Want to boost your social media reach quickly?

Small business hashtags are one of the most effective ways to do it.

Studies show small business hashtags can increase engagement on Instagram by up to 12.6%, and it costs nothing to add them to your posts.

But…

Just because they’re free doesn’t mean you should start filling up every available character with an army of hashtags.

Specific business hashtags on Instagram serve specific purposes.

For example, industry tags like #FemaleFitness are popular enough to be widely used but not so popular that you’ll get lost in a sea of posts.

Branded tags are more niche but can generate even bigger responses. Herschel Supply Co.’s #WellTravelled, which is specific to its social media campaign, is one of the most-used travel hashtags on Instagram.

Pro Tip: If you’re already using Schedulicity to manage your appointment or class calendar, you can easily add a Book Now button to your Instagram page, so clients can book with you right from Instagram.

Creating your own branded business hashtags for Instagram can be useful, but you can spread their reach even further by blending them with more popular (but relevant) tags.

Here are three steps you can take to find the most relevant hashtags for your industry:

  • Use Instagram’s tag search function to identify the hashtags with the most engagement. Start with your industry — “beauty,” “fitness,” etc. — and see which hashtags have thousands (or even millions) of hits.
  • Look for more niche hashtags. If you’re a fitness instructor who specializes in CrossFit or HIIT workouts, search those terms to find hashtags like #CrossFitGirls, #CrossFitLife, or #CrossFitCoach that have smaller but likely more engaged audiences.
  • Check out the hashtags your competitors are using. If they’re getting a lot of engagement, especially with a local audience, add them to your roster of hashtags to use moving forward.

To jump-start your search for the best Instagram hashtags for your small business, we compiled lists for the beauty, hair, fitness, and wellness industries. 

These hashtags regularly have at least 50,000 posts — and some of the most popular have more than 10 million.

That makes them great options for mixing in with your branded and more specific hashtags. If your industry is represented below, you can skip the search. We did it for you.

Let’s dive in!

Best Beauty Hashtags for Instagram

The beauty industry spans more products, topics, and services than most others, so you have a broader selection of hashtags for beauty to choose from.

Each can be categorized by the specific service you want to promote.

For example, if you want to promote a general service, try mixing branded tags with the most popular makeup and beauty hashtags, such as:

#BeautyBasics
#FreshFaced
#InstaBeauty
#MakeupLife
#NaturalBeauty
#NaturalLook
#OrganicBeauty

If you want to promote a skincare treatment for acne or anti-aging, mix in your small business hashtags with popular skincare tags such as:

#Acne
#AntiAging
#ClearSkin
#GlowingSkin
#HealthySkin
#NaturalSkincare
#SkincareTips

Hairstyling services can appeal to a range of people: men, women, nonbinary people, children, and more, not to mention people with different textures and styles of hair to begin with.

Add a few hashtags like #CurlyHair or #NaturalHair to signify the type of services you offer.

Once you find the best hashtags for your business specifically, add some more general hashtags like these:

#EasyHair
#GoodHairDay
#HairArt
#HairCare
#HairGoals
#HairOfTheDay
#InstaHair

Whether you’re a nail artist or a salon that offers manicure or pedicures, some of the top-performing hashtags on Instagram for nail enthusiasts include:

#DIYNails
#InstaNails
#NailAddict
#NailDesigns
#NailedIt
#NailsOnPoint
#NailPorn

Eye makeup tips and products are as popular as nail care on social media, and some of the highest-performing makeup and beauty hashtags for eye makeup include:

#BrowsOnFleek
#EyeArt
#EyeGlam
#EyeTutorial
#InstaEyes
#LashesForDays
#WingedEyeLiner

Fitness Hashtags for Instagram

Though the fitness industry is just as trendy as the beauty industry, there are fewer categories of hashtags to choose from.

It’s even more important to create specific brand- and industry-related hashtags to promote your posts. Combine them with some of the best fitness hashtags on Instagram, such as:

#FitLife
#FitnessAddict
#FitnessMotivation
#GetFit
#GetStrong
#GirlsWhoLift
#GymLife
#GymTime
#HealthyLife
#HealthTalk
#LiftHeavy
#NoPainNoGain
#TransformationTuesday
#WeightLifting

Wellness Business Hashtags for Instagram

If you own a small business in the wellness space, much of what you share might fall into the categories of fitness, beauty, or both.

Depending on the specific content you share, consider mixing niche wellness hashtags with some of the more popular general ones above. 

In addition, you should sprinkle in some of the top-performing hashtags on Instagram that relate exclusively to wellness, such as:

#CleanEating
#CleanLiving
#FitForMe
#HealthyHappyLife
#HolisticLiving
#JustBreathe
#LiveInspired
#LookWithin
#MindBodySoul
#MoveYourBody
#NourishYourself
#OrganicLifestyle
#WellnessJourney
#Wellpreneur

The hashtag game can be tricky.

If you use only the most popular tags, you’ll risk getting lost in the shuffle.

But if you stick to branded or niche hashtags, your audience may never grow.

Get the best of both worlds by using trendy and niche small business hashtags and by researching which trending tags will give you the greatest reach.

Extra Credit: Instagram Resources for Small Businesses

If you’re looking to find new clients, make more money, and build your brand, we have a few resources that might help:

guide preview

Social Media Marketing 101

Deep-dive into trends, tools, and hashtags that will take your brand – and small business – to the next level.

Get the Guide