4 Things Hashtags Can't Fix

Hashtags can be an easy scapegoat when your content isn’t performing well and your social media accounts aren’t growing – but hashtags might not be the problem. Sure, they're a great way to reach new accounts, gain exposure, and promote your content. Just don't be too quick to blame hashtags when other factors might be responsible. Following are four common mistakes that hashtags can’t fix. Check them out to see if any (or all) sound familiar.

1. Irregular Posting

When it comes to social media, consistency is key – although this doesn't mean you need to post multiple times every day. Instead, set up a realistic schedule for posting and stick to it.

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, recommends posting two to three times per week on your main feed and posting one to three stories daily to see growth for your account.

Make this easier for yourself and plan your content ahead of time. You'll be alleviating the headache of wondering, what should I post today? By allowing yourself more time in advance for planning, it will also raise the quality of your content.

Pro-tip: Make the most of your great content by posting when your audience is online. “When to Post” is a handy feature that you’ll find in the Tools tab. It uses your account and audience info to give you accurate audience times for each day of the week.

2. Generic Content

Today, nearly 4.5 billion people worldwide use social media. Instagram alone has 500 million daily active users. So, an important question to ask yourself is, Why should those active users follow my account? If your content is bland and can easily be found on other accounts, you will have a hard time attracting and keeping followers. Users want to follow accounts that give them content they can’t find anywhere else. So, you need to tap into what makes you and your brand unique. Create content that informs, entertains, or inspires, and give your followers a reason to come back for more. One account that does a great job of creating unique, niche content is Nike.

Instead of just posting a picture of Nike sneakers, Nike created a whole story with its post. By incorporating the Kinjaz dance crew, Nike created a post that is inspiring, relatable, and still does a great job of showcasing the product.

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3. Too Many Sales Posts

No one wants to follow an account that feels like a never-ending advertisement. We are bombarded by ads all day long, so when people scroll through social media, they want to see posts that add value to their lives.

Get to know your target audience and create custom content that speaks to them. In the process, limit your sales-focused posts to one per week. The rest of your content needs to be sales-free, fun, and informative to keep your followers coming back for more.

4. One Type of Content

Do all your posts look the same? Switch up the type of content that you post so you can reach a wider audience! In addition to your main feed posts on Instagram, you can engage your followers with Reels and Stories.

Reels

Reels are one of the newest features on Instagram and are therefore heavily favored by the algorithm. Posting Reels is one of the best ways to get your content featured on the Explore page and reach new accounts.

Stories

Also, be sure to utilize Stories. This is a great way to boost engagement by featuring interactive stickers like polls and questions. With Stories, you can interact directly with your followers and learn useful information that can help you create more (and better) content that they find relevant.

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Buffy, a New York-based home goods company, utilized the Question sticker in its Story, and then answered followers’ questions in the subsequent slides. This is a great way to use feedback to create more content.

If you don’t know where to start, check out 6 Tips to Ace Instagram Stories.

Remember ... as awesome as hashtags are, they can’t fix bad content.

Hashtags are an invaluable tool to help you reach a larger audience with your content, but they will never be more important than the content itself. If you want to grow your social media accounts and boost engagement, your number one focus should always be creating high-quality posts.

Remember to post two to three times per week on your main feed, and post one to three Stories daily (if that’s manageable for you). Create unique content that stands out in your niche and is designed specifically for your target audience. Don’t overwhelm your followers with sales posts, and be sure to post a variety of content. Then you can use hashtags to reach a larger audience that keeps growing and keeps coming back for more of your content.

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