Hashtags are Changing - Are you Keeping up?

In 2025, the landscape of social media continues to shift beneath our feet, forcing salon pro’s into adjusting digital strategies and redefining how we engage with audiences. For salon professionals like you, the ever-evolving nature of digital marketing presents a unique challenge: staying relevant amidst the constant change.

#Hashtags, once the darlings of social media engagement, played a pivotal role in connecting content with potential clients. But are they still necessary or effective for salon professionals in this brave new world of digital communication? Or, are they a thing of the past (some may say they’re SO 2024!) Let’s get into it in this blog post!

The Rise of the Hashtag

Back in the day, hashtags were powerfully potent tools. Born on Twitter in 2007, hashtags quickly became a fixture across all major social media platforms. For salons, they offered a surefire way to categorize content, increase discoverability, and connect with potential clients. Leveraging popular hashtags allowed salon businesses to enter trending conversations and market their services to wider audiences. Hashtags created a direct line between social media efforts and salon SEO objectives, with the potential to boost web traffic and enhance online visibility.

Algorithms and Discoverability

The algorithms governing social media platforms have grown increasingly sophisticated, learning user preferences to curate highly personalized user experiences. Hashtags used to hold the power to catapult content into virality, serving as essential keywords that bridged the gap between what users searched for and what they found. However, with algorithms now recognizing dozens of digital signals such as user interactions, content quality, and posting time, hashtags no longer enjoy exclusivity in determining discoverability. For salons, this means a strategic amalgamation of high-quality imagery, compelling storytelling, and concise messaging is just as crucial as using the right hashtags.

Hashtags and SEO: A Modern Perspective for Salon Professionals

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) remains a cornerstone of successful digital marketing. While hashtags were once tightly interwoven with SEO strategies, their significance today is more nuanced. The line between social media and traditional search engine optimization continues to blur, suggesting that while hashtags can accentuate your SEO efforts, they should not be the sole focus.

The key lies in crafting hashtags that are not just popular, but also relevant and specific to your salon's brand, location, and services. When integrated into a wider digital marketing strategy that includes comprehensive website design and innovative paid advertising, hashtags can still play a role in boosting your salon's online presence.

Want to see how your salon's website does on the SEO front?! Click HERE for a FREE SEO Analysis!

The Role of Hashtags in 2025

So, are hashtags necessary in 2025 for your salon's digital strategy? The simple answer is that their role has evolved. They are no longer the only driving force behind social media visibility but remain a valuable complement to a wider strategy. Hashtags should be selectively employed, emphasizing relevance over quantity.

In a market where customers value authenticity and engagement over mere exposure, attention should be directed toward building a strong brand voice, crafting unique content, and utilizing a responsive loyalty rewards program to retain clients. Utilize hashtags to engage with specific communities, such as #EcoFriendlySalons or #BalayageLovers, to reach target demographics more effectively. If you’re not ready to hop off the hashtag train, make sure to include 3-5 RELEVANT, SEO rich hashtags to make the most of your #’s!

If you're interested on handing off the role of Social Media Management so you can focus on other areas on your salon business, you'll want to check out our S.O.S. services!

Conclusion

While the hashtag may not reign supreme as it once did, it continues to hold a space in the salon professional's toolkit—its role evolving from essential to complementary. By strategically employing (limited) hashtags alongside expert social media management and innovative digital marketing services, your salon or spa can thrive online in 2025 and beyond!

Salon S.O.S. is on a mission to make sure every salon professional can have online marketing tools that grow your business at extremely affordable prices.  From websites for salons, to salon loyalty programs, social media marketing for salons, SEO for hair salons and so much more, we are here as your go-to resource for all things digital marketing for salons and spas.  

For even more digital marketing goodness, check out our YouTube Marketing Academy as well as all the resources and support we have for you here on our website

Digitally Yours,

The Team at Salon S.O.S