12 Ways On How To Use An Instagram Search Like A Pro

Instagram is among the few social media platforms that place a huge emphasis on the discovery of content. The Instagram Search and Explore tab is a great way for you to boost your marketing success. This feature can allow new users to discover your content that might not have been otherwise possible. 

There are two different sections for discovering new content and having your content discovered on Instagram.

The magnifying glass icon lets you conduct an Instagram search. They divide it into 4 sections–top, people, tags, and places. People search allows you to search specifically other users while location and Hashtag provide all results with the particular tag. Top search allows you to search through all the three together.

Instagram search depends on many factors such as the people they connect you with, people you follow, videos and photos you liked on the platform among others.

The explore section is right below the search bar and shows posts that might interest you. These posts are based on your Instagram activity. As per Instagram, you are shown those posts, videos or content that the algorithm thinks you might enjoy based on the people you follow and posts you like.

These are a few Instagram search recommendations that can help you get featured in the explore section or search results.

If you want your posts to appear on the forefront, then adding a location tag or a Hashtag can help things move along. Adding a location tag is very easy if you tap on any one of the suggested tags while creating your post. Or else, you can either click on the ‘add location’ button or create a location tag.
Adding Hashtag is very simple as you need to type the ‘#’ button before using the relevant keyword.

Instagram search shows the most recent post on top. Hence, make sure you publish a post only when you know that your target audience is active. This will ensure that a greater number of eyes can see your post.

Users today like only relevant content. With old or irrelevant content you stand to lose out on your existing followers and users. Also, in the search bar, only the top 9 posts are visibly seen. The top posts are selected on basis shares, comments, and likes. This is possible only when the content you publish is good and engaging enough for people to interact with it.

The Instagram search and explore tab features the top live videos as well. Admittedly, this is more difficult than the other recommendations. However, it is worth a try.

You can go live on several content options such as:

• Q&A sessions
• Interviews
• Announcements
• Launches
• Showcasing behind-the-scenes

Before you can make Instagram explore work for you in the marketing field, it is important that you learn how to search and explore tab works in this app. For instance, to ensure that the Hashtag or location tag you use is popular, you would have to conduct a search yourself. Here are a few tips that can make such related search easy on Instagram.
Hashtag Search

A list of hashtags is shown on Instagram when you type in a keyword in the search window and choose tags option. There will also be the number of posts mentioned for each hashtag. Tags with more posts mean that there are more people interested in it. Hashtags with fewer posts mean that the tag is less popular. Hence, use only those tags that have a high number of posts. Needless, to say it is important that you use a Hashtag that is relevant to your content.

Instagram shows several related hashtags near the top when you search for a hashtag. Many times Instagram cannot show a particular Hashtag in the search results. Related hashtag result proves a good way to discover these tags. You can individually click on each tag to check popularity.

Many times your fans might post your brand on Instagram without your knowledge. This is because the fans forget to tag your account in it. However, with the help of location tag or brand Hashtag, you can search for these posts and comment on them.

It is a great way to increase fan following and user engagement by commenting on the stories and posts published by the fans. However, it is necessary you create brand hashtags for this so that your users know what to use. There are several ways through which you can interact with user-generated content such as like, comment, re-post and featuring on a website.

You can also connect with fans by focusing on related or relevant hashtags. For instance, if you have a cafe, then interacting with users on #coffeetime or #instacoffee can be a good way to attain exposure for your brand. You can easily search for these hashtags on Instagram using the tag search option. However, it is important that you leave only thoughtful and relevant comments. By leaving a simple emoji or one-word comment, you might cause more harm than good. Users like warmth and humanity in their comments. Hence, make sure that while portraying your brand you come across as a sincere human.

This is more suited to brick and mortar brands rather than online platforms. If you own a restaurant or store, then keep checking location tags relevant to your area to search for pictures, stories or posts that your patrons might have put up. You can comment by thanking them if they availed any service at your place.

It is important that you have a location tag to avail the full benefits of this tip. If in case you do not have a location tag, then you can create one by adding your business and location in the Facebook mobile app. It’s important that you be careful while creating a place as there is no edit option.

You can engage with users near to your location by searching for ‘near current location’ in the search place result. You can also search for points of interest near your store or brand which is most frequented by people.

You can also use Instagram to search for those influencers that have a certain authority in your area of business. It is always a good idea to collaborate with such influencers as they have a huge fan following. In fact, as per a study conducted at the Wharton School, 82% followers are highly likely to be swayed on the recommendations of an influencer.
Here are a few tips to search for these influencers who are relevant to your business and brand:

The first step to finding the right influencer is conducting a people search. Use keywords relevant to your brand and search in the People search results. For instance, if you are the owner of an eatery, then you could search for food. Or you could narrow down the search by typing vegan if that is a restaurant specialty.
This is a great method to search local influencers as Instagram personalizes your search results based on your location. This means you shall get top search results in your area who can be influencers.

Another easy way to find influencers is to search through your follower list. This might help you identify certain users who are influencers. It is recommended that you go through each profile if you have a small following. However, with a large following, you might want to make things easy for yourself by looking for relevant keywords.

For instance, continuing with the above example followers with names such as foodiemom, gregsfooddiary or feedcharlie represent followers whose accounts might be dedicated to cuisines and restaurants. However, your work does not end here because you need to identify an influencer who is relevant to your business. If you have a vegan restaurant, then corroborating with chicken wings ahoy would not be a good idea.

Another way is to use explore to find people most relevant to your business. The explore section curates the most relevant posts and people based on your location and account activity.

This is a good way to increase your influencer base. If you have already partnered with an influencer and have followed the account, then Instagram shall suggest other similar accounts to follow. You can even tap the downward-pointing arrow next to ‘follow’ to see these suggestions.

You can use an Instagram Search in a variety of ways to boost your business. With the help of these tips, you can capitalize on the Instagram explore and search features, and reach new customers who might not have come across your brand.