Hashtags on Facebook – How To Use Them?

Hashtags on Facebook are great to categorize your content before your audience.

You can’t imagine a social media post on Facebook without a hashtag! Can you?

Social media and hashtags have become synonyms of each other.

Adding hashtags to your Facebook posts is absolutely necessary if you want to expand the reach of your posts or start a social conversation with your audience.

What Are Hashtags?

Hashtags are small clickable links that work as keywords for your social posts. They are denoted by the symbol # (the number sign). Any word that you write after the symbol # is converted into a link that people can click to find your post.

For example, if I am sharing a post on “Why planting trees are important” then my preferred hashtags will be #trees, #oxygen, #plant #saveforest #planttrees, etc.

You need to use popular and relevant hashtags to improve the reach of your social shares.

Who Created The First Hashtag?

Chris Messina is credited to have created the world’s first hashtag on Twitter (yes, not Facebook). This happened back in the year 2007.

He posted the following hashtag in his Twitter account:

how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]

Hence, the first hashtag that ever appeared on the internet is #barcamp.

When Should You Use Hashtags on Facebook?

You should use a Hashtag on Facebook under the following scenarios:

• When you are looking to join a conversation happening around you like #brexit or #incrediblehulk
• If you wish to source fan comments to discuss on-air on your YouTube channel as Street Outlaw does on Facebook.

• When you are looking to engage with your fans or followers and improve your branding. You can use a personalized hashtag for your brand as popular brands use like #JustDoIt by Nike.

How To Create Your Own Hashtag on Facebook?

1- Login to your Facebook profile and you will see an option to type your message.

2- Type your message and add # infront of a word or a phrase that you wish to convert into a hashtag. Remember, there should be no spaces after the #symbol and there should be no spaces between the words in a phrase. As soon as you create your hashtag, you will see it getting converted into a bluelink.

3- Click post and your message is ready to roll!

Do Hashtags Still Work on Facebook in 2020?

Long answer short, yes, hashtags still work on Facebook in 2020. 

Hashtags make your post more searchable. Considering that Facebook handles 1.5 billion searches per day (as of 2018), categorizing your content using hashtags makes sense. However, unlike Twitter and Instagram, you need to take special care when using hashtags on Facebook. 

Peg Fitzpatrick, an industry leader in social media, says, “hashtags connect your content with other people talking about the same thing or looking for information about something. Therefore, it is crucial to use industry-specific hashtags or create your own relevant ones”. 

To make the most out of Facebook hashtags, use one or two hashtags per post. Posts with one or two hashtags receive an average of 593 interactions.

Things To Keep in Mind While Using Hashtags on Facebook

• Use hashtags that really makes sense. Do not just add them simply because they are popular. Relevancy should be your first priority.
• Add industry-specific hashtags when you are looking to reach audiences in a niche.
• Always try to add your own unique touch to your hashtag because people are more likely to remember your brand if you give them a hashtag worth remembering.
• Keep it simple. Using 1-2 hashtags per post is ideal. If you use too many then you might confuse your audience.
• Avoid punctuation because they won’t be picked up by Facebook.
• Check the trending hashtags on Facebook before you prepare your own.
• Always use hashtags in your post because when you creating hashtags, you are increasing your opportunities to get found in search.

What Are The Most Popular Hashtags on Facebook?

Examples of Brands Using Hashtags on Facebook

Nike is one of the excellent examples of brands using hashtags on Facebook. They have created a hashtag out of there tagline, i.e., #justdoit. 

Nike is one of the excellent examples of brands using hashtags on Facebook. They have created a hashtag out of there tagline, i.e., #justdoit. 

Not only Nike, but lots of people have also started using the hashtag #justdoit. 

Nike’s #justdoit is an excellent example of how to make people remember your brand. 

Lays is known for creating some successful hashtag campaigns over the past few years. After the release of their specially designed bags featuring infectious smiles (in support of the Operation Smile), Lays is back with another hashtag, i.e., #smilewithlays.

This hashtag is an excellent idea of how to promote and create buzz around your new products. 

McDonald’s is yet another brand that knows how to leverage hashtags for their advantage. They use various National Food days hashtag to celebrate the occasion. 

The below screenshot depicts how they have used “NationalFrenchFryDay” and “NationalCheeseburgerDay”.

This is a perfect example of how to use hashtags to promote your products on Facebook. 

BOAT, a headphones company, is yet another brand that has created its own hashtag (#PlugIntoNirvana). BOAT collaborated with influencers like Baseer Ali to increase its reach.

L’oreal Paris uses popular hashtags to promote its brand and to encourage engagement. The below screenshot depicts L’oreal Paris asking its user not to shave their beard short this November to win a free travel pouch. It also asks users to tag them to win hampers. 

This is a great example of using popular event hashtags for your advantage.