Since its creation, the hashtag has become a centerpiece of social media. Hashtags allow your posts to be searchable and more visible, so they should be a staple in your social media strategy. You may already know how to use them on Instagram and Twitter, but you might be asking: what's the deal with hashtags on Facebook? We've got answers.
Before you can know how to use hashtags in your own Facebook posts, you should learn from the best. Follow popular pages and businesses to learn how they are using hashtags. You can also analyze your competitors' hashtags to see what they use and when and why they use them. Lastly, take a look at some of your followers' posts to get a sense of what they talk about, and then you can choose tags for your own posts that target your audience's interests.
Give your posts an extra layer of branding by using one or two original hashtags consistently. For example, a branded hashtag for Random could be #TheRandomBlog. Including a tag unique to your business in your Facebook post leaves the audience with a sense of who you are and an opportunity to check out the other posts you've made with the same hashtag.
You've probably seen plenty of Facebook posts that are so loaded with hashtags you can barely make sense of what the user is trying to say. Basically, avoid doing that. On Facebook, fewer hashtags equals more engagement. Try to limit your tags to no more than three per post.
When including multiple hashtags in a post, balance the popularity of the tags. Use a hashtag generator like this one from Inflact to find hashtags by keyword, photo, or URL and see how often they're used. Choose a mix of tags that are popular (in the millions), average (100k-500k), and rare (less than 100k). Use hashtags related to your industry and the audience you are trying to reach.
Be sure to use hashtags that are specific to the topic of your post, your business or industry, and the audience you are targeting. If your tags are popular but not relevant, your post might be more visible but it won't reach your target audience. If your tags are too obscure, nobody will be searching for them. Finding the delicate balance between relevance and specificity might take some practice, but the result is worth it. Check out some more hashtag tips below.
Another part of choosing and creating hashtags that takes practice is the length. If your tag is too wordy, it will be difficult for users to read. Here's an example of what not to do: #internationaltravelerandphotographer. Long hashtags like this can often be broken down into smaller ones that will generate more engagement: #international #travel #photographer. To make tags even easier to read, you can capitalize the first letter of each word in the hashtag.
If you're ready to start leveraging hashtags for your brand, contact us today to see how our team can help you build a custom hashtag strategy for your business.
