So far, posts on Facebook have performed better without hashtags. That could change now. Facebook hashtags will be pushed in the future. We explain what social media managers and companies need to know about the use of hashtags.
Instagram and Twitter would hardly work without the use of hashtags. In the meantime, the picture network is concentrating more on stories. Nevertheless, contributions from companies in particular achieve a higher reach when they work with hashtags.
On Facebook, the hash mark was previously more of a disruptive factor. In the past, hardly any users searched for specific content on the platform using hashtags. The social network was and is simply not made for this.
However, this could soon change. Company boss Mark Zuckerberg wants to push the Facebook hashtags.
Facebook shows you suggestions for Facebook hashtags
When you create a Facebook post and start to set a hashtag, social networking now shows you matching suggestions.
For example, if you enter the hashtag “Music”, Facebook will also suggest the hashtags for “Musician” and “Music Connects”. You can also see how many posts there are for each hashtag on the platform. The company itself has published a short guide to this.
So the platform makes it easier for you to find and use popular hashtags. However, companies should not blindly use arbitrary hashtags – as is the case with Instagram – but should remain mainly specific as usual.
Otherwise the contributions are in danger of being lost. This way they might lose reach.
What companies need to know about the use of hashtags
Users have been able to search for hashtags using the search box for quite some time. Another new feature is that Facebook now plays out personal notifications for hashtags that match the respective user behavior.
But what does this mean for companies? Should they immediately start using more hashtags?
Facebook hashtags should be individually integrated into their own social media strategy. Of course, the first step is to find the right hashtags for you.
Ideally, you should use hashtags that are related to your company or brand. For example, if you sell yoga mats, a generic hashtag like “yoga” would be a good choice. But you should not overdo it with that.
And the same applies to Facebook hashtags: less is more. Choose one or a maximum of five hashtags to avoid being obtrusive. This is already enough to achieve a higher range.
The mixture of generic, community and brand hashtags
Specifically, you should look for a mixture of generic and so-called community and brand hashtags.
Generic hashtags are those that describe general topics such as love, music, yoga and so on. Under such hashtags you will find a variety of posts, under which your posts will most likely be lost quickly.
Community hashtags describe topics with social relevance. With them you can show political attitude, position yourself clearly and address your target group personally. Examples are hashtags for “Monday Mood” or in skin care “rough skin”.
Brand hashtags are specifically designed for your company. You should always hashtag the name of your company, because all contributions to you are collected under it. They are the most important hashtags for you.
How important are hashtags on Facebook right now?
The hashtags are not currently critical to your success on Facebook. You still reach most users when they have subscribed to your page or when you post ads.
Nevertheless, you can start experimenting with hashtags – especially since it’s not a big effort.
You can also very well coordinate your hashtags for Facebook and Instagram. Basically, it’s a good idea to prepare content specifically for each platform, but still follow a clear line and convey a consistent image.
