Facebook started encouraging the use of hashtags in July 2020. They actually created a notification stating that using hashtags can improve your reach. So how do we use them to our advantage? A social butterfly’s digital marketer could be crucial to your success.
Using Hashtags On Facebook
Hashtags on Facebook first launched in 2013 with an update in 2016. But hashtags never really took off or made much difference on Facebook. Some reports even showed that using hashtags on Facebook might lower organic reach. Many users also auto-publish Instagram posts to Facebook along with hashtags which never looked right. Until now!
Who Will See Your Posts?
As with all content on Facebook, you can control the privacy settings. If you include hashtags in a personal profile post with your privacy set to friends only, then that post *can* appear in the post feed page BUT will only be visible to your friends.
The same goes for private groups. private groups. Including hashtags in your Facebook group posts is standard practice now. However, with group posts, yes they can also appear in the hashtag post feed page, but ONLY for members of that group.
You can always check the little privacy icon next to the time stamp on any post. The globe is always public. The group of three people is groups. Two people is friends. The gear icon is custom settings which you may see on personal profile posts and/or business page posts, meaning visible to only specific audiences.
Tips For Using Hashtags On Facebook
Here’s some tips on how to use hashtags on Facebook:
- See what hashtags are trending by typing suggestions in the search bar.
- On the main Facebook mobile app, start typing your desired hashtags and Facebook will make additional suggestions:
- Definitely include hashtags in your Facebook posts.
- Create sets of hashtags to paste into various posts for specific purposes.
- Use Meta’s Creator Studio/Business Suite) andsee the option to click the ‘#’ symbol. This is where Facebook provides a place to search, save and add hashtags.
- Use a mix of trending hashtags along with some lower ranking ones. Also add some very niche ones.
- Consider creating your own unique hashtag to add to all your posts.
On Facebook’s latest design, whenever you begin to type a hashtag, Facebook automatically suggests hashtags for you. Just like on Instagram.
As you can see, automatic hashtags populate a dropdown menu..
How Many Hashtags Should I Use On Facebook?
Technically you can use as many as you like. But adding 3-5 key hashtags is the best strategy.. Maybe expand to 10-15. Have a play around and see what works.
Maybe go back through some of your best performing Facebook posts and add some hashtags. Add a comment too and see if some of your followers comment, too. This activates Facebook’s “Story Bump” algorithm. It could help more people discover your content easier, especially video posts.
The #SupportSmallBusiness
In May 2020, Facebook introduced a series of features to help support small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
On Instagram, the #supportsmallbusiness hashtag currently has over 55M posts. However, hashtags simply been much more widely utilized on Instagram than Facebook.
Following Hashtags
Another major difference between hashtags feeds on both platforms is that Instagram allows users to follow hashtags. Facebook does not.That’s not to say they won’t add it on the future.
Call To Action Button
Facebook encourages visitors to hashtag pages to add their own post with a call-to-action button.
Facebook encourages others to create their own post using the hashtag #supportsmallbusiness.
Join The Challenge Buttons
Facebook also has ‘Create Post’ buttons on posts with certain challenge hashtags to boost engagement.
Facebook Feed For #Hashtags
The hashtag post feed pages are easy to navigate. Just type any #hashtag in the search bar.
Are users making more use of these hashtag post feed pages? Time will soon tell. Whatever the case, we want to include relevant hashtags in all posts now. Naturally, we want to reach a bigger audience. Even if this gets you a small increase, it’s worth the effort.
Do You Need A Digital Marketer?
As more customers use social media to browse, connect and purchase, your digital marketer needs to have social media know-how. Most businesses realise how important it is to measure the impact and efficiency of the content that appears on their social media pages. If content is posted without real strategy, you could be damaging your brand’s reputation without even realising.
Social Butterflies are experts in building brand awareness and popularity. We are here to bring your social media profiles back to life with quality content and regular and strategically planned engagement. You will get your own digital marketer to help you on this journey.
As part of any wider digital marketer campaign, our team can plan, manage and grow your social accounts with engaging content that keeps your profile up to date and visually striking.
