Hashtags | To use or not to use

I’m in the camp of using corporate hashtags (strategically) to help boost a brand’s visibility, discoverability, engagement. When used strategically, thoughtful hashtags can create consistency across platforms, encourage audience participation, and strengthen brand identity. But it’s important not to overuse them, then, yes, it could look like aggressive social media attention grabs (and impact brand perception).!--startfragment>

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We haven’t used them in about a year, and our engagement continues doing well. Didn’t really see any noticeable change when we decided to no longer use hashtags. 

We’ve noticed that posts on Instagram perform better when we use a few really good hashtags (despite Instagram saying you don’t need them). I’ve heard from others that having 1-2 on LinkedIn is really positive for their strategy, but we don’t do it. 

Similarly, I’ve always thought hashtags on LinkedIn look a little spammy, but I feel like I need to run an experiment before I make a final decision. 

We use hashtags on our LinkedIn page, but they are definitely strategic -- #PancreaticCancer #Oncology #CancerResearch. It is definitely helping us grow our page and we receive more engagement when we use them as we’re connecting with not only users in research and pharma, but patients and caregivers -- who are the ones I ultimately am trying to reach. 

Agreed ​@lisa.frame, that strategic hashtag use is almost always preferable. Also, different platforms have different tolerances for hashtag usage (ex. X vs. LinkedIn). Regardless, I’d say anything more aggressive than a strategic use of hashtags can signal desperation for attention, and that’s not a good look.

We use hashtags via Sprout’s “first comment” feature on Instagram but typically don’t employ them anywhere else. I do notice a little extra reach when they’re employed despite what Meta’s teams will say.