To #Hashtag Or Not To #Hashtag: FB Secret Weapon

Since Facebook announced plans to fully incorporate hashtags into their website’s operating system, people got both excited and confused. Although users of the leading social media site could previously include hashtags in their Facebook content, these hashtags had no real functionality. This all started to change in June of 2013 when Facebook rolled out its new hashtag feature to a portion of its users. Those with access to this feature can now view and click on hashtags as usable links.

Hashtags have long been a staple of social media sites like Twitter and Instagram. Facebook’s new hashtag platform will approach the technology in a similar fashion. Individual Facebook users and businesses are anxiously awaiting the day when hashtags become universally functional on the site.

Hashtag Technology 101

Hashtags have been a large operational component of social media interaction for years. In addition to Twitter and Instagram, hashtags are currently a common occurrence on websites such as Tumblr, Pinterest, and Vine.

For the uninitiated, a hashtag consists of one or more words or phrases that are included at the end of a particular social media post. The characters in a hashtag are typed without spaces and preceded by a pound (#) sign. A typical example of a hashtag might be: “What a great game! #TheSuperBowl.”

The function of a hashtag is to tie various social media posts together by relating them to a single topic. These topics can offer connections to a wide range of groups, people, and events. When users click on a hashtag, they will be directed to a feed of comments on that particular subject.

Every hashtag that appears on Facebook will have its own unique URL with a field at the top for status updates. By making use of hashtags, businesses can drive online traffic to that URL from other sites to add buzz and spark further conversation.

Marketing Capabilities

Providers of brand name products and services are leveraging the power of this technology by hashtagging posts with topics and categories that are integral to their specific business or market segment. Hashtags are a particularly good resource for the modern-day attorney. Law firms that use effective and targeted hashtags instantly experience a higher probability of increased consumer outreach.

In short, legal professionals should take note: Hashtags have the ability to increase your pool of clients by driving traffic to your various online websites. Now that the largest social network in the world is beginning to incorporate hashtag technology into its operating system, the outstanding benefits of the hashtag as a marketing device can no longer be underestimated.

The bottom line is that hashtagging posts on Facebook can really affect your bottom line. The practice can expose your practice to a range of new market sectors by linking your single post to countless others. This increased visibility can quickly translate into increased success.

How to Use Hashtags to Benefit Your Law Firm

A good hashtag is a targeted hashtag. By making certain that your marketing-based hashtags address relevant topics, you can ensure that they draw the right type of clientele for your specific practice. Here are a few additional tips that can help you make the most out of each marketing post that your law firm makes.

First and foremost, keep hashtags short. When people use long or multiple hashtags in the same post, users may regard them as spam and not a legitimate message. Concentrate on using one (or, at the very most, two) short and concise hashtag on each post.

You will also want to take advantage of trending topics. If you can add your voice to a hashtag that is already popular, you can leverage the power of that existing resource. Just make sure that it has some bearing on your own unique post.

We can already see positive results after using hashtags on our Law Firm’s facebook page, engagement is up and the facebook page itself advanced to page 1 on google. Facebook is now a fully functional search engine, Lawyers who ignore this valuable tool are #goingtoloose.