Should you use hashtags on Facebook?
This is a question that has been asked a lot of time and for some reason, Hashtags on Facebook isn’t as widely used as on Twitter and Instagram. So in this article, I’ll be discussing the subject “Should you use hashtags on Facebook?” and if it is necessary.
Hashtags on Facebook has been around on Facebook since June 2013 but still, it’s not too often we see people using them, right? You may ask yourself, why is it that very few people are using the Facebook hashtag function?
Well.. to make a long story short: Facebook, compared to Instagram and Twitter didn’t need to bother with hashtags to filter all the information posted on the site. This is because users could control what information to see in their News Feed thanks to Facebook’s algorithm system. On Facebook, normally you scroll through your news feed but very rarely (or never) do you search through Facebook´s hashtags looking for information or pictures? Am I right? Exactly.
Instagram and other social media platforms were more suitable for the hashtag “trend” since they are platforms where YOU have to seek the information and hashtags are a way to help you direct better in the chaotic world of social media.
According to a study made by Edgerank checker, “Facebook posts without a hashtag fare better than those with a hashtag“. This is of course very strange for the people who use (and are planning to use) hashtags to get more engagement just to realize that the engagement has gotten worse.
Another research from EdgeRank Checker made the conclusion that using hashtags on Facebook has zero positive effect on reach on Facebook. Their research also confirmed that Posts on Facebook that didn´t used hashtags outperformed those with hashtags. With this result, they could make the conclusion that posts with lots of hashtags easily confuse the viewer, making them keep scrolling.
The deduction we can bring with us from this is that NO, you should not use hashtags on Facebook to increase your engagement because they won´t help you. They will do the opposite. We do however recommend that you at least try the hashtags and see if they can help you so you can see for yourself. With that said, we now know the answer to the question “Should you use hashtags on Facebook?”
