Week 7 Part B: How Other Businesses Use Instagram Including Hashtags

For my research, I analyzed five skincare businesses of different sizes to understand how they use Instagram, particularly their hashtag strategies. I wanted to see how companies, from large national brands to smaller local ones, adapt their Instagram use to promote their products and engage with their audiences. The businesses I looked at were:

1. Drunk Elephant (Large, National)

2. Herbivore Botanicals (Mid-sized, National)

3. Indie Lee (Small, National)

4. Primally Pure (Small, Local)

5. Luna Skincare & Apothecary (Small, Local)

Overall, Instagram is an effective platform for all five businesses. Larger brands like Drunk Elephant have the advantage of a massive following, while smaller businesses like Luna Skincare still manage to create loyal, engaged communities.

Hashtags are widely used across all five businesses, but the strategies differ depending on the size and scope of the business. Bigger brands like Drunk Elephant and Herbivore Botanicals use a combination of broad, popular hashtags and branded ones to reach a larger audience. On the other hand, smaller businesses focus more on local or niche hashtags, targeting their specific communities.

The placement of hashtags also varies. Drunk Elephant and Herbivore Botanicals are often include hashtags in the first comment or at the end of the caption to keep things clean and organized, while smaller brands like Luna Skincare use a mix of both. Hashtags are typiclly used to categorize posts based on product types, ingredients, or general wellness topics. I also found that if you search for some of the branded hashtags, posts from these businesses come up showing that their strategy is effective for brand recognition.

 breakdown of the hashtags used by each business:

• Drunk Elephant: #DrunkBreak #CleanBeauty #SkincareRoutine #GlowUp

• Herbivore Botanicals: #HerbivoreMoment #PlantBasedBeauty #NaturalSkincare

• Indie Lee: #IndieLee #GreenBeauty #ToxinFree

• Primally Pure: #PureIngredients #NonToxicSkincare #HealthySkin

• Luna Skincare & Apothecary: #HolisticSkincare #OrganicGlow #LocalBeauty

Business Analisys:

1. Drunk Elephant

   • Followers: 2M

   • Posting Frequency: every week

   • Most Engaging Content: Product launches and customer transformation stories

   • Last Post: Yesterday

   • Likes: 1,000-2,000 sometimes more.

   • Comments: 13-50 per post

2. Herbivore Botanicals

   • Followers: 545K

   • Posting Frequency: Once a Month

   • Most Engaging Content: Ingredient highlights and self-care routines

   • Last Post: Last post on February 2025

   • Likes: 50-200 

   • Comments: 0-400 per post

3. Indie Lee

   • Followers: 140K

   • Posting Frequency: 3 times per week

   • Most Engaging Content: skin care routines, product pictures.

   • Last Post: 1 hr ago

   • Likes: 20-100

   • Comments: 0-50 per post

4. Primally Pure

   • Followers: 465K

   • Posting Frequency: 2-3 times per week

   • Most Engaging Content: Skincare routines and educational posts

   • Last Post: 4 days ago

   • Likes: 100-3,000

   • Comments: 40-1,000 per post sometimes more.

5. Luna Skincare & Apothecary

   • Followers: 3

   • Posting Frequency: Once a month

   • Most Engaging Content: Skin Care tips, products

   • Last Post: January 2025

   • Likes: 1-3

   • Comments: 0 per post

• Consistency is important: Businesses with frequent posts, like Drunk Elephant and Herbivore Botanicals, have a more consistent engagement. Posting regularly seems to keep their followers interested and active.

• Hashtags: Using a variety of hashtags popular ones, niche ones, and branded ones helps increase visibility. While broad hashtags give a wider reach, niche and local hashtags can create a more engaged and loyal following.

• Hashtag placement: The clean, professional look of placing hashtags at the end of the caption or in the first comment works for most of these businesses. It prevents the caption from looking cluttered, which is important for aesthetic posts.

• Engagement with followers: Responding to comments and sharing user-generated content builds community and loyalty. While larger brands get a higher volume of comments, smaller businesses often have more meaningful interactions.

Hashtags for Pure Glow Organics:

Based on my research, here are some hashtags that could work well for my skincare business:

• Popular skincare hashtags: #SkincareLover #CleanBeauty #HealthyGlow

• Niche hashtags: #NonToxicSkincare #EcoFriendlyBeauty #OrganicGlow

• Local hashtags: #CaliforniaBeauty #WestCoastGlow #OrganicLivingSD

Instagram is a powerful tool for both large and small businesses. It can help build brand awareness, engage with followers, and promote products effectively. By implementing a thoughtful hashtag strategy, maintaining consistency in posting, and interacting with followers, I can improve my business’s presence on Instagram and foster a stronger connection with my audience.

I also visited some of my classmates' Instagram pages and commented on their posts. It was interesting to see the different approaches and strategies they use for engagement, and I was able to learn from their content as well. Going forward, I’ll use these insights to refine my Instagram strategy and keep experimenting to see what works best for Pure Glow Organics.