Even though LinkedIn has been on the social media scene since 2003, it wasn’t until 2016 that the site finally integrated clickable hashtags. Hashtags aren’t a new phenomenon, Twitter and Instagram have encouraged users to hashtag their content for years now. It’s an important way of connecting users with their communities. They even offer useful analytics, allowing content creators to gauge how impactful they are.
The good news is, now that LinkedIn has jumped on the hashtag bandwagon, you can too!
Adding hashtags to your LinkedIn statuses is as simple as it is on other platforms, just type out the ‘#’ followed by the keyword you want to tag.
Should I Use Hashtags on LinkedIn?
If you want a short answer, the answer would be yes. Hashtags are a great way to reach audiences beyond your direct connections on LinkedIn. For example, if you only have 200 connections on your profile, your content will only be seen by up to 200 people unless you have a substantial degree of shares.
When you use hashtags, you massively increase the chance of your content being seen by other people who you’re not directly connected with. As an example, if you’re writing about product design and the ‘Product Design’ hashtag has 100,000 followers, you’re pushing your content to so many more people.
With that said, there are a few things to keep in mind when using hashtags on LinkedIn.
Don’t Go Overboard – A former senior director of product management for LinkedIn recommends sticking to three hashtags. That should be enough to target your main keywords without the post looking too ‘spammy’.
Hashtags don’t replace good content – Hashtags won’t provide context to the user. They should only be used to improve your discoverability. Everything you post should still be engaging and descriptive.
Mix Popular Hashtags With Niche Ones – When you only use popular hashtags, your content can often get buried. If you go too niche, you may not reach enough people. Using a bit of both can bring balance.
How To Find Top Hashtags On LinkedIn
There are three types of hashtags that LinkedIn recommends to its users based on their network and industry: recommended, popular and trending. LinkedIn’s ‘Discover More’ page is the first and best place to look when considering which hashtags to use in your posts.
Linked In Trending Hashtags
In 2020, LinkedIn released data on the top trending hashtags for Q1 in 2020.
In January & Feb, the list was virtually identical. However when conversations began to shift in March at the start of the pandemic. Searches for topics on remote working tripled and the #remotework also started trending.
The best way to optimize your hashtag use is by referring to your recommended hashtags and analyzing their performance on your posts.
Hashtags are integral to the success of your content. By relying on LinkedIn’s hashtag recommendations and your analytics, you can be sure your posts are reaching the right audience. If you want to talk to an expert regarding social media marketing, give us a message here.