One of the most important questions I ask when meeting with a potential client who’s looking for social media content creation– is if they have completed their own hashtag research. 90% of the time that’s a hard no. They add hashtags they think is relevant to their brand and call it a day- which is totally fine! It’s what I’m here for!

What is hashtag research?

Hashtag research is the process of searching truly relevant phrases to your business in a #hashtagformat that will draw in your ideal client and also help your content go farther- popping up in feeds under that specific hashtag. They are added to your the caption of your content and will help your content be more visible (gaining you more likes, saves and shares) and be categorized showing up to the right people!

Below I’ve created an SOP (standard operating procedure) to walk you through this process! I also have a IG post that you can save to look back at later- I’ll link it below!

Let’s get into it!

1. Brainstorm

Brainstorm ideas that will revolve around your content and give you text to search on IG.

Examples: Motherhood Entrepreneurship Location Industry Services Offered

2. Expand

 Expand the brainstormed topics from step 1. Make them relevant to your work and    industry. It should be relatable to what your potential clients could search to find you.

Examples: Motherhood-mom, mompreneur, working mom Entrepreneurship-boss babe, small business owner Location- northeast Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio Industry- virtual assistant, va, virtual assistant for small business owners Services Offered- copywriting, content creation, batching content.

3. Research

Head to the Instagram search bar and add a # to the expanded topics from step 2. Make sure there are no spaces between words.

Examples: Motherhood-#mom #mompreneur #workingmom

4. Record 

Record hashtags you want to use in your content.

Criteria: With a goal to have around 20 optimal hashtags initially.

5 should be specifically niched to you and your services with low # following

Example: #coachforvirtualassistants #virtualassistantforbookkeepers #paytonbvirtualsolutions

5 should have really large followings 100k-1m+- industry and service related

Example: #smallbusinesses #socialmediamanager #ohiosmallbiz

5 should have a medium sized following 10k-50k-industry and service related

Example: #creativevirtualassistant #virtualsolutions #captionwriting

5 should be location based if your business calls for it or more industry related

Example: #northeastohio #shopsmallohio #iwritecaptions

I hope you find this SOP helpful and it saves time in your day!

---

Ready to let go of more tasks to free up your day. Let’s chat- click here

Click this link below to save my IG post to look back at later!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkfvdlRsnQx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Save to Pinterest Here!

• The Unexpected Perks of a Balanced Business: More Money, More Joy, More You!
• 5 Signs You’re Ready to Delegate Your Social Media (and Why It’s the Best Decision Ever!)
• From Burnt Out to Bliss: How I Reclaimed My Freedom as an Entrepreneur (and How You Can Too!)
•  Ditch the Hustle, Embrace the Slow: 5 Strategies for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
• Social Media Marketing 101: A Beginner’s Guide for Small Business Owners