel. Use this hashtag to reflect your mood, this, along with giving your pictures the visibility you’re looking for also gives you the chance to control how you want to be perceived by the audience.
#l4l – 110 million hashtags
Not being sure whether this was part of a secret coded geek language, it did take me a while to figure out. But apparently, L4L simply means – like for like. With everyone out there hungry for likes, this gives your likers an incentive to like your picture – You like theirs back!
A ‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours’ concept, which is great if you’re just starting out.
Remember not to overuse the hashtags, not everything deserves a hashtag! #dont #hashtag #the #hashtag
Stay #instacool. Stay #PurpleGlo