In December of last year, Instagram released a new way to follow people, by hashtag. A lot of people quickly started using hashtags that hadn’t been or creating their own unique hashtags to promote their brand. There was a lot of trial and error in the hashtag world at first, especially with rumors about the shadowban, which you can read about here. Now that the dust has settled, there has been some great insight into how this new feature can help you grow and engage with your ideal tribe.

Try out these 3 techniques to see an increase in engagement and new follower growth.

1. Follow hashtags in your niche. Follow hashtags that relate to your profile and that you would want to see in your own feed. This is where your potential followers are living and posting and engaging. Which is why you need to be there! It’s like being a vegetarian and trying to meet similar people at a burger restaurant, it’s just not the place to be. I recommend following 10 hashtags that you really relate to with a variety of sizes ranging from 10k-300k.
2. Engage with the content you see in your feed. Instagram has made it even easier for you to engage with people who have similar interests so take advantage of it. You no longer need to search through certain hashtags to find people to like their photo or comment, now it will show up right in your feed making it easier than ever to engage. I recommend setting aside 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, and 10 minutes at night to just talk with people. Just 30 minutes a day will drastically increase your engagement and follower base. Plus, you just might find some inspiring new connections!
3. Use these hashtags as research. What topics are being discussed by people in your niche? What types of photos are inspiring to you? Who are the leaders in your niche, and have you connected with them? By utilizing the follow feature on hashtags you will be exposed to a ton of free market research. I like to set aside a small amount of time every week to just scroll through and read what people in my community are talking about and making sure that I am staying up to date with the latest. If you are able to remain relevant and offer solutions to the problems and questions that are popping up in your feed, then you will also see engagement rise.

By adding these 3 small things to your everyday social media routine, you will see not only an increase in social media engagement, but you will feel more connected to your tribe. It can be easy to forget about who you are posting for if you aren’t talking with them every day. Remember … these are your people!