Before 2007, the # symbol was just a pointless button on your landline phone that you would use sometimes to redial a number. In 2021 the # symbol is known the world over as a symbol that brings people together on discussions.
Chris Messina first invented the hashtag in 2007 to tidy up Twitter, as it was becoming a mess with irrelevant posts each and every day. He wanted it to be used to group threads and discussions together. It wasn’t until 2009 that the hashtag became the search tool we use it as today.
How useful are hashtags? We all know that on Twitter hashtags work, and work well. Every major event around the world has had its own hashtag making it easier for people to find the discussion and add their opinions too e.g. #MeToo, #BLM.
Do hashtags work on other social platforms too? For the most part, yes they do. Instagram uses them well so people can share images and videos of the same topic e.g.#PhotoOfTheDay, #CuteDoggo.
What can they be used for on Facebook? Well, the idea was to use them the same way Twitter does, but they just haven’t taken off as well as Mark Zuckerberg would have liked. In fact, BuzzSumo has analyzed over 1 billion social media posts and has concluded that hashtags actually HARM engagement on Facebook posts.
Before you use hashtags anywhere, the best practice is to research the best hashtags for your industry, just like you would with keyword research for SEO. There are several tools online both free and paid to help you get started.
As part of our strategy service, Socially can help find your best hashtags to use so your posts are seen by the right people.
