So, you’ve just taken a killer hair photo to share on Instagram for all of your followers to swoon over. But, how do you make sure you’re reaching new potential clients, too?
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for stylists and salon owners to reach new people in their area. Using hashtags on Instagram is one of the most effective ways to ensure that people who are actively searching for the type of content you offer are able to discover your page.
The Importance of Hashtags
When it comes to social media marketing, hashtags are important for stylists to use because they help make your content discoverable and make it easier for your target audience to find your work.
Similar to how people can use keywords to search through google, Instagram users are able to use hashtags to look for particular search results. In this case, users could be searching for posts related to a particular service or business in a certain area, or inspiration related to a particular hair color, style, or technique.
Choosing the Right Hashtags For Your Audience
Choosing the right hashtags for the content you plan to post requires care and research. It’s always important to think critically about what the ideal clients that make up your target audience are looking for, what questions they might have, what they might be struggling with, and so on. With a clear understanding of who your ideal client is, you’ll be able to choose hashtags that they’re most likely to be looking for.
Once you have an idea of the kind of content your target audience is looking for, do a bit of research to evaluate possible opportunities. Search for different hashtags on instagram to see how they are performing before using them yourself.
Next, you’ll want to make sure that the keywords or hashtags are as granular and specific as possible. Using a hashtag that has over one million posts like #balayage isn’t going to do you any favors unless your post has a ton of engagement and can populate at the top of that particular hashtag grid.
Keep in mind that hashtags are not one size fits all. You should follow this process of choosing hashtags for each image and video you post depending on the topic of your content.
Listen to Episode 9 of the Hair Goals Podcast to hear from Sarah about the importance of hashtags to grow your discovery by new clients on Instagram.
Best Hashtags for Hairstylists
Although the specific hashtags you choose to leverage will depend on the specific content you are posting, there are some general best practices to keep in mind.
As mentioned before, making sure that you are doing your research and avoiding overly populated hashtags is important for success. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that your hashtags are specific to your content, business, and services so that your ideal client is more likely to find you. When possible, it’s a good idea to use hashtags specific to your business’ location so that local clientele can discover your brand.
Here are some examples of hashtags that we like to use at SALT Hair:
- #salthair
- #ctsalon
- #ctstylist
- #ctbalayage
- #ctfoiliayage
- #ctbalayageexpert
- #cthairpainting
- #cheshiresalon
- #ctsmallbusiness
- #cthair
- #connecticuthair
It’s typically most effective to leverage 8-15 strong hashtags per post. Finally, make sure to put the hashtags in the caption of your photo or video to ensure that the Instagram algorithm picks them up.
Social Media Marketing for Salons
As a salon owner or stylist, social media platforms (and Instagram in particular) are an essential channel for marketing your business. Once you’ve identified your target audience, platforms like Instagram make it easy to create and share content that your ideal clients are interested in and actively looking for.
Need more inspiration when it comes to deciding what kinds of content you should create? Download our Instagram Reels Content Inspirations Freebie and get creative with it!
