Facebook's introduction of hashtags now amplifies the reach of content posted on the platform and adds a new element to the search functionality within Graph Search. Brands can now track conversations easier across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and reach users outside of their direct circle of fans. This POV will examine how Facebook hashtags are used and what they mean for marketers and brands.

1. Facebook Hashtags POV
ATTENTION
160
Varick
Street,
5th
Floor,
New
York,
NY
10013
Facebook
Hashtags
POV
I.
Executive
Summary/Overview:
Facebook’s
introduction
of
hashtags
now
amplifies
the
reach
of
content
posted
on
the
platform
and
adds
a
new
element
to
the
search
functionality
within
Graph
Search.
Brands
can
now
track
conversations
easier
across
Facebook,
Twitter
and
Instagram
and
reach
users
outside
of
their
direct
circle
of
fans.
This
POV
will
examine
how
Facebook
hashtags
are
used
and
what
they
mean
for
marketers
and
brands.
Marketers
should
be
wary
of
the
difference
between
hashtags
and
their
effectiveness
across
Twitter
and
Facebook.
While
performing
keyword
analysis,
brands
should
incorporate
hashtags
that
are
all
encompassing,
categorical,
and
broad
enough
to
connect
with
those
users
who
may
not
be
aware
of
that
brand’s
presence
and
content.
II.
Breakdown:
When
Were
They
Introduced
Facebook
announced
that
the
social
media
platform
was
adding
support
for
hashtags,
taking
a
page
from
both
Twitter
and
their
photo
platform,
Instagram.
Facebook
users
are
now
able
to
search
for
and
click
on
hashtags,
to
see
a
feed
of
images,
posts,
and
links
tagged
with
the
given
hashtagged
phrase.
How
Do
They
Work?
Users
and
brands
can
implement
hashtags,
like
those
on
Twitter
and
Instagram,
by
inserting
the
“#”
symbol
on
posts.
When
users
click
on
a
hashtag
within
a
post,
a
new
overlay
window
will
appear
with
similar
matching
content
tagged
with
the
same
hashtag.

2. Facebook Hashtags POV
ATTENTION
160
Varick
Street,
5th
Floor,
New
York,
NY
10013
Search
functionality
funnels
through
the
Facebook
Graph
Search,
providing
more
functionality
and
categorization
of
posts
within
the
new
search
platform.
III.
How
Does
This
Affect
Brands?
Hashtags
on
Facebook
have
more
functionality
and
use
for
brands
than
for
the
regular
user.
Now
hashtag
centric
campaigns
will
be
able
to
persist
across
both
Twitter
and
Facebook
becoming
more
synergistic.
Why
Marketers
Should
Care?
• Companies
will
be
able
to
connect
with
an
audience
outside
of
their
direct
sphere
of
influence.
• Hashtags
make
content
discovery
easier
across
major
social
platforms.
• Brands
can
better
track
campaign
conversations
across
Facebook’s
massive
user
network.
• Hashtags
automatically
make
hashtags
from
previous
posts
clickable.
• Previously,
hashtags
from
auto-­‐populating
user
Tweets
and
Instagram
photos
on
Facebook
have
appeared
as
text.
These
hashtags
from
both
Twitter
and
Instagram
will
now
have
a
clickable
function
but
only
feature
similar
Facebook
content
with
those
specific
tags
(not
from
Twitter
or
Instagram
directly).
How
Brands
Should
Use
Facebook
Hashtags:
• Marketers
should
seek
out
popular
hashtags
relevant
to
industries
rather
than
creating
new
ones
considering
that
Facebook
is
not
currently
enabling
hashtags
to
be
purchased
(like
Twitter’s
Promoted
Tweets).
• Hashtags
on
Facebook
open
the
door
for
brands
to
reach
new
audiences
to
interact
with
content.
Marketers
must
choose
their
hashtag
wording
more
carefully
on
Facebook
(and
tag
more
general
all-­‐encompassing
categorical
words)
to
attract
users
who
may
be
unaware
of
said
brand’s
place
in
that
category.
• Brands
should
keep
hashtags
consistent
across
social
networks
–
too
many
irrelevant
hashtags
could
alienate
and
annoy
users
and
negatively
impact
brands.
IV.
What
to
Expect
Down
the
Line?
Facebook
hashtags
will
be
introduced
in
stages
as
to
test
out
functionality,
effectiveness
and
user
experience.
In
the
future,
the
following
is
to
be
expected
from
Facebook:
• Paying
for
trend
ability,
such
as
trending
hashtags
and
topics,
will
allow
marketers
to
leverage
popular
conversations
and
“promote”
conversations.
• Developer
access
will
allow
Facebook
hashtags
to
be
pulled
into
external
platforms
such
as
a
social
listening
platforms
(i.e.
Tra.cx)
• Facebook
Insights
will
have
the
ability
to
pull
in
statistics
and
metrics
around
hashtags
such
as
Click
Through
Rates
and
Posts
views
via
hashtags.
• Mobile
hashtag
support.