Using hashtags on LinkedIn is the new talk of the town. For business branding and job hunting, you can use hashtags to promote what you’ve got. But since hashtags on LinkedIn just became popular last 2016, not all people in the platform fully understand how to use them, unlike hashtag integration on other social media sites. Despite its topsy- turvy beginning, using hashtags on LinkedIn now yield overwhelming positive results goof for business owners and job seekers who want to save time in finding more opportunities. If you wish to augment the positive effects of LinkedIn hashtags, you can also buy LinkedIn accounts.

Some are asking ‘hashtags how to use?’. Generally, there are two reasons why people integrate hashtags on their post or update: to get relevant search suggestions quickly and to use hashtags to make a profile more discoverable.

To use LinkedIn hashtag effectively, follow these simple tips:

  • Hashtag for status/ updates. It is very easy to add hashtags to your status or update on LinkedIn. The process of adding LinkedIn hashtags is almost the same as the other social media sites. You just have to go over to your profile’s homepage and click ‘Share an article, photo, video or idea’ and write your post. At the end of your content, insert # + the target keyword so that the algorithm can categorize your content based on the hashtag that you have indicated.
  • Hashtag for Articles/ Pulse. Proceed to the homepage then click ‘write an article’ and insert hashtag in your pulse. It is your discretion whether you will put the hashtag at the beginning, the middle portion, or the end of your article. After writing an article or pulse, click ‘publish’ tab located at the upper right most corner of the post field. If you want to add a short intro or sort of meta description to boost your searchability on different social media sites, click the ‘tell your network what your article is about’ and add a hashtag.
  • Hashtag to Comments. Integrating a hashtag to comment is just easy as well. All you have to do is to write your reaction about a particular comment and then include # plus the keyword that you want to emphasize.

How do hashtags work on LinkedIn

LinkedIn hashtags work very similar to the hashtags used on other social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. In its most basic sense, LinkedIn hashtags are intended to help people sort out and filter search results to find relevant content and recommendations. Hashtags on LinkedIn help people quickly find the content that they want to read online. If you are searching for jobs or want to draw more clients, you can use hashtags in sorting out job opportunities according to your skills. The bottom line is that if you add hashtags, you let the algorithm understand the core and context of your post or update.

To help its members easily read interesting feeds, LinkedIn developed a scheme to display new hashtags patterned to your previously followed LinkedIn tags. For example, if you enter #digitalmarketing, a lot of fresh content containing the said hashtag will appear on the screen. To officially add a particular hashtag under your profile’s list, click the ‘Follow’ icon located just below your chosen hashtag.

Getting seamless search suggestions under one hashtag is not impossible; that is why you can also use LinkedIn’s hashtag management feature for free. Just go to your homepage and hover to the ‘recent’ searches and filter the recommendations that will be shown in each hashtag that you key.

When to use hashtags on LinkedIn

It is not advisable to insert hashtags for no reason at all. Remember that hashtags are used to add identity to your posts, and it’s a way to make your content discoverable by more people. If you use hashtags the wrong way, you might not get the results that you have expected. Worst is that the integrity of your LinkedIn profile will be compromised.

When is the best time to use hashtags on LinkedIn? Well, adding hashtags requires you to know your strength first. In other words, you must be very specific on the hashtag that you want to insert in line with your field of expertise.  When you know what you can provide and you are sure of your competence, find the best keyword, and make it a hashtag.

Long related hashtags work on other social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook but not on LinkedIn. Experts also suggest that hashtags on LinkedIn must directly amplify your posts and not mainly for branding. Research showed that LinkedIn users opted to access hashtags related to a particular interest, skill, or industry. Brand-based hashtags are too broad and can’t be sorted out well by the platform’s algorithm.

The key to maximizing the LinkedIn hashtags is to keep the integration specific and refrain from listing long, irrelevant hashtags in your post. Two LinkedIn hashtags are enough to reach out to your target readers or market without confusing the algorithm. For example, if you are a marketing guru and want to share your expertise with the right audience, adding hashtags #marketing and #keynotespeaker to your post is more than enough.

Why use hashtags on LinkedIn

Many hashtags appear on different social media sites, including the platform that’s mainly used by professionals- LinkedIn. But why do we need to adapt to this trend and integrate hashtags in our posts and updates?

  • LinkedIn hashtag is used to help the algorithm picked up relevant and important content and display them to the right audience under search recommendations. If you want to increase your organic engagements, you can also buy LinkedIn Likes
  • Adding hashtags on your posts is also a great search engine optimization strategy. This means that the hashtags that you put on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram will make your profile land on top of Google’s search recommendations.
  • Besides the seamless promotion of your article and post, inserting hashtags is also crucial in propagating engagements and expanding your LinkedIn connection.
  • Many hashtags, if inserted right, will make your posts look more appealing. Hashtags don’t only get your profile to appear on the search bar, but it will also add quality and appeal to your content.
  • You can also use hashtags as part of your marketing strategy. Through checking the latest hashtags available on search results, you will know the newest market trend, and you can make all the necessary adjustments to keep your business always a ‘hit’ even to the millennials. Just make sure that you key in relevant hashtags to get the right recommendations.

How to find the best hashtags for my LinkedIn posts

Using hashtags to boost your article must be well-thought. It’s a marketing strategy that requires a calculated move. Make sure that you insert the right and relevant hashtags to reach out to your target audience.

LinkedIn has a built-in way to help users find the best hashtags to promote their posts- this is through the ‘popular hashtags’ recommendations tab. Find this support at the ‘Discover More’ tab located on the left rail of your homepage. If you want to get more recommendations, you can also click the ‘More’ icon and receive more trending hashtags that you can use. If you want to know the status of the hashtags you follow, refer to the list under your homepage.

Wrapping up

Just like in other social media sites, LinkedIn hashtags are powerful in promoting your posts to a broad audience. Aside from this, inserting hashtags to your LinkedIn posts is also a strategy to expand your network, not only on LinkedIn but also on other social media sites. However, you cannot use LinkedIn hashtags without framing a concrete marketing strategy. Keep in mind that if you include the wrong hashtags to your LinkedIn posts, this will not route more engagements and web traffic.

As mentioned earlier, using hashtags to your LinkedIn post must follow some protocols that are different from the rule most people know if you use hashtags on your Twitter and Instagram accounts. LinkedIn doesn’t like interrelated and long hashtags; instead, what works best on LinkedIn are brief and concise keywords (two LinkedIn hashtags in every post is enough). If in case you want to filter the hashtags you follow, go directly to your homepage and edit the recommended list.

Indeed, LinkedIn made it simpler for people to connect with other people, not only on LinkedIn but also on other social media sites. Using hashtags on LinkedIn is quite challenging, but if you follow the tips listed here, figuring the best hashtags to use is just a no-brainer.