You’ve seen people use hashtags on your Facebook newsfeed before, but did you know that they will now be functional? This week, Facebook introduced clickable hashtags to its site platform. These hashtags will function similarly to other social networks’ hashtags, including Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest or Instagram.
According to Facebook’s Newsroom , the introduction of clickable hashtags on Facebook will allow users to “add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion”. People already use Facebook to give their opinions on a variety of subjects – for example, the recent Game of Thrones “Red Wedding” episode received over 1.5 million mentions on Facebook – a significant amount of the estimated 5.2 million viewers of the show.
The clickable hashtags will allow you to view public posts and your friends’ posts that include the same hashtag. You will also be able to search for a specific hashtag in your search bar, and also click on hashtags that have originated on other serves (for example, if a picture is imported directly from Instagram, it may include hashtags from the Instagram comment – which will now also be useable on Facebook).
What could these hashtags mean for your business?
For starters, they can help you get a better picture of what your clients think of your business. By monitoring the hashtag feed, you can get a real-time look at what users are saying and follow their conversations. Look for social media monitoring tools to integrate this into their platforms in the near future. Keep in mind, though, that only public hashtags will appear in the search – so your company might be missing out on some of the “Friends Only” hashtagged posts.
Sales & Marketing Technologies is Central Florida's most established Digital marketing and web development company. We can build your social media marketing strategy and help get your business engaged in the social conversation. To find out more of what we can do for your business, contact us today.