If you’re anything like me, you love time-saving hacks. One time-saver that comes in handy is Planoly, my social media planner. Inside, I can store my hashtags by post category, which makes it convenient to add hashtags to my posts. Unfortunately, it’s easy to keep using the same ol’ hashtags over and over. This practice will stagnate your reach, keep you from finding new people, and, worst of all, alert Instagram to your repetitive posts. They don’t reward monotonous use of the same hashtags with more reach.
If this is you, then it’s time to refresh your hashtags. How you use them on Facebook and Instagram varies by platform, so let’s take them one at a time.
Facebook retail hashtags
On Facebook you can use hashtags to group similar ideas together. This makes it easier for your audience to find previous posts.
I use this strategy inside my Retail Social Academy group, where I post several kinds of trainings and social media updates. My retail students can search for a phrase like like “#instagramupdates,” and a group of videos will appear. What types of posts do you create?
Here’s a few # to get your juices flowing:
#newarrivals
#shopwindow
#fallsale
#(a weekly series you create, like) fashionfridays
#(brand) trunkshow
Instagram retail hashtags
The latest info on using hashtags on Instagram is that you should use only three to five. Instagram is using hashtags more as a categorization tool than a ranking tool. You may have even noticed some of the brands or stores with large and engaged followings don’t use hashtags at all. But if you’re a small, niche business, you need all the help you can get to be discovered. You can use more than three to five but try not to use more than 10 at a time. It’s true that you can put up to 30 hashtags in a post but Instagram might think it’s spam and it will affect your reach negatively.
As you search for new hashtags to use, keep these four guidelines in mind:
- Should be relevant to your post. An obvious example is if the post features denim, then hashtags relating to denim or jeans are appropriate. However, if your post features candles and journals, then you could also include some hashtags around self-care.
- Should be relevant to your target customer. Knowing your customer inside and out is essential to any type of marketing you do, including hashtags. Use keywords your customer uses to search for your type of retail shop or the products you carry. Look inside each hashtag and ask yourself if this is one your customer might follow.
- Can be location specific. If your retail shop is in a location people visit, use a hashtag they might follow to see what’s happening in your area. Even these should be updated every so often.
- Use a branded hashtag. Have you come up with a hashtag your customers can use when posting about your boutique or the items they purchase there? It could be just the name of your store or something fun AND easy to remember, such as #gotitatsunshinestore or #iwearsunshinestore or #iluvsunshinestore.
Want to learn more about hashtags?
In two previous posts, we cover hashtags more in-depth. Go here and here!
Q’s
Have a question about your hashtag strategy? Ask it below!
If you like these tips, then you’ll love my free guide: 10 Proven Tips To Authentically Market Your Boutique Online. Grab it here!