For users with Facebook business Pages, they may have seen some prompts looking to boost hashtags across Facebook again. However, this shines a light on just how effective hashtags could be on the platform.
Facebook first added the use of hashtags back in 2013 after seeing the positive impacts of the tool on Twitter. However, when Facebook launched hashtags, not that many users actually got into using it. Not that many users were reported to have used tags to search for posts across Facebook. A 2016 study by BuzzSumo which scanned over a billion Facebook Page posts reported that posts without hashtags were able to gain more reach than posts with hashtags. That is why people have been questioning just how value-adding these tags really are.
So why is Facebook bringing it back now?
According to Mari Smith, a Facebook marketing expert, users across the platform have been calling for the addition of hashtags to their posts and are promising that this time around, the hashtags will be more effective and more functional. Facebook is also showing users recommendations of hashtags they can use to further boost their posts.
Theoretically, Facebook will be seeing more users actually use the hashtags. It’s all very hypothetical right now, but Facebook is positive that it would be able to help users access and find more content across the platform.
Implication for Marketers:
Marketers can use this new tool to find a new way to interact with target audiences, and they can also create hashtags that are geared towards boosting engagement for their brands.
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