Need hashtags for your small business? Or wondering how to use hashtags for your small business?
There are 5 types of hashtags you can use.
For this blog post, I’m going to pretend I have a “candle” small business – just so we can practice picking hashtags together. Just replace “candle” with YOUR products or service.
Take a pen and paper (or your Notes app), and get ready to write down your hashtags.
Let’s start.
How to use Instagram hashtags as a small business
First thing to know:
Hashtags have more power than they used to have 5 years ago.
Today, hashtags are not just hashtags. They are keywords.
More specifically, they are SEO keywords.
It means people can use Instagram like Google. They type what they want to find in the Instagram search bar, and see the Instagram Search Results.
So we want to pick the right hashtags so that you can start appearing on the Search Results too.
The Top 5 Hashtags You Should Use
Here are the 5 types of hashtags you can use.
Mix them together in one post to create a solid hashtag group for your post.
Small Business Hashtags #1: General
First, you can use general hashtags.
There is an important reason why you should use a general hashtag first.
First obvious reason: There are people who are actually looking for small businesses to buy from. If you don’t put the “small business” tag, you might not show up.
- #SmallBusiness
- #ShopSmall
- #SupportSmallBusiness
- #SmallBusinessSaturday
- #HandmadeBusiness
You’ll find more “small business” and “handmade business” hashtags in Preview App, to add them straight to your post. You’ll see some related to many different types of industries and seasons too (like Christmas).
But the most important reason is this:
These general hashtags will complement the more specific hashtags you will use. Because someone could search for a “candle small business”.
That leads us to Hashtag #2 you can use: Product hashtags.
Small Business Hashtags #2: Products
Now let’s get more specific.
What do you specifically sell?
Obviously there are many different products (candles, jewelry, fashion, bags, stationary, home decor, etc…).
Create hashtags for your products.
Here are variations of effective product hashtags:
- #product (#candle)
- #colorproduct (#beigecandle)
- #seasonproduct (#fallcandle)
- #scentproduct. (#vanillacandle)
- #materialproduct (#beewaxcandle)
- #sizeproduct (#smallcandle)
- #shapeproduct (#pillarcandle)
- #UniqueFeatureProduct (#naturalcandle)
Then you can get more specific. Mix and match them to hit the right keywords:
- #UniqueFeature+Scent+Product (#naturalvanillacandle)
- #Material+Shape+Product (#beewaxpillarcandle)
You get the idea. Your turn to create more combinations to suit your products.
Next:
Your posts can also show up if you use hashtags that are RELATED TO your products (but not directly about your product).
Which leads us to the next type of hashtag you can use.
Small Business Hashtags #3: Industry
Think bigger picture.
Where would your customers use your products?
Where would they put them?
For example, a candle can be “home decor”. Therefore, you can use “home decor” hashtags so people looking for home decor inspiration can find your products.
So what industry hashtags can YOU use for YOUR products?
The good news: The hashtag strategy for different industries has been done. It’s all inside of Preview App.
Tap on “Find Hashtags” and type your product (e.g. candle, jewelry, fashion, etc…) to see all the recommended hashtags for you.
Small Business Hashtags #5: Competitors
You can also check what your competitors’ top hashtags are.
Write down the ones you want to try for your account.
Done! Now you have a complete list of hashtags for your small business – tailored to YOU.
Pro Tip: Save time by saving your hashtag groups
You might have written down a lot of different hashtags now.
You can create different “hashtag groups“, and use different groups for different posts.
You can save those groups in Preview so you don’t have to type them every time.
Just tap on one button to add them all to your caption (or comment) in one second.
Pro Tip #2: See your Own Hashtags Performance
After a few weeks of using your hashtags, you can see your hashtag analytics within Preview.
This will help you refine your hashtag strategy as you go.
That’s it!
Did this post help?
Quick recap:
- Use hashtags as Search Keywords
- Mix 5 types of hashtags in your posts:
- General
- Product
- Industry
- Location
- Top Competitors’ hashtags
I really hope this helped. Let me know if you need clarification, or want other information.
Otherwise, have fun creating your unique hashtag groups for your small business!
You’ve got this 💪
