How to Use LinkedIn Hashtags to Increase Your Business Exposure

by | Last updated Jun 8, 2023 | Published on Jul 2, 2020 | Social Media Optimization

With the growing trend of digitization, most businesses are beginning to recognize the unique value of digital marketing. Social media has become a vital tool in all fields which is the main reason social media marketing techniques are being leveraged to connect with clients. LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful social media tool that helps to reach out to target audiences with strategic messaging. Businesses are continuously looking for unique ways to better categorize, organize and filter content, promote their services and reach out to more clients looking for their services. Incorporating hashtags into social media posts has become a common practice as it gives more opportunities to place your content in Google search results. Hashtags allow LinkedIn to “listen” to topics that matter most to their users, and in turn, create a better user experience.

A hashtag is a word or phrase that is preceded by a hash sign (#) and it is used on social media websites and applications to highlight messages on a particular topic. These are a great way of labeling and finding social media posts. When used correctly, these can boost your engagement rate and increase your visibility. In fact, it makes your content discoverable and also helps find relevant content from other people and businesses. Using hashtags consistently will help to represent your expertise and what you stand for.

How to Effectively Use Hashtags

Effective use of hashtags requires careful planning. Choosing a unique and impressive hashtag is important to build a successful hashtag marketing campaign. Just like selecting the target keywords for search engine optimization, it is important to research hashtags via keyword analysis before using them in LinkedIn. Find out the volume and frequency of posts based on your selected hashtags and research different variations of the same to analyze what is used the most. Here listed are some top ways to find the best hashtags and effectively use them –

  • Search topics – Search for relevant topics or keywords that are related to your industry. Search for options that are used often. The more popular a hashtag is, the better will be the chances that your target audience do their own search for that hashtag and find your content.
  • Keep hashtags relevant and simple – Make sure to choose hashtags that are simple, relevant and easy to remember. Choosing hashtags that are long and difficult to spell will not yield good results. The hashtag you choose should give a clear idea about the topic of the conversation.
  • Never overuse hashtags – Use a maximum of two hashtags for each post. Including too many could create the impression that you are spamming your followers.
  • Keep hashtags unique and specific – Hashtags help businesses better reach their community, especially during special events and chats. Therefore, make sure to use a hashtag that is unique. It is best not to use generic hashtags.
  • Competitor analysis – Take note of the exact hashtags that your competitors use, the follower engagement around the posts and reported outcomes. This will help you learn how your competitors are engaging with your shared target audience and which keywords they use.
  • Be platform specific – The hashtag strategy should be tailored to the specific LinkedIn platform you are publishing on.
  • Mix it up – The top performers in any specific category open up to a huge audience. But that reward comes with stiff competition as many others may also be using the same hashtag. Combining top performers with lower volume hashtags increases the chances of getting seen.

How to Start Using Hashtags Effectively on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a unique potential for engaging audiences. Regarded as one of the fastest-growing social media networks, LinkedIn is primarily a professional/business network wherein updates on various research projects, health news and healthcare advice are shared. Along with connecting industry professionals with each other, it also helps those actively seeking employment to discover job opportunities.

Organizations like Alfred Health, The Royal Women’s Hospital and Cabrini Health are good examples of how the health sector, for instance, can utilize LinkedIn. These companies use LinkedIn to share a wide range of content including patient stories, latest research findings, staff achievements and career opportunities. More than simply posting content on LinkedIn, organizations can achieve greater reach by optimizing LinkedIn hashtags. Here are some important tips on how businesses can use hashtags on LinkedIn to their advantage –

  • Integrate hashtags into your LinkedIn profile (especially your summary and/or headline) – Turn the keywords in your LinkedIn summary section into hashtags. Make sure to avoid putting too many hashtags into the copy above this section because you want your profile to flow. The hashtags are to help you get found in LinkedIn’s search engine when prospects or buyers are looking for your products or services.

    integrate hashtags

  • Use hashtags in your status updates – Start slowly to combine these hashtags into your status updates; however, do not get hashtag-crazy on LinkedIn. While Instagram and Twitter users are accustomed to using several hashtags in each post, LinkedIn users are not accustomed to seeing or using too many hashtags. Choose a maximum of 3-5 hashtags for each status update.

    hashtags in your status

  • Use hashtags with LinkedIn pulse articles – If you already use LinkedIn pulse, your reach and engagement might have subsided, unless you are a LinkedIn influencer. In order to get your articles more reach, combine hashtags into the body of your LinkedIn pulse articles or list them as keywords at the bottom of your article. Also, include those hashtags in the status update that shares your article when you publish it to LinkedIn pulse. Incorporating these minor changes will help others outside your network discover your LinkedIn Pulse articles easily.
  • Add hashtags to your LinkedIn company pages – Add hashtags in your LinkedIn company pages, particularly in the “About Us” section. This can be done easily by hash-tagging your specialties and including them at the bottom of the “About Us” section.
  • Add hashtags in comments sections on other people’s status updates – By posting comments on other people’s status updates, you are building a stronger network. Weave in hashtags to ensure that your comments are helping to categorize status updates on LinkedIn.

Hashtags are a powerful and useful tool to add to your social media kit. You cannot just simply build a LinkedIn profile and leave it as it is. Constant actions are important to keep your account live and engaging. Using hashtags strategically is a great way to connect with others, increase your visibility and boost engagement. You can improve your LinkedIn engagement by writing effective posts, paying attention to comments on your posts or status updates, and recording and sharing native videos. Businesses can rely on an experienced digital marketing firm in Long Island to meet their social media marketing requirements.

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How to Use Hashtags Effectively on Social Media

A hashtag is a word or keyword phrase preceded by a hash symbol (#). It's used to post on social media to help those when they search for a specific keyword or a hashtag. It helps to increase visibility of the post. When using a hashtag, you use it without space such...

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