Hashtags have become a great way for businesses to increase their online presence, connect with their audience, and stay relevant in their respective industries. In the first of our two-part guide, we explain what hashtags do and how to best use them for your international school or agency on two major platforms – Facebook and LinkedIn.

What do hashtags mean on social media?

A hashtag is a word of phrase that begins with a hash symbol (#) and is written without any spaces, such as #InternationalEducation. It can be placed at the beginning, middle or end of your social media post, allowing users to discover topics of interest more easily – even without being a follower of that specific account.

Using hashtags on Facebook

Facebook, known for its broad and diverse user base, allows hashtags to enhance the discoverability of posts. However, the key here is moderation and relevance, as overloading a post with hashtags can actually diminish its reach. Instead, find relevant hashtags by typing a keyword into the search bar and use only 1-2 highly ranking hashtags per post. It’s also worth reposting your top-performing Facebook content with relevant hashtags, as this can attract new followers to your page.

Using hashtags on LinkedIn

Hashtags on LinkedIn can significantly expand your organic reach and the visibility of your content among industry professionals. It’s recommended to use 1-3 hashtags on LinkedIn posts, which can be added by simply clicking the ‘Add’ button under ‘Hashtags’. For instance, if you run a Spanish language school and post with the hashtag #LearnSpanish, this will help increase the number of people who see your post beyond just your LinkedIn connections, driving up your post engagement and credibility.

Hashtags are fast becoming a powerful tool across various social media platforms, so why not start experimenting with them today? Look out for Part 2 of this guide where we talk about Instagram and TikTok coming soon!

Written by Stephanie Clark