It has happened. Facebook has finally jumped on the bandwagon and adopted the use of hashtags.

But what does this mean for your business marketing, now that any word with a pound symbol in front of it turns into a clickable link? And what does this mean for the privacy of your personal Facebook account when you use hashtags on Facebook? We are here to answer any questions that you may have about the newly released hashtags on Facebook.

Why Add Hashtags?

Facebook users have been adding hashtags to their posts for quite some time—perhaps out of habit, or in the hopes that someday it will bring them the fame that comes from utilizing these on other social networks. Now hashtags on Facebook can be used in the same way that Twitter and Instagram users have been using them for years. (And all of the old, previously irrelevant hashtags you used on Facebook have been made clickable!) Hashtags on Facebook are finally another tool for social media marketing.

Public Communication:

Having clickable and searchable hashtags on Facebook will help users discover subject related content that is already being promoted. Hashtags encourage public conversations in a more streamlined manner than ever before.

By using hashtags on Facebook, a user has the ability to start a conversation with a group of people that they were not necessarily connected to before. Every word made into a hashtag will be grouped into its own status update box. You can now read other people’s reactions to real time events and share your own thoughts as well. As a marketer, you can discuss a wide variety of topics, from popular television shows, to sports, to the latest news events, with now more than just your fans.

Facebook Traffic:

The number of Facebook users is astronomical. According to Greg Lindley, “During primetime television alone, there are between 88 and 100 million Americans engaged on Facebook – roughly a Super Bowl-sized audience every single night.” When you use hashtags on Facebook, you have a chance to be seen by a larger fraction of these people. Instead of a handful of fans interacting with your posts, you have the ability to reach anyone searching for a particular topic. Joining in on a topic relevant to your business puts your brand out there for everyone to see.

Of course, using hashtags on every single word in your posts will do no good for your Facebook marketing. Rather, it is suggested that important topics (such as the brand of hair care you are promoting­) or current events (such as new, buzzed about topics, like #facebookhashtags) be utilized for hashtags on Facebook.

Better Advertisement:

Another plus side of having hashtags on Facebook is that it will help Facebook’s algorithms understand which search terms its consumers are using. As a business, your Facebook ads will now be even more appropriately targeted. The more relevant consumers you reach, the more money it means for your business.

Privacy Factors

With the unveiling of hashtags on Facebook, everyone displayed an immediate worry over privacy. Fortunately, Facebook has made it clear that hashtags will not allow others to invade one’s current privacy settings. Only those who you allow to see your profile and photos can see your hashtags. For example, if your privacy setting only allows friends to see your statuses, your friends will then be the only ones who will see the posts containing a hashtag. It works the same in hashtag searches—only those who have granted permission to have a profile that is public will appear in the results. The reach of your posts will only be extended by hashtags on Facebook if you so choose.

While some social media users may be resistant to change, this new Facebook option opens up a whole new world as a marketing platform. Aside from possible advertising advantages, it makes Facebook an even stronger social forum. You can now extend your reach with the addition of a single symbol.

If you still have questions about how to market your business with hashtags on Facebook, we at Vision Advertising would love to help. We are social media gurus who help our clients stay up-to-date on all of the latest internet trends. Please contact us to learn more.

What do you think of the new hashtags on Facebook? Will you start using hashtags on Facebook?