Facebook is constantly updating its platform, and most recently, Facebook has been looking to make a comeback with hashtags. The first time Facebook introduced hashtags was in 2013, but people were skeptical and didn’t really find it relevant or get in the habit of using them. It’s now 2020, and Facebook thinks hashtags deserve a second chance. Are they worth using? Read on to find out more.
Facebook is a powerful social media platform, especially now that it owns both Instagram and WhatsApp. The platform has huge control of the market, and they likely understand the social landscape better and have their reasons for promoting Facebook Hashtags. However, one question remains relevant – will it work? The answer is both yes, and no. It really depends on how you’ll use the hashtags.
A Facebook hashtag will work better if you’ve linked your Instagram and Facebook accounts. Cross-posting to both channels using hashtags will help boost the reach of your content. However, using the hashtag on Facebook alone will have little to no effect. Here’s why.
According to a 2016 market survey by BuzzSumo, several Facebook posts were analyzed, and those without tags did fairly well compared to those with hashtags – as far as market reach is concerned. It’s now been four years, and tables may have turned, but again, this is just speculation at this point. With Facebook emphasizing them and changing the algorithm to showcase them, we can anticipate some increase in views on posts using hashtags.
Before you can conclude whether hashtags on Facebook are effective or not, you may want to try it first hand and see if it works for you and your business.
With the heated debate on why you should or shouldn’t use Facebook hashtags, it’s pretty clear that they do come with some benefits. We’ve highlighted some of them below.
Hashtags make it easy to check what’s currently trending across the world. Just like with Twitter hashtags, Facebook is looking to bring this on board. For example, if you want your post to reach a larger audience, you want to curate the best content and target the right market. Trends make it easy for you to choose who will be interacting with your posts.
A well-thought-out hashtag will pique the interest of users scrolling news feeds for the latest happenings. You can launch a challenge around a given topic with a hashtag to encourage conversation and engagement. Over the years, marketers have been using hashtags to promote their products and campaigns.
Searching a topic on Facebook can be hectic, considering the volume of content on the platform. By using hashtags, users can easily search and find accurate results on a given theme or topic. You’ll need to use a relevant hashtag that puts your content directly in front of users. This option can be a great addition to promote your content alongside paid adverts.
If you’re looking to try out this resource from Facebook, there are certain things to keep in mind. Just because hashtags work on Twitter and Instagram doesn’t mean it will work for everyone using Facebook. Again, just because people think this feature won’t be useful doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Remember technology and social media have changed a lot in 7 years. Here are the key takeaways.
Hashtags on Facebook could be the next game-changer in social media marketing. Test if they work for you and your business by using the tips above. You may also want to work with other industry leaders whose hashtags are doing better. Just make sure to use a hashtag relevant to the content you’re posting.
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