Instagram Cheat Sheet: How to Use Hashtags for Your Instagram Posts Properly

I used to not mind all the likes I could get on my Instagram posts and how many people were engaged with my content. However, after having a side business, I realized that using social media is much more than what meets the eye. From social media engagement itself, you can have a chance of getting people to consider buying what you sell. For that reason alone, many business owners start hiring social media services to engage with their potential and returning buyers. Social media is an essential piece of your business marketing strategy because social platforms help you connect with your customers, increase awareness about your brand, and boost your leads and sales. With more than three billion people around the world using social media every month, it’s no passing trend. Now with the rise of Instagram use for social media, it has become clearer that Instagram has better potentials for you to increase your brand awareness. Instagram enables a business to sell something more than just products. It can help to build up a better word of mouth. Reaching out to the audience through a platform like Instagram makes the relations with the target audience friendlier. However, reaching more audience and improving engagement with users is not an easy matter especially if you don’t set up social media ads. That being said, there is one of the ways you can ‘cheat’ Instagram marketing strategy without actually cheating if you haven’t got the time to hire a social media specialist; hashtags. Hashtags on Instagram are useful as they help other Instagram users discover your profile, which can ultimately increase the likelihood of obtaining more followers. Contrary to Twitter, using more specific hashtags on Instagram can help build a bigger audience for your business…only if you use it properly. So, how do you use hashtags for your business Instagram account posts and stories? Keep reading to find out!

When using hashtags, here are a few rules you need to know in order to use it properly:

  • Before posting your content, do some hashtag research
  • Find words that are related to your content and your business
  • Look at the number of engagements using the specific hashtags
  • Remember this; hashtags with most posts (like hashtags with million posts) may give you a boost in likes because many people will likely search those specific hashtags; however, there is also a higher chance that your posts that use those hashtags would be ‘cloistered’ and it could be possible that your posts would disappear from those specific hashtags because there would be other new posts coming from other users in just a few seconds since well, many people use those hashtags. Hashtags with thousands up to hundred thousand posts (below a million) may not give you a boost in likes and findings, but you can help people who are looking for what you sell narrow down search results and directly find you. Yes, hashtags like that can improve the possibility of your Instagram posts to be found by people in an easier way. For that reason,
  • It is important to combine both hashtags with most and least engagement in one post
  • You can use up to 30 hashtags and anything beyond that won’t show up in search, but I recommend using at least 15–20. In general, more is better! Go for all 30 if you use them well. Include as many as you can use strategically while staying relevant to your business.
  • Yes, you can use hashtags in your Instagram stories and even your bio! Make use of the right hashtags that are relevant to your business
  • Avoid using irrelevant topics and hashtags no matter how popular and trending those hashtags at the moment

Those are the rules to Instagram hashtag cheat sheet! That way, you don’t really cheat but if you follow those rules, you are on the right path of your business world.

A Path Led to Success: Undeniable Reasons Why Your Website is Not Generating Leads

As a part of Melbourne web development team, I get asked a lot about why a website is not generating leads or that a website doesn’t work the way we want it to. I am not a web developer but I am a part of their team, so I asked one of my friends from the team about this. He gave me a very detailed explanation but I have summed it up into several parts in this article. His explanation may be detailed, but it is actually very simple to understand. Need to understand why your website is not generating leads? Keep reading this article to find out!

So you’ve built a cool website with all the bells and whistles, you work hard to build traffic and get people to look at your offers but all they do is bounce off and buy from your competitor? Don’t worry; you will know the reasons and factors once you finish reading this article.

You have probably created confusing call-to-actions

When we investigate pages with low conversion rates, our first port of call is analyzing calls to action (CTA). One common thing we have found when analyzing those pages is that there are too many CTAs on a single landing page. The general rule for making great website with high conversion rate is that there is only one CTA necessary per page. If you want a visitor to make a purchase, your CTA is “buy now.” Therefore, stick to the single CTA rule and you’ll see that the landing page starts generating leads.

Your CTAs are too weak or vague

One of the popular reasons your website is not generating leads is that you use weak or vague CTAs. How many times have you seen an important B2B landing page where the lead capture form has an uninspiring grey action button reading “Submit”? Not only does this word has a subconsciously negative connotation, it is also very passive and unexciting. Like, submit what? What can your visitors gain from submitting something that is not clear? It should be simple but clear like this; the button should be active and tell the visitor exactly what he needs to do. If it’s a purchase, it should read “buy now”. If it’s an ebook, it should read “download your free copy” and so on.

Your website has poor design and content

Content and web design have a big role in generating more leads. Why? Put yourself in your visitors’ shoes; if you are visiting a website that has confusing content that is not even answering your questions as to why you should buy their products (Well, that’s the main reason why we are visiting a business website; to find the information about their products and their business), would you even consider buying their products? No, right? On the other hand, if you are visiting a website and you can’t even read the content because of poor or difficult designs, would you even continue trying so hard to read what is inside the website? Would you even continue browsing the page if you cannot click on the right button because of unclear navigation? No, right? That’s why the website fails and you don’t want that to happen to your website as well.

Also, one of the most important parts to remember when building a website is to focus on and prioritize responsiveness on mobile devices. In this day and age, people use mobile devices more often to browse a website than their personal computer because it is easier that way and it can be done on the go. The competition in most niches are so strong; and a visitor who hasn’t been happy with his user experience on a mobile device will not make the effort of revisiting the site on a desktop device. Instead, they will check a competitor’s website. Therefore, keep in mind that in order for your website to generate more leads, you need to pay attention to every details of your website including its functionality and responsiveness when accessed through mobile devices. When you have this mindset, your business is on the right path.

The Answer to Everything: Does A Home-Based Business Really Need A Website?

Have you ever thought about starting a home-based business where you can be flexible with time and schedules? Yes, unless you are meeting with clients, I think you don’t even need to take a bath to start your day with your work. Unlike me who provides Melbourne SEO services where I have to meet clients and go to office, you are very flexible working at home. With the simplicity of having a home-based business, you might think you don’t need a website, right? But that’s where you are wrong. Why? Keep reading this article to find out!

You may be building a home-based business, but the fact still remains; a home-based business is also a business. While basic business principles remain relatively constant, a lot has changed over the last few years. It’s no longer enough just to hang a shingle outside your storefront and expect new customers to start rolling in. In this day and age where almost everything is digital, doing business from the comfort of your own living room is not a problem anymore. Why? That’s because nowadays, people can do almost everything online. Whatever your business is about, home-based or not, a website is crucial to your success because it reaches more people online.

The internet has changed the way we shop, the way we sell, and the way that potential customers may find (or never find) your business. It is estimated that a staggering 201.7 million Americans shopped online in 2019. That number will continue to grow as technology improves and consumers become more comfortable with online shopping. Also, a website often holds crucial points in building the first impression. In fact, a home-based business really needs a website to create that first impression. Why? Since your business is a home-based business, people don’t see your offline store or office. Where do they see your first impression if not from your website, then?

Aside from making a first impression, having a website can help you build credibility, widen your potential customer base, and create a forum over which you have complete control to present and showcase your best work. Furthermore, using a website, it is a great way to build relationships with your customers and keep them informed of current promotional information or company changes. Aside from that, a website is always “open” so they can check out your business anytime, even at a time that is convenient for them. Simply put, you can’t afford not to have a website especially if you are a home-based business without an offline office or store!

If the thought of computers makes your stomach churn, don’t worry. You don’t need to be a programmer or spend thousands of dollars to create a website. You can get help from professional companies who can build a website for you. However, if you hire a web developer to build your website, make sure you are involved in every project so you can watch the progress and get a website that sells. Need a web developer to build your business but don’t know how to find them? Feel free to contact us now and let our team help you.