Facebook very recently took a cue from Twitter and introduced hashtags. Like with other social media sites, Facebook will now direct you to a feed if the hashtag is clicked, showing you the conversation going on about that topic. This is a great addition for Facebook users that want to explore specific topics and join in on a conversation, especially during a live event.

With the use of hashtags on Facebook, you can do the following:

• Search for a specific hashtag in the search bar at the top of your Facebook page
• Compose posts from the hashtag feed page, allowing you to jump right into the conversation
• Click on posts that were shared from other social media sites, such as Twitter or Instagram

While Facebook hashtags offer a lot of benefits for users, do they also offer benefits for businesses? The answer is yes. The following are a few ways that small businesses can benefit from the introduction of Facebook hashtags:

• Integration. Small business marketing campaigns can benefit greatly from the introduction of Facebook hashtags as it makes it much easier to integrate content on all social media platforms. Many businesses currently use hashtags in their advertising materials, which previously drove consumers straight to Twitter. With Facebook hashtags now in the mix, businesses are now able to reach an even wider percentage of their target audience using the same hashtag.
• Access to Real Time Conversations. Businesses now have access to real time conversation from the largest social networking site in the world, meaning they have the ability to connect with more customers and learn a huge amount of information, such as opinions and attitudes towards specific industries, products and services. With this information, businesses will be able to tweak their small business marketing campaigns to reflect the interests of their target market, and create content that forges a stronger connection.
• Search Engine Optimization. Before Facebook hashtags were introduced, search engines would return results exclusively from Twitter when a user searched for any hashtag. Now, with hashtags being added to Facebook, businesses have the potential to increase traffic not only to their Twitter page, but also to their Facebook page.

The addition of Facebook hashtags offers businesses a lot of benefits, including those listed above. Facebook has also started to roll out the hashtag feature to mobile phones. Although it hasn’t reached iOS or Android Facebook applications yet, it is likely that hashtags will be introduced on these devices in the near future.

With the high percentage of social media users, both from PCs and smartphones, it is essential that businesses familiarize themselves with Facebook hashtags as they have huge marketing potential. If you are interested in developing a campaign for social media marketing in Phoenix, which includes the use of hashtags, consider the services of the social media marketing professionals at Fasturtle. With over a decade of experience, we have helped hundreds of customers to create integrated social media marketing campaigns in Phoenix and other areas throughout the country that work. In addition to social media, we also offer a number of other small business marketing solutions, including search engine optimization, mobile applications and website design in Phoenix. To learn more about our small business marketing solutions, call Fasturtle at (888) 468-8785 or contact us online.