Facebook introduced hashtags nearly a decade ago, but are they still relevant today? Can you get more visibility or reach the right people using hashtags on Facebook?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Facebook #tags were all the craze on Facebook when introduced in 2013. Can you still recall posts that were followed by a long string of somewhat relevant hashtags that followed the message?
Over time, Facebook hashtag usage dwindled and they went nearly out of use. Now, though, Facebook is reviving this useful tool.
In September 2020, Facebook started to recommend hashtags to add to your posts via a drop-down menu similar to how hashtag recommendations work on other channels. In parallel, the platform also began notifying users that using hashtags on Facebook can boost organic reach, and therefore improve Facebook SEO.
Facebook announced that it reemphasized hashtags as a way of bringing conversations about public events, people, and topics to the forefront. The world’s largest social network took into account the amount of buzz people tend to generate around popular television shows, sport games, and breaking events.
“During primetime television alone, there are between 88 and 100 million Americans engaged on Facebook – roughly a Super Bowl-sized audience every single night,” Greg Lindley stated, when announcing the new feature in the official blog post.
To date, there has not been a more convenient or organized way to monitor events or discussions on Facebook on a grand scale. But now, the roll out of hashtags should help people participate in public conversations they are interested in.
The hashtags work on personal profile posts, fan page posts, group posts, event posts, and all comments.
On any Facebook post, you can click on the hashtag to get redirected to its feed. Note that every hashtag on Facebook has its own unique URL.
In order to create a hashtag on Facebook, simply start typing the first hashtag that’s relevant to your post. Facebook will recognize the hashtag and recommend related and trending Facebook hashtags to use. Add any of the relevant hashtags Facebook is recommending to the post.
Use roughly two to three hashtags on your Facebook post, but test it over time to see what works best for your specific page. Don’t overdo it – you don’t want your post to look like a wall of hashtags; you want to let your copy shine.
The simplest way is to search for a specific hashtag from your search bar, for example, #NBAFinals or you can type facebook.com/hashtag/example into your browser.
Marketers are already using hashtags to reach the right audiences on Facebook. You can actually use the Facebook hashtag search itself to find some great tips and ideas under #hashtagtips including:
You control who sees your posts, including those with hashtags. Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith summed up all the hashtag related privacy settings as follows:
As the famous quote by Peter Drucker goes “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” If you want to make the best use of Facebook hashtags you have to understand the impact they have on your posts.
Using our platform you can easily see the engagement trends of all your posts making it simple to compare posts with different hashtags. In addition, you can track hashtags on Facebook you use using our listening platform, which even lets you see the sentiment trends behind the conversations they generate.
If you’re serious about your hashtags getting traction, get a personalized demo of the full solution.
Mantas heads up the content marketing team at Socialbakers. He’s worked in digital marketing for over 10 years now, regularly writes articles on marketing and digital trends, and also runs a personal podcast called This Is Not a Marketing Podcast.