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Do you want to Maximize your street photography reach on social media? Then consider these five mistakes to avoid. Bad hashtag usage? Not anymore! Here we go: #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5 – stay clear of them for optimized hashtag usage!

I also recommend to read my article about The Best Hashtags for Street Photography in 2023 if you like this topic.

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Using Hashtags for Your Street Photography

Hashtags are key for getting more visibility and engagement on social media platforms. They are also important for street photography. They can help you build your street photography brand, but if used them in the wrong way, they won’t do anything. This article will tell you the top 5 mistakes to avoid when using hashtags for your street photographs.

The goal of this guide is to help street photographers avoid mistakes when using hashtags. We want you to make the most of the power of hashtags and get your street photography known.
You need to understand why hashtags are important for branding street photography. If used correctly, the right hashtags can get your photos seen by people who are looking for photos like yours.
Branding is super important for any art or personal representation on social media. So understanding this before using hashtags is vital.

Before giving you tips on how to use hashtags, let’s look at why it’s so important to use them correctly.

Pro Tip: Before creating a hashtag strategy, have a clear idea of your brand voice and aesthetics. This will help you write accurate captions and choose the right tags to create credibility and authority over time on the platform.

Mistake #1: Utilizing Irrelevant Hashtags

Don’t make the mistake of using irrelevant hashtags for your street photography. This can actually be bad for your brand building. Here are 6 points to note about the use of hashtags:

Hashtags are used to help people find content related to a certain topic.
When you use irrelevant hashtags, it makes it harder for people to find your content since it won’t be in the right place.
Using too many hashtags is also not helpful. Stick to a few, relevant hashtags per post.
There are general hashtags that can be used for multiple situations, but for street photography, it’s better to look for more specific or niche tags to attract the right audience.
It doesn’t matter whether you put the hashtags in the caption or as a comment, as long as they’re relevant and not overused.
Not researching which hashtags work best for street photography can lead you to use irrelevant ones.

Utilizing irrelevant hashtags can damage your brand’s reputation and confuse potential customers who end up connecting your account with topics that have nothing to do with what you offer. It’s essential that you take the time to research and pick effective hashtags to accurately reflect your content.

When it comes to platforms like Instagram, consider following other photographers who specialize in street photography and observe their hashtag choices. Also, keep an eye on trending topics and see if you can incorporate popular tags into your posts without going off-topic.

A true fact: According to Hubspot, Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have 12.6% more engagement than those without any.

Mistake #2: Overusing the Same Hashtags

Street photographers often make the mistake of using the same hashtags for every post. This isn’t ideal, as it’s important to use them strategically to achieve better brand building efforts. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Too many hashtags can be seen as spammy and reduce engagement.
Irrelevant or vague hashtags won’t attract your target audience.
Repetitive use of the same hashtags won’t reach new people.
Not researching new and relevant hashtags will limit your reach.
Mixing in general photography or industry tags will take away from the specialty of street photography images.
Neglecting location-specific tags also restricts potential engagement.

When you overuse certain hashtags, they’ll become saturated and less effective. This will damage your brand image and keep potential followers away. To avoid this, it’s best to compile multiple related hashtags and alternate between them. Make sure to vary them enough so as not to damage brand relevance.

Customize hashtag sets based on location, subject, or trending topics. Look for websites with regularly updated lists of popular yet underused tags for refreshment.

Don’t insert generic terms like photography, street art, or urban decay into posts. This might lead to ambiguity concerning focus. Always be as specific as possible.

Here are some tips that may help:

Mix up your everyday grouping of tags by examining daily fever (a daily collective theme on Instagram) or event-oriented collections.
Use the “related” tags suggestion Instagram provides.
Use location-specific tags to reach the right audience and create a sense of community engagement.

Mistake #3: Using spammy hashtags.

When it comes to using hashtags with street photography, it’s important to choose the right ones. Avoid spammy hashtags that are unrelated to your content. Don’t use overly popular hashtags that are too broad. Don’t use trending hashtags that don’t match your content. Don’t use random words as hashtags. And, don’t use too many hashtags in general.

Instead, take time to research and find relevant, niche-specific hashtags for your content. Using spammy hashtags can hurt your brand and lead to lower engagement rates. It can make you look unprofessional and hurt your reach on social media.

One street photographer I know used tons of irrelevant, spammy hashtags and saw an initial surge of likes and followers. But these followers weren’t actually interested in his work – they just followed him because of the hashtag gimmick. He lost credibility with his target audience and had to start over.

So, focus on finding niche-specific, relevant hashtags that will attract a true and engaged audience. That way, you can avoid making this same mistake.

Mistake #4: Using Too Many Hashtags

It’s easy to get excited when using hashtags for street photography – you might think adding as many as possible will help reach a wider audience. However, it can have the opposite effect and make posts look spammy and unprofessional. Remember these tips:

Only use 5-7 hashtags per post.
Choose relevant tags that describe the content.
Avoid generic or broad hashtags which could attract spam bots or irrelevant people.

Using too many hashtags doesn’t just create mess, it can also hurt your branding efforts. It shows a lack of strategy and professionalism which can put off potential followers and collaborators.

Instead, do some research on popular hashtags in the street photography niche and use them in your posts. This will help bring in new audience and keep the integrity of your brand.

Fun fact: A TrackMaven study found that Instagram posts with 9 or more hashtags get 31% more engagement than posts with fewer than 9.

Next up is Mistake #5 – don’t miss it!

Mistake #5: Ignoring Hashtag Performance.

Many photographers make this mistake and it can have a bad effect on their brand. To avoid this, consider monitoring and analyzing hashtag performance. Track engagement metrics like likes and comments. See what other photographers in your niche are using. Ignoring performance can mean missing chances to grow your audience and build your brand. Use an analytics tool to track hashtag performance over time. This will give you insights into what types of content work with different hashtags. Now, use relevant hashtags thoughtfully. This will boost visibility, drive traffic, generate interaction with followers, and discover new connections in the industry.

Wrapping Up

Let’s wrap it up and review the top 5 errors to evade when using hashtags for street photography.

Don’t use irrelevant or non-specific hashtags. Make sure your hashtags are related to your content.
Don’t use too many hashtags in one post. Quality over quantity – use 5-7 hashtags max.
Avoid relying only on well-known hashtags. Use a variety of popular and niche hashtags to reach your target audience.
Also, consider the platform you’re using. For example, Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags but using all 30 may appear spammy. And on Twitter, use at least one hashtag per tweet to be seen.
Strategically choose hashtags with purpose. Each hashtag should be directed at your desired viewers.

Lastly, create your own branded hashtag. This will increase brand awareness and community participation in your niche.

By knowing these mistakes and adhering to best practices, you can engage your target audience and grow your profile as a street photographer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are hashtags in street photography?

Hashtags are keywords or phrases preceded by the symbol ‘#’ that you can use to categorize your street photography content on social media platforms.

2. What are common mistakes to avoid when using hashtags in street photography?

The top 5 mistakes to avoid when using hashtags for street photography are: using irrelevant hashtags, using too many hashtags, using generic hashtags, using banned hashtags, and using hashtags without researching their potential reach.

3. Can using inappropriate hashtags affect my street photography online presence?

Yes, using inappropriate hashtags can negatively impact your street photography online presence because it will attract the wrong audience or get flagged by the social media algorithm.

4. How many hashtags should I use in my street photography posts?

You should use around 5 to 10 hashtags in your street photography posts, depending on the platform. Using too many hashtags can appear spammy, while using too few can reduce your content’s visibility.

5. Is it necessary to research the hashtags I use for my street photography?

Yes, you should research the hashtags you use for your street photography before adding them to your post. Research can help you identify popular, relevant and banned hashtags that can affect your post’s reach and visibility.

6. How can I measure the effectiveness of my street photography hashtags?

You can measure the effectiveness of your street photography hashtags by tracking how many likes, shares, comments, and followers you gain from using them. You can also use social media analytics tools to evaluate your reach and engagement metrics.