Week 8 Part A: How to Expand Your Reach on Instagram by Using Hashtags

Sarah’s Soaps is the Instagram page for Munro’s Apothecary is a small family business founded by Sarah. She is in San Diego.  She uses her page to promote her products. She has 286 followers; her last post was on February 10. She received 24 likes and one comment. She has 211 posts and uses the following hashtags regularly: #artisan #moisturizing#creamy#no plasticwrappings#loveyourself#smells amazing #sarahssoaps #localCalifornian luxury! The posts on this page are an inviting mix of products, flowers, sunsets, farmer's markets, and the beach. The pictures are professional, and she typically receives between 20 and 40 likes. 

Finch Berry sells handcrafted skincare products, including soaps. They are in Gainesville, FL. They have over 15 thousand followers. Their last post was in November of 2021. They have posted 218 times and each post receives between about 50 to 150 likes. However, their videos of soap being poured has over 1,500 views. This demonstrates how a video is more engaging. They posted their last video in August 2021. This seems like a misstep because the video received so many views. The use the following hashtags: #Soap #boutique #vegan #giftsformom #giftsforher #stockingstuffers #giftideas #prettysoap #glutenfree #natural #prettythings #madeintheusa #madeinamerica #skincare #bestskincare

Soapbox is a soap company that works with partners worldwide on 5 different continents. They have over 35,000 followers, 1268 posts, and their most recent post was today. Their posts are a mix of products, availability, sales promotions, and how to use the products. A lot of the products have the comments turned off, so it was difficult to measure engagement. Like Finch Berry, their videos receive a high number of views. They use the following hashtags: #soapbox #mysoapbox #mondaymotivation #monday #inspiration

Harvest Soap Co. is in Orange County, California.  They have over 4,000 followers, 183 posts, and their last post was three days. They get an average of about 40 to 400 likes. The images they use are a beautiful mix of products, displays, soap making, and promotions. The use the following hashtags: #soap #soapmaker #soapmaking #soapdevotion #soapshare #yorbalindamoms #barsoap #yorbindalifestyle #soapbars #artisansoap #naturalsoap #handmnaturalskincareadesoap #handmade #handcrafted #handcraftedsoap #soapandshare#soapmakersofinstagram #meltandpour #yorbalinda #orangecounty #coldprocesssoap #brambleon #handmadesoap #selfcare #soapshop #bodycare #loveyourskin #treatyourskin

After reviewing other soap companies' Instagram sites, it is clear that videos and professional quality pictures are important. Videos of soap being made, and cut are particularly popular. Most of the posting included hashtags with the word soap and their location. It hadn’t occurred to me to use my location as a hashtag, but it would attract local customers and raise awareness of my brand. I would use the following hashtags: #salt+citrus #artisnalsoap #sandiegosoaps