Do hashtags work on Facebook?

Supreme hashtag. Twitter clearly uses this. Also on Instagram and Google+. What about Facebook?

“Has Facebook caught the trend, and if so, what does this mean for the social media giant?”

The answer is “Yes,” and if Facebook is to be believed, the future of the social platform looks even brighter in terms of tools to enable conversation discovery.

Include Facebook Hashtag

Hashtagging was already popular for 6 years before Facebook finally took action in 2013. So what exactly was it that made the billion-dollar platform finally open up to concept?

In short, Facebook wanted to give its users and advertisers an easier way to find trending conversations, events and topics. Enabling the use of hashtags on the platform can really be seen as a good start. This allowed users to engage with their topics in real time and advertisers to reach a specific audience much faster. While a hashtag is something added to the end of a conversation or post, users can now create posts directly from a searched hashtag or hashtag feed.

Hashtags were already used on Zuckerburg’s social media platform, but had not yet been made clickable or searchable. Instagram, which Facebook acquired in 2011, was already heavily populated with a plethora of hashtags ranging from #nofilter to #followme. So what’s taking Facebook so long?

Perhaps the Facebook API needed a lot more work to incorporate the hashtag feature into its framework. Perhaps they were waiting for a more appropriate reason, such as the success of existing Twitter marketing campaigns, before reckoning with the future.

Whatever the reason, Facebook has long embraced the hashtag and committed to producing additional features to make more conversations stand out.

Tips for Using Hashtags on Facebook

Using hashtags in your posts not only draws attention to a particular topic, but can also help you build your business, drive traffic to a particular site and, if done right, garner a heavy following.

1. It is not advisable to overuse hashtags, as you are more likely to procrastinate; this is the opposite of what the feature should be used for. Most experts agree that using just 1 or 2 hashtags in your posts is OK to convey your purpose without distraction.
2. If you want to have a conversation around a particular topic, make sure the hashtag is likewise specific. Wanting to involve people in wildlife conservation will benefit more than something like #Conservative Wildlife or #Protect Animals, #SavetheTigersBearsCheetahsHippos. However, if the focus of the conversation is saving Bengal tigers in China, then #SavetheChinaBengals would be more appropriate.
3. Make sure to capitalize the first letter of each prominent word on the topic to attract more attention. #SchwartzSnoCones are much easier to spot than #schwartzsnocones. Your hashtag should also be unique while remaining relevant.
4. Add hashtags even when posting on a mobile device. I dare say that doing this via mobile is even more popular, especially considering that life is ubiquitous. Have you seen a celebrity at your favorite restaurant? Hashtag it. Have you just completed the sale of your new home? Hashtag it. Can’t believe how great that hamburger you had for lunch was? You know what to do.
5. If you catch a conversation accompanied by a hashtag that already reflects a conversation similar to yours, join. Build a deeper conversation by adding their own hashtags to yours along with a related post. This will only help you reach a wider audience. Again, be careful not to overdo it with additional hashtags. This will only serve to distract the traffic of the conversation from its off-topic and main purpose.
6. Prevent hashtag hacking by staying vigilant. Once a hashtag is created, it becomes free to use by anyone. If the wrong people get their hands on it, the original issue can quickly sink into a hole of negativity. Be careful and try to direct your hashtag’s traffic towards its intended use.

Is Hashtag Privacy a Thing on Facebook?

Privacy is definitely still a thing at Facebook, and that includes hashtags. If you set your posts as friends only, only your friends can see your hashtag conversations. To attract a larger audience you will need to open your page to more viewers and this may or may not be comfortable for you.

There is a caveat. Broadcasting a public conversation with a hashtag actually makes the hashtag visible and clickable to everyone. This includes anyone looking at your friend’s feed. So you can create a hashtag that follows your friend while keeping only their privacy settings. However, people cannot search for your hashtag unless they are friends of your account.

Any post that is set up as private or as a friend will be just that. This includes anything your friends can post within the conversation. What your friend’s friends can see they have published but not what you posted.

Should You Use Hashtags on Facebook?

As a user who wants to have deep conversations on a global scale or to draw attention to a remarkable, trendy topic, yes. Why? I don’t believe there’s any harm in speaking your mind, finding your voice, and letting people hear it and intervene.

From a business perspective, hashtag usage on other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram has seen its share of growth over the years. But the Facebook character limit is pretty low, especially when compared to the recent upgrade to Twitter’s tweet limit. This causes marketers to be a little more picky about what their posts may entail and which hashtags are best used for the few spaces allowed.

Some brands have completely ignored hashtags on Facebook. Others choose to publish them as needed. Since there is no direct correlation between the use of hashtags and the increase or decrease in engagement on Facebook, it is ultimately up to the business to decide whether using them is worth the effort.

In the end, for businesses, it’s all about social listening and following social media trends to gain exposure and growth.