How to Use Hashtags for Your Business

I’ll admit that at the beginning of the Hashtag Revolution, I used them with dripping sarcasm. Thankfully, one thing I know about myself is that I can be a real hater about new things and I usually come around hard. Hashtags were definitely one of those things for me and I am humbled by my love for them.

Hashtags allow you to identify with similar accounts, plug into the community, and widen the reach of your content. While Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post, I wouldn’t recommend going bananas--the sweet spot is around ten. Find a handful of hashtags that describe your business and a couple more that relate directly to the picture you’re posting that day. If you have a tagline, converting it to a hashtag is a great way to share it with your audience in a low-key way. When in doubt, think of how you would want someone to look you up if they were searching for your business on Google, remove the spaces and put a “#” in front of it, and you’ve got a hashtag!

Keep your hashtags (and your energy) focused.

Since hashtags point followers toward your content, keep your audience in mind when finding out which hashtags to use. If you’re a local tasting room and posting your content on a Thursday, use popular hashtags like #thirstythursday & #drinklocal mixed with less popular ones like #localwine & #lodiwine to engage your ideal customer. Using less crowded hashtags (with less than 100k posts) and specific, location-driven hashtags raises your visibility and naturally grows your following just by being seen. You can find out how many posts a hashtag has, and research your own, by searching them in the Instagram app. Once you decide on your hashtags, save them to the notes on your phone so they’re always handy when you need them.

Don’t forget to have fun with it! If you’re not a ten-hashtag kind of person, adding just ONE hashtag to your post can make a difference. I recommend using at least one hashtag with your post, even if it’s just the name of your business. Posts using at least one hashtag receive more average views than those that don’t. Happy hashtagging!

xoxo,

Bailey

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