Waseem Saddique Marketing Services, an online marketing solutions service provider, examines the early impact of Facebook Hashtags and makes the case for business brands to get on board.
The Facts
According to Social Media Today, in the first two weeks of
hashtags being launched and made clickable some very interesting stats emerged:
·
56% of the top 100 brands on Facebook used
hashtags in a post
·
38% of the top 100 brands on Facebook posted at
least two updates with hashtags
·
18% of the top 100 brands on Facebook posted
more than five times using hashtags
·
6% of the top 100 brands on Facebook posted more
than 10 times using hashtags
Waseem Saddique comments: “If big
name brands have embraced the use of hashtags on Facebook, it makes sense for
all business brands, on Facebook, to follow suit.”
Hashtags on Facebook are a relatively
new addition however; hashtags have existed on other social networking sites
since their inception. The # is most commonly associated with Twitter and other
social media sites such as Google+ and Instagram soon followed suit.
For many social media analysts it
came as no surprise that Facebook joined the hashtag revolution, as they allow
users to keep track of information, conversation threads and their favourite
business brands.
Why do businesses bother with hashtags?
Simple, it allows them to
implement interactive and unique conversation threads that are relevant to the
business brand. It also allows companies to establish a consistent brand
message spanning multiple social media channels. For instance, now that
Facebook has initialised hashtags brands that upload a large amount of visual
content on Instagram or Twitter can make it simple for their followers to see a
consistent message that carries a consistent message across many platforms.
How to use Facebook hashtags
The most important aspect of
using Facebook hashtags is to create a tag relevant to your brand. It should be
unique; to avoid getting lost in the clutter, but not too obscure otherwise
followers will not engage with it.
The Facebook help centre provides
a practical example of how to use its hashtags:
‘Hashtags transform subjects and
phrases into clickable links in your posts on your personal timeline or Page.
This helps people find posts about topics they’re interested in. To make a
hashtag, write # (the number sign) along with a topic or phrase (written as one
word) and add it to your post. For example:
I walked up so many hills today!
#SanFrancisco
When you click a hashtag, you’ll
see a feed of posts that include that hashtag. You'll also see some related
hashtags at the top. You can search for a hashtag using the search bar at the
top of any page.’
Waseem Saddique says: “To enhance
your business brand on Facebook, hashtags represent the best course of action.
They’re target specific, yet flexible, allowing users to implement unique
conversation topics and quirky & catchy slogans that capture interest and
provoke intrigue.”
Facebook hashtags have featured
prominently over the last couple of weeks, particularly in recent news stories
including: #royalbaby in relation to the impending birth of Prince William and
Kate’s baby, #georgezimmerman and the not guilty verdict given in relation to
Trayvon Martin’s murder and #iOS7 marking the launch of the new Apple
iPhone.
