Should You Be Using Hashtags on Facebook?

Should you be using hashtags on Facebook? Well, if you ask the “experts,” you’re going to get a lot of different answers.

Some say hashtags can help people discover your content. Others say they don't really do much on Facebook anymore. Some recommend using a couple of relevant hashtags, while others say you’re better off skipping them altogether. So who’s right? Honestly, I have no idea.

There are still some good reasons to use hashtags. They give Facebook another clue about what your post is about and give people another way to find your content. Say you’re posting about a new line of Christmas fabric. Adding something like #ChristmasFabric or #QuiltShop makes sense. Someone searching for that topic could potentially come across your post, and adding a couple of relevant hashtags takes about five seconds.

But here’s where things get a little fuzzy. Facebook isn't Instagram, and hashtags have never been quite as important here. Most people aren't sitting on Facebook searching #Quilting to see what pops up. Depending on which social media expert you ask, hashtags are either a helpful little boost or something you don't really need to worry about.

What most people do seem to agree on is that more isn't better. You don't need to turn the bottom of every post into a giant wall of hashtags: #quilt #quilting #quilter #quiltshop #fabric #sewing #quiltlife #quiltlove #scrapquilting #quiltsofinstagram #quiltaddict #sewinglife. That’s a lot and it can make an otherwise good Facebook post look a little spammy. A couple of hashtags that actually relate to the post? Sure. Twenty because you heard hashtags are good for reach? Probably not.

There’s really not much downside to testing a few relevant hashtags and seeing what happens with your own audience. Use them on some posts and leave them off others. Try one or two instead of a whole pile, then watch what happens over a few weeks. Are those posts reaching more people? Are you getting engagement from people who don't already follow you? Are new people finding you?

Maybe you'll find that hashtags don't make a bit of difference. Or maybe you'll find that a few well-chosen hashtags actually help you reach people you wouldn't have reached otherwise. I think that's what gets lost in all the “best practices” advice floating around social media. Your audience isn't necessarily going to behave the same way as everyone else's. What works for one quilt shop might not do anything for another, and that's okay.

So instead of worrying about whether hashtags are officially “in” or “out,” play around with them. Test them. Look at your numbers and see if they’re actually doing anything for you. If they bring in new reach or engagement, great. Keep using them. If they don't? Skip them.

You don't have to follow every Facebook rule just because someone with “social media expert” in their bio says you should.