Hashtags (#) were created as shorthand tools that help us remember and organize large amounts of information. They're often used by social media companies like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., but you can also apply them to your own personal conversations. Hashtag usage isn't limited to just social media sites either — even Google uses hashtags in its searches!
Let's take a look at how to add a hashtag to a post on Facebook so we can see more relevant results while searching or browsing. We'll explore what hashtags mean for events, why you should consider creating one, and some best practices to keep in mind before doing this.
Yes, hashtags do indeed work with status updates on Facebook. You can put up to 30 characters (including spaces), which means you could include pretty much anything from numbers to words to symbols. For example, if I wanted to say something along the lines of "I'm going out tonight," I'd probably write "#nightout." If I had a party later today, I might tweet #party instead. And, yes, people still tend to use these types of hashtags regularly.
So, now that you know hashtags work on Facebook, let's get into the nitty-gritty of their real world applications. Why create a hashtag for an event?
Why hashtags are important for an event
When planning any sort of public gathering or activity, there are many things to think about. How big is the crowd? What type of food will be served? Where will the bathrooms be located? Who will run sound? These things are all crucial questions to ask yourself when deciding how to plan your upcoming event. But another question worth considering is whether or not you want to allow participants to share photos and videos via social media during/after the event. A great way to achieve this goal is to implement a hashtag system.
A hashtag is simply a string of letters followed by the forward slash character ("#"). This makes your chosen tag easier to identify within different platforms' feeds. When someone creates a new event post, you can then click on the hashtag icon under the text box. Then search through your feed to find posts related to whatever topic you've tagged the event with. Here's a quick list of ways to choose wisely:
Choose a generic name that describes the overall theme of your event. It doesn't matter too much exactly what the title ends up being because everyone else will likely come up with similar names anyway. Common examples would include #wedding, #birthdayparty, or #fundraiser.
Decide on a specific date range for your event. The ideal time frame depends entirely upon the type of event you’re hosting. Some may only need days leading up to the day of the actual event, whereas others could extend weeks after. Choose a timeframe that works well with the amount of time you’ll need to prepare for everything.
Create descriptive tags that describe each individual activity associated with your event. While the first three suggestions above are good enough for most occasions, you may want to go deeper depending on what kind of event you’re holding. Maybe you’ve got a birthday celebration coming up. In that case, you’d want to tag your event with a phrase such as “Happy Birthday.” Or maybe you’re having a fundraiser where attendees donate money to a certain cause. In that scenario, you’d want to set up separate tags for donations, raffles, auctions, thank yous, and more.
Think ahead and decide whether you wish to post pictures and video clips taken throughout the course of the event online. To avoid confusion, you’ll want to assign unique titles to every photo you upload. This helps viewers easily distinguish between each image based on its respective caption. Another tip is to use captions that contain keywords pertaining to the event itself rather than general terms. Doing so allows other potential attendees to quickly locate your page by typing those exact phrases into Google Images or Bing Image Search.
Remember to try and limit the number of hashtags per event. Too many hashtags can become overwhelming for followers. On top of that, lengthy hashtags can lose their effectiveness over time since newer ones may replace older ones. However, stick with around six to eight maximum unless you absolutely need more. If necessary, feel free to split longer hashtags up into smaller chunks.
One last thing to note: Don't forget to check to ensure that no sensitive topics fall under the category of your particular hashtag(s). Certain themes like politics, religion, sexuality, or violence shouldn't feature anywhere near your event. Also, don't use a hashtag that contains profanity or vulgar language. Remember that hashtags aren't meant to offend anyone, but they can definitely lead to lost friendships and relationships due to offensive jokes or memes.
Finally, always keep in mind that you're representing your brand on social media, so don't ever violate any trademarks or copyrights. Be mindful of the fact that your audience members won't necessarily have prior knowledge of hashtagging etiquette or proper formatting rules. So again, educate yourselves on how to properly utilize hashtags on social media.
Now that we've covered the basics, here are two more tips that may prove helpful when adding hashtags to Facebook posts:
Use long hashtags sparingly and strategically. Longer hashtags are usually harder to read, and therefore less efficient compared to shorter versions. Plus, they can sometimes appear garbled depending upon font size and color scheme. Try making short, memorable hashtags that stand out without sacrificing efficiency.
Don't abuse the power of hashtags. Never spam or force hashtags onto unrelated posts. Use hashtags appropriately whenever possible, especially when sharing links to articles or blog entries.
As previously mentioned, hashtags play a significant role in helping users discover interesting posts across various platforms. Event organizers understand this concept quite well, hence why they often integrate hashtags into their plans. If you're looking to host an event, follow our previous guidelines listed above regarding choosing appropriate hashtags. From there, you can begin assigning tags to each aspect of the planned festivities. Consider including hashtags like #eventname, #venuelocation, #dateofevent, #attendees, and #organizerallocation.
For instance, if you're organizing a charity walkathon, you could tag each entry with #walkathon. Furthermore, you can provide additional details behind each hashtag, such as the location of the event, date, time, and even registration info. Other ideas include tagging items donated towards a prize giveaway, or dividing your guests randomly into teams.
You can also use hashtags to mark locations, such as #locatedincityxyz. As an added bonus, this technique also has practical benefits for mobile device users. Since most phones automatically open apps according to GPS settings, they can actually benefit from this method. Just tap on a tag once inside city limits to navigate directly to that area. For example, you could potentially save gas by driving straight home after attending an event.
Another cool idea is to use hashtags to track attendance records. For example, if you hold weekly trivia nights, you may want to use #ticketsissuedperweek. Doing so ensures that you can accurately gauge how successful each week was, without needing to count tickets manually.
In addition to keeping tabs on ticket sales, this approach can also simplify accounting duties. Instead of counting cash receipts separately, you can group together all transactions under a single hashtag.
Keep in mind that hashtags aren't the only option available for tracking attendance. There are plenty of alternatives, ranging from QR codes to barcodes. Regardless of which tool you prefer, however, the end result should remain the same: figuring out how many people attended your event.
Hashtags are an essential tool for social media marketers, but how exactly do we go about creating them and using them effectively? This article is intended as a quick introduction to what hashtags actually mean, why they’re useful, and how to get started with them yourself.
A hashtag (also known as a hash tag or a pound sign) is simply an additional word that gets added after any given phrase. For example, if someone says “I went to London last week,” then adds #London, this means anyone searching for those words can see all of their tweets appear under one heading — even though there were separate events taking place. This makes finding topics easier than ever before, especially if people aren't following everyone individually.
It's worth noting here that not every service offers the ability to add hashtags in its native language. Twitter does allow for some customization, however, so check out our guide to adding emojis to Twitter if you'd like to learn more.
Why Is It Useful To Use A Hashtag When Creating Content On Social Media Platforms?
When you post something online, whether it be a photo, video, message, etc., these platforms save everything automatically and provide links back to these items themselves. However, hashtags allow for better organization by identifying specific keywords within messages.
Let's say you're posting photos from a recent trip abroad, but want to keep things organized rather than listing each individual image separately. You could list each picture alphabetically, which would take ages to scroll through, or you could put together collages of images related to certain themes such as "beach" or "food." By doing both, you'll still have time-saving benefits while increasing engagement at the same time.
If you've been wondering where to start with building your presence on Instagram, try learning how to grow your followers organically with tips for beginners!
In addition to organizing information, hashtags also help brands stand apart from others by giving them a chance to show off their unique identities. If you run a restaurant called The Best Burger In Town With No Doubt, for instance, you may decide to brand that name specifically across various channels. And, if you don't already, you should consider making sure your website has a recognizable logo too.
There are many different ways to type a hashtag into a tweet, but the easiest way to begin is usually typing two hashes (#) followed by whatever keyword you wish to include in the text itself. So, you might write "#BestBurger," although this doesn't work well because people often misspell the symbol. Instead, you could write "#bestburgerintown."
You can also choose to follow hashtags created by others to connect with similar communities and gain new supporters. Keep scrolling down for ideas on how to discover trending hashtags, plus how to use them.
Although there isn't much difference between creating your own hashtag versus borrowing someone else's, sometimes getting creative is good practice anyway. There are several tools available that let you easily format and customize your hashtag, including Tagged and Hashify.
To use Hashify, first select the size of font that you prefer (you can change the color later). Then enter your desired hashtag and click Generate Code. Afterward, copy and paste the code onto your social network profile or anywhere else that supports HTML formatting.
Tagged is another great option for customizing your hashtag, allowing you to choose colors and fonts along with changing the URL appearance. Once again, copy and paste the generated link onto whichever platform suits best.
Another alternative would be to design your own logo. Although this process takes longer, it gives you full control over how your company looks, whereas most services only offer basic templates to pick from. Plus, branding your own hashtags lets you set your standards higher for future promotions.
Yes, absolutely. As long as you stick to regular English grammar rules, you shouldn't come off badly for doing so. Remember, however, that anything written online tends to age faster than normal speech. Even if you think no one will notice, a few years down the road people may wonder why you used a particular hashtag instead of a more traditional choice.
So, when deciding upon your chosen hashtag, remember that you need to appeal to as wide of a range of audiences as possible without being offensive. Try to avoid negative connotations associated with certain languages, religions, races, genders, politics, etc. Also, make sure that it remains relevant throughout the year since it won't necessarily always apply to current trends.
Keep scrolling down for more resources on how to incorporate hashtags into your marketing strategy.
Branding your hashtags allows you to further differentiate yourself from competitors. While anyone can call themselves "The World Famous Chefs Of New York City" or "World Class Pilots Who Love Their Families," you typically earn respect when you take ownership of your identity.
For starters, you can promote a single event by attaching it to your personal account. People interested in attending will know exactly what to look forward to without needing to hunt around for details. Next, you could expand on this idea by hosting contests based on hashtags. These kinds of campaigns are becoming increasingly popular among influencers today.
After establishing authenticity, you can build trust with potential customers by providing reliable updates and news. Not only does this encourage ongoing engagement, but it builds loyalty amongst your audience members. Finally, you can reach even more clients by connecting with your target group via your branded hashtags.
As mentioned above, not every business offers the opportunity to brand your hashtags directly. Luckily, there are plenty of apps designed to give you complete freedom over your social profiles. One of the simplest options is Buffer, which provides integration with dozens of networks including Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, Tumblr, and Snapchat.
With Buffer, you can share your latest blog posts straight from WordPress or Medium, schedule Tweets ahead of time, and upload videos right from YouTube. Furthermore, you can manage multiple accounts simultaneously and receive notifications whenever someone interacts with your shared content.
Plus, the app includes analytics tracking capabilities so you can monitor the success of your efforts. Check out this tutorial on how to integrate Buffer into your workflow for detailed instructions on setting up an account.
Now that you understand how to create and use hashtags, what next steps should you take towards growing your social media presence? We hope you found our article helpful! Now you can move onwards and upwards with your social media goals.
Facebook has become one of the most popular social media platforms, and with this comes lots of different ways that people can connect with others online. One way to do so is through using hashtags. Hashtags are used to group similar topics together under specific categories – think #Fashion or #Technology.
Hashtag usage on Twitter and Instagram is well-known, but did you know that there's an alternative method of doing so on Facebook too? It works very similarly to how hashtags work elsewhere, only instead of adding them at the end of your post, you add them right before posting it! This allows you to reach out to even more people within your niche by creating new connections.
So what exactly does a hashtag mean on Facebook? What makes sense as a good hashtag on Facebook? And how can you actually implement these hashtags into your posts? Let's take a look...
A hashtag (or pound sign) is essentially just another word that gets added onto the end of your status update. So if I were to write "I'm going shopping later today," my friends would see "I'm going shopping later today #fashion" after my post. When someone searches for fashion, their news feed may show me up alongside all of the updates from people who also like fashion. That means anyone searching for something specifically related to fashion might stumble upon an article about it while scrolling through their feeds. Essentially, hashtags allow you to label yourself among various groups, communities, and niches.
You can come up with any name for your own hashtag, although common ones include words such as #like, #follow, #newbie, etc. You could call yours "The Ultimate Guide To...", which then allows those seeking information about the topic to filter down to articles and videos relevant to what they're looking for. If you want to get really creative with your naming conventions, try coming up with random names first until you find something catchy enough to stick with. Then go ahead and start tagging your posts accordingly.
In addition to helping you discover things you'd otherwise never hear about, hashtags can be helpful tools for connecting with others. For example, let's say you run a business selling home goods. Some hashtags you might consider including are related to your product line, such as "#soapboxes". A person interested in buying soap boxes might check out your page to see whether you sell them, and vice versa. Using hashtags is also a great way to interact directly with followers without having to reply to comments individually.
While hashtags definitely help you organize your thoughts and ideas better than traditional methods, it depends on the type of company you operate. While many companies use hashtags internally to keep track of conversations, some brands use them externally to reach customers. For instance, large corporations often use hashtags on social media to announce events they'll attend, promotions they've launched, or campaigns they're running. Brands also use hashtags for customer service purposes—if a user sees a tweet saying "We regret to inform you that we cannot ship products outside of Canada due to poor weather conditions", they won't feel disappointed because they already assumed that was true.
If you're unsure whether or not you should use hashtags on Facebook for your brand, ask yourself what kind of audience you want to appeal to. Are they young adults between 18-35 years old? Or are they older individuals over 65 years old? Do they tend to lean towards sports teams? Then maybe you should focus on using marketing strategies to attract younger audiences. Another thing to remember is that no matter what industry you belong to, you don't always need to use hashtags. Your best bet is finding out what other businesses in your field typically do and incorporating that into your strategy.
Another consideration is what kind of material you publish. There's nothing wrong with sharing informative links or blog posts, but you shouldn't share everything you produce exclusively. Not everyone wants to read long paragraphs every time they scroll past your cover photo, especially since Facebook tends to display photos and short clips rather than full length pages. In fact, studies suggest that shorter posts receive higher engagement rates compared to longer ones. Plus, you want to give your readers something fresh to enjoy each day.
When deciding on what hashtags to incorporate into your Facebook posts, you should choose keywords that aren't overly broad. You wouldn't necessarily want to tag your post #Foodie if you don't eat food much, for example. Choose hashtags that pertain to your particular niche, however general or unique they might seem. The key here is being mindful of what terms other people might use to describe your business, and making sure your tags stay relatively close to what people would use themselves.
Once you've decided on a few hashtags, pick two primary ones that relate closely to your niche and place them near the top of your title bar. These are likely to appear in bold text, so you want them to stand out. After that, fill out the rest of your titles with secondary hashtags. They usually won't appear as prominently, and therefore won't draw attention away from the main ones.
One potential pitfall worth noting is the risk of appearing spammy. People generally trust established brands more than smaller startups, meaning that big organizations are less likely to be flagged as suspiciously promotional. Therefore, keeping your hashtags modest in size and volume helps avoid getting blocked altogether. Additionally, pay attention to how frequently you update your page. Because of its timeline format, Facebook doesn't rank recent updates above older ones. Users might assume newer posts contain more valuable info.
Lastly, don't forget that anything posted publicly on Facebook becomes part of your profile and history. Make sure the hashtags you select reflect your company accurately and positively portray your image. Don't use offensive language or derogatory slurs, and refrain from posting profanity unless absolutely necessary. Also, steer clear from controversial issues and politics entirely.
Now that you understand what hashtags are and why you'd want to use them, you probably want to figure out which ones fit best with your brand. Here are a couple tips to help point you in the right direction. First off, don't be afraid to mix and match. Use multiple hashtags on a single post, and mix up your hashtags across several of your posts. Think of hashtags as labels for your thoughts and opinions, and don't limit yourself to using certain phrases repeatedly throughout your page.
Also, don't forget to utilize descriptive hashtags. Instead of writing "great shoes!" simply say "These sneakers feature a sleek design and comfortable heel." By providing additional details about your item, you encourage viewers to click through to learn more. Describing your items in detail encourages viewers to engage further with your images, thus increasing traffic to your site.
Finally, don't rely solely on hashtags to boost engagements. Try combining hashtags with engaging imagery, interesting headlines, and compelling copy. Keep in mind that hashtags aren't inherently useful alone, but they can still play important roles in boosting interactions. Just remember to balance them out with quality visuals and captivating copy.
Using hashtags on Facebook gives you an opportunity to increase visibility and expose your brand to new fans. Once you've mastered the basics of implementing hashtags correctly, you can continue expanding your knowledge by learning more advanced techniques.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.