LinkedIn hashtags sneaked in 2018 without too much fanfare. For many hashtags are not new as they have been using them on platforms like Twitter, Instagram and more recently as well on Facebook but LinkedIn’s hashtags are not necessarily the same as the other social networks and you need to be aware of that.
As with hashtags on other social media platforms, the LinkedIn hashtag is made up of letters, numbers, or emojis that come after the # symbol.
Interesting Fact
Did you know the # is also known as the number sign, hash, or pound sign? It has been historically been used for a wide range of purposes including as a ligatured abbreviation for pounds avoirdupois.
By adding hashtags to your messages/content on LinkedIn, it will allow it to become easier to be found by your prospective audience when searching.
As LinkedIn is geared more to the business audience, we need to make sure our hashtags keep within those guidelines. So, where you might see hashtags trending on other social media networks they may not be appropriate for LinkedIn.
Now we are going share the secrets about Linkedin Hashtags that nobody will tell you. We will touch upon the basics of hashtags and get into tips and tricks for using hashtags on LinkedIn.
How do hashtags work on LinkedIn?
In the LinkedIn search bar type any hashtag, and you will get a list of either relevant people, companies, groups, and posts connected to that hashtags.
By adding #SocialSelling to my Headline and then interweaving social selling to my Summary and Profile, I have increased my chances of being found within the LinkedIn search results.
Simple steps to using hashtags effectively on LinkedIn?
Before we even think about utilizing hashtags within our status/company updates or within articles, let’s look at how you can use them to your advantage in another way first.
1. Add hashtags to your LinkedIn profile
One of the most straightforward changes you can do is to take your keywords in your summary and/or headline and start to convert them into hashtags. Make sure not to have too many hashtags that then make your profile unreadable. Look to possibly add them as a “Specialties” section at the end of your summary. By doing this you are increasing your chances of being found by prospect/buyers via a LinkedIn search that matches their needs.
2. Using hashtags in your Status updates
Look to add hashtags to your status updates but don’t over the top with too many on LinkedIn. That might be acceptable on other social media networks but not so much on LinkedIn. My rule of thumb is to keep it in the range of 3-5 hashtags maximum per status update. If you need to use more think about adding another status update at another time in the future where you utilize those hashtags.
Bottom line you want your messages to be visually pleasing and easy to read but searchable.
3. LinkedIn Articles and hashtags
One of my favorite features of LinkedIn is articles as they are a great way to help show domain/industry expertise. Now to take them up another notch, you can look to add hashtags within the article or list them as keywords at the bottom. Remember when you go to publish your article to include them in your status update as well.
Note: Once you have posted your article you cannot edit or remove hashtags after you’ve hit publish so make sure you have it correct
4. Utilizing hashtags with your LinkedIn Company Pages
As with your personal summary look to add hashtags into your LinkedIn Company Pages, especially within the About Us section and you can Specialties principles as well at the bottom of the section.
5. Utilizing hashtags when commenting on status updates
This is one that people tend to forget. When you are responding to people’s status updates also look to add hashtags. If you want to become the expert in your field this a one of the great ways to accomplish that.
6. Monitor hashtags
Now we are getting in to the realms of Social Selling here. Start to look at monitoring hashtag that is relevant to you and then use them to help you listen and when appropriate, engage with your prospects/buyers to build your thought leadership skills.
Let’s recap the basics on how to use LinkedIn hashtags within your updates and articles.
LinkedIn Hashtags Basics
How to utilize hashtags in your LinkedIn personal update:
From your homepage, select either share a photo or video
Now either write, upload, or link to the content you want to share
Next, add hashtags using the # symbol or select one/few of the recommended hashtags delivered to you
How to utilize hashtags in your LinkedIn article:
From your homepage, select write an article
After you are ready to publish your article, click Publish. A pop up will appear. Now tell your audience about your article including the appropriate hashtags. When this message is posted the commentary will appear above your article.
Note: Once you have posted your article you cannot edit or remove hashtags after you’ve hit publish so make sure you have it correct
Having the right social strategy is key to being successful with LinkedIn hashtags. Don’t have the time or want to do it yourself? Contact us to talk about how Marketing Monarchs can assist.
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