Hashtags are one of the most misused tools in local business social media marketing. Most businesses either ignore them entirely, use irrelevant generic hashtags, or stuff posts with 30 random tags. Here's how to use hashtags strategically to expand your local reach on Instagram and Facebook.
How Hashtags Work for Local Businesses
Hashtags categorize your content and make it discoverable to people searching for or following those tags. For local businesses, the goal is not massive reach — it's targeted local reach. A hashtag that puts your content in front of 500 engaged local people is more valuable than one that puts it in front of 50,000 disengaged national users.
The Right Hashtag Mix for Local Businesses
Use a combination of three types of hashtags in every post:
- Location hashtags (2-4): #HuntsvilleTexas #ConroeTX #EastTexas #WalkerCounty — these target people in or interested in your specific geographic area
- Industry hashtags (3-5): #HVACTexas #TexasContractor #LocalRestaurant #TexasSalon — people following or searching your industry
- Content hashtags (2-3): #BeforeAndAfter #HomeImprovement #LocalBusiness #SmallBusiness — broader discovery tags
Total: 7-12 hashtags on Instagram. Facebook benefits from fewer — 3-5 maximum. More is not better — irrelevant hashtags dilute performance and look spammy.
Research Your Hashtags
Before using a hashtag, search it on Instagram. If it has fewer than 1,000 posts, almost no one is searching it. If it has more than 5 million posts, your content will be buried immediately. The sweet spot for local businesses is hashtags with 10,000-500,000 posts — large enough to have active users, small enough for your content to remain visible.
Create Your Own Local Hashtag
Create a unique branded hashtag for your business — #StoneDigitalEastTexas, #HuntsvillePlumbing, #ConroeHVAC — and use it consistently in every post. Over time, customers who post about your business can use it too, creating a searchable archive of your brand content and customer experiences.
Stone Digital manages social media and hashtag strategy for local businesses across East Texas. Book a free discovery call.