#Hashtags: Coming to a Facebook page near you

June 19, 2013

The hashtag-obsessed world that we live in has just claimed another victim. After seeing the success of the use of the # on Twitter, Facebook has now unveiled clickable hashtags on their platform.

The aim of hashtags on Facebook is to make it easier for users and advertisers to find hotspots of user activity around specific events or topics.

Of course, hashtags on Facebook are nothing new, as many people use them in their status updates. What has changed is now these hashtags are clickable. Users will now be able to search for a specific hashtag from the search bar, click on hashtags that originate on other platforms such as Instagram, and compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results.

Using hashtags and seeing the conversations around a particular topic is nice, but to take it to the next level you need to see what is trending. Facebook is planning to roll out trending hashtags and deeper insights, which should be a big incentive for brands to get involved!

For brands using Facebook, clickable hashtags can only be a good thing, particularly for pages to reach an audience that is not their direct fan base. By piggybacking on trending and relevant topics brands can gain extra exposure and reach new people, something that was only previously available with Facebook advertising spend.

What are your thoughts on the new Facebook hashtags?

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