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VAPE MENTORS BLOG

Vape Instagram Hash Tags And How To Use Them

Hashtags categorize posts on Instagram into topic threads. The better you can categorize your post the more likely you will reach the audience you desire. But how do you know which ones to use? There are dozens of hashtags thrown around on a daily basis, and more pop up every day. This post will clarify the most popular hashtags on Instagram so you can reach the audience you want.

The majority of Instagram users fall in the age range of 18 to 29, a.k.a “Millenials”. Millenials are very active on social media, so it’s obvious why vape brands are killing it on Instagram. But Instagram is not the only place where Millenials hang out, and these hash tags can also be used on Facebook and Twitter. Here are some quick stats according to Simple E Liquid and Pew Research Center

  • 82% of online adults ages 18 to 29 use Facebook.
  • 55% of online adults ages 18 to 29 use Instagram
  • 32% of 18 to 29 year olds use Twitter.

If you’re a vape shop or juice brand owner interested in targeting Millenialls (and who isn’t?), social media is where you’ll find them.

Top Hashtags For Vapestagram Posts

Here are the top hash tags you absolutely must include at some point in your social media campaigns (and what they mean to the user):

#vaping101 – For the complete noob, this is good for reaching out to newly enshrined vapers. Search for questions asked using this hashtag and educate potential customers with information about your products and vaping fundamentals. Among the most common topics covered are ecigs, how they work and the various e-liquids flavors available for purchase.
#vape/#vaping/#Ecig/#Ecigs – From hilarious to nefarious, there are no limits to these ones. Virtually every B2C or B2B post should include these hashtags. However it should never be the ONLY one you use since it’s too broad and unrefined. These posts also often include regulatory news and updates affecting the larger vaping community.

#Ecigarettes/#ecigs – #Ecigarettes tends to be an industry hashtag, used by business owners and advocates to disseminate insight on the latest research and health reports regarding vaping. It’s not uncommon to run across posts from vape shops and manufacturers promoting their products so you should too.

#vapecommunity – As it sounds, #vapecommunity was created by vapers for vapers.
#vapers – More than just product information, this hashtag surfaces news and entertainment, including internet memes, created for the vaping community.
#ecigdeals – For… deals on Ecigs. Your customers are always looking for a deal, and #ecigdeals is the perfect place to promote your latest sale. Be prepared to stand out among your competitors.

#VapeNation/#VapeLife/#VapeCommunity/#VapeFam – Connect with link minded people who support vaping in all forms and fashions. These hashtags are a great source of pride for the entire community, come one and call all! Many times you’ll see these used for defining what it’s like to be a “vaper”, or for calling out to vaping’s larger definition: a lifestyle under attack . Vaping enthusiasts from around the world are connecting in solidarity and sharing in the message using these hashtags.

#VapePorn – No doubt controversial, VapePorn is on the extreme end of vaping culture. It’s not sexual by default – “porn” is often added as a suffix to many other hashtags like #foodporn or even #jazzporn. Use this in only very specific (but eye-catching) posts that showcase impressive artwork or products. Not for every brand.
#CloudChasing/#CloudChaser/#VapeTricks/#VGod – Tricks anyone? These are lifestyle hashtags targeting the more extreme vape community. Use them to share an amazing trick and boost your brand among younger vapers. Not for noobs or Baby Boomers.

These are only a few of the many hashtags you can tag to your posts, pictures and videos on Instagram and Twitter. The more hashtags the merrier, just remember it’s about more than posting. It’s about engagement and a #conversation with your customer is the best way to build your brand.

Effective engagement requires interaction with your customers, and one of the best ways to immerse yourself into the online vaping community is through hashtags.

Abusing Hashtags & “Shadow Banning”

It IS possible to use hashtags incorrectly and have it negatively impact your marketing, and even result in penalties.
Instagram can do something called “shadow banning” your account. This is not well known, but very important. Listen up!
Shadow banning happens when you use a hashtag that Instagram thinks is “illicit”, and which may indicate adult oriented posts (or, essentially anything Instagram deems “inappropriate”). If they identify that you use these hashtags too much, your posts could be “shadow banned”. This is essentially means that Instagram will hide your posts from anyone that does not follow you. As you can assume, this will seriously impact your ability to reach new customers. There is no indication that you are shadow banned and it’s very hard to get out of it.
An example of shadow banning is the hashtag #humpday. This is normally used for posts about Wednesdays (commonly known as “hump day”), but adult oriented accounts have taken over that hashtag and made it an “illicit” hashtag for Instagram. If you search that hashtag (or click the link above) you will notice that there are over 10 million posts with that hashtag, but only about 10 that show up on the search results page. Everything else is being suppressed by Instagram with a “Shadow Ban”. You don’t want this!
Here’s some tips to help you avoid getting shadow banned: 
  • Avoid hashtags that are often associated with provocative activities
  • Don’t use the same hashtags for every post.  Vary up hashtags based on photo.  For example #LosAngeles #NYC #626NightMarket in addition to your standard #vape #ejuice #eliquids #nicotinesalt
  • Brand-specific hashtags coupled with in-person use of the phrase or term such as #MajesticAsFVCK or #BeRUTHLESS will effectively build a community around that hashtag.  In-person use refers to apparel, web banners, trade show designs, and other non-social media mediums of art portrayed specifically for brand-retention.

Bonus Tip: How To Not Clutter Your Post With Too Many Hashtags

It’s easy to get carried away with hashtags. There is a quick tip that the best vapestagramers use to insert as many hashtags as they want without cluttering up their comments feed. This tactic only works on mobile, but that’s OK – 99% of Instagram users are viewing it on their mobile phone. See these post as an example.

The first post below is from *ahem* VapeMentors ;). You’ll notice that next to our username there is simply a “…more” link. This is by design. It looks like we don’t have any hashtags on our post, but in fact I pasted this in the first comment:


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#r2bsmokefree #abillionlives #CASAA#SFATA #vapeadvocacy #unitedvapers

Notice the 5 dots with spaces? This makes it so the “…more” link shows up next to my username. That way the hashtags don’t clutter the post.

 

 

In this example, the poster did not use the 5 dots, so the hashtags clutter the first comment in the post.