As I write this blog post, Myspace is currently removing the old Myspace layout and page forever. How tragic to know something I spent so much time on is now eliminated from Planet Earth.. To think! I’ll never be able to select a “Top 8” again! (I had hacks that allowed 16, be jealous)
au revoir, Myspace of the old, I’ll forget all about you in 6 months to a year depending on how many more photo-based social networks I load on my phone.
Now, that was a bit off topic, I’m sorry, but I’m going to tie it in here, just you watch..err read.
As many Facebook Marketing Gurus know, and now, most of the public, Hashtags have come to our beautiful Facebook. It’s true, you’ll soon be #seeing #alot #more #annoying #usage #of #hashtags.
I’m not saying I’m against Hashtags in Facebook, I’m saying from my experience observing online, people tend to abuse hashtags. #YOLO
Whatever, this post is about Hashtags and how you can begin using them, and not my piteous attempt to describe the unnatural feelings inside of me.
Before we talk about usage in Facebook, for those who just crawled out from a rock, here’s the definition of a hashtag:
A hashtag is a word or a phrase prefixed with the symbol #.It is a form of metadata tag. Short messages on microblogging social networking services such as Twitter, Tout, identi.ca, Tumblr, Instagram, Flickr, Google+ or Facebook may be tagged by putting “#” before important words, as in:
You should be #proud of your #hashtag awareness
Back to Facebook’s New Hashtag Feature
Even though you may not be seeing hashtags in posts, or have the ability to use them, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to be implemented site wide, in-depth into the past. So even if you’re not able to use the new feature yet, start using these Facebook Hashtag Usage Tips:
Thanks to super awesome Social Media Maven Mari Smith posting these tips at like 2:00am EST!
- Start using hashtags for your broad spectrum keywords in posts:
- Begin adapting your Facebook marketing habits to use hashtags like yout other social media networks, (Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest)
- Start using the new Open Graph search bar for popular hashtags in your niche to begin using them in upcoming posts
- All Facebook Hashtags will have their own unique URL, with a status update at the top, which means you can market directly to a specific hashtag, engage with people directly in your niche!
- Promote special events by creating unique hashtags for them just like on Twitter!
If you’re a local Ice Cream Establishment (My Favorite Local one is The Ice Cream Dr in Inverness!)
Example: “Today in 1789 Mrs Alexander Hamilton serves #icecream for dessert to Washington, so stop in today and get a dollar cone!”
As Facebook rolls out the hashtag feature to everyone, we’ll be able to gain more perspective and detail it’s potential usage, but until then, I’d like to leave you with something…
If you remember one thing from this entire post, please, remember the following line:
Please, for the sake of all of us online, use hashtags responsibly.
Until next time!