Let’s talk about hashtags!

There are 3 different kinds of hashtags you can use in every post:

-branded (unique to your brand, this could be your business name and tagline)

-community/industry (any hashtags others in your industry/space are using)

-geographic (use these if you want to localize your business to a town, group of towns region or state)

Remember when they used to recommend 20-30 hashtags on Instagram? Now the optimal amount is 3-5! Use them wisely and customize the hashtags you use for each post. Questions? Reach out to our team today.

red root owner Jessica holding branded and hashtag cupcakes made by a local baker

You have all heard of Hashtags-but how do you use them?

Hashtags (#) are aggregators and allow your posts to be routed to pages where others can find you. There are 3 types of hashtags we recommend you use on every post on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn (hashtags are not currently effective or used on Facebook).

Hashtags are crucial to your growth as they will allow your posts to be found by people outside of your current audience. On Instagram, accounts can follow hashtags that interest them and your posts may show up in their feed whether they are following your account or not if they are following that specific hashtag.

-Branded hashtags are created by you for your brand and can be your business's name and tagline. For example, we use our company name and tagline: #redrootmarketing #growwithredroot.
-Community/Industry hashtags are what others in your industry are using. For example, we use our main service as a hashtag: #socialmediamarketing.
-Geographic hashtags are used when you want to localize your business. For example, our headquarters are based in Verona, New Jersey and are next door to the vibrant town of Montclair, so we use #veronanj #montclairnj. You can also use your region or state to localize your business.

INSIDER TIP: We like to create our own list of hashtags through research on Instagram but you can also use an app like HashTagged. Once we have our list, we save it to the notes app on our phone. Then we can simply copy and paste it into the first comment once our post goes up. Posting in the first comment kick starts the algorithm and may lead to better engagement on that post!

To #Hashtag or Not to Hashtag

One of the greatest questions of our time that plagues people of all ages is: “How the heck do I use hashtags?” 

Okay, so while it may not be one of the weightiest quandaries of the contemporary world, it is still an important question that boggles a lot of minds. On social media, hashtags can be instrumental in helping people find your content and helping you find others' content as well. After you hashtag a word, it enters the vast world of hashtags. This allows anyone on social media to see your content if they search for that word which gives your post the opportunity of being seen by hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people. So should you be using them? Absolutely.


Think of hashtags as a built-in search engine for you to find posts that interest you. Wondering what’s been going on in Montclair, NJ? Try searching #montclairnj on Instagram or Twitter - and users that post content relevant to Montclair may come up. Wondering where you can find a designer to do a logo for you? Try searching #logodesign. You can and should do this in your own posts as well.

Try to use a mix of both broad hashtags (i.e. #tiptuesday or #tbt for “Throwback Thursday”), local hashtags (i.e. #montclairnj #essexcounty), and hashtags that are specific to your brand that you dream up (ours is #growwithredroot). This will maximize your audience so you will attract a wider range of people and brand your biz with your list of hashtags.

When hashtagging, just make sure to use them in moderation in the body of your post or at the end of your post. For example, a tweet or caption that reads, “#Checkout our #new #newsletter on #whetherornot to #hashtag on #socialmedia” might be startling to your followers. We like to occasionally scatter a hashtag within our content and list any additional hashtags at the end. Use up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, as many as you can fit on Twitter and 2-4 on Facebook.

Questions? Call us today at 973 650 0960 or email us at redroot@maarek.com! We would love to hear from you 😀