Let’s Be Clear On LinkedIn Hashtags

CEO of 100 Pound Social

Hashtags and social media have long gone hand-in-hand as a tool to inform, update and search for topics of interest. However, whilst their use is a given on most platforms, hashtagging on LinkedIn has been a bit of a hokey-cokey affair – they’ve been in, out, in, out and shaken all about for years. But with the platform now fully behind their use its time to start tagging.
But are you one of the many hesitant users? Surely hashtagging is a little informal for such a professional platform? Fear not, there are huge benefits and, with just a few tweaks, you can ensure your reputation remains intact while your exposure rockets.
Why should I Hashtag on LinkedIn?
It’s all about exposure! And as with many things, the more, the better. The more people see you and your brand, the more likely people are to purchase, use and recommend you to others. To increase and maximise your exposure you have to reach a wider audience. That’s where hashtagging comes in. Whether you want to publicise an event or product launch, or maybe promote awareness of a cause or simply make yourself known, hashtagging that will get you there.
What should I Hashtag?
With just a little thought and creativity in your tags, you are not only more discoverable but also ready to connect with people who are interested in you. You could hashtag anything from your business name, a tag created for products or services, or simple using emotions, feelings and moods to help attract attention.
When should I Hashtag?
As with any platform, tagging should happen when you publish your post to draw attention to it. However, it’s important to note that on LinkedIn you can only add pre-selected tags to a post at the time of publication. Although you can edit the text later, you cannot change the tags so choose wisely.
Where should I Hashtag?
There is a debate whether you should create a hashtag within the post text or after the copy on a separate line, both for style and professionalism. As a guide, if the text you wish to hashtag is naturally within the post, then it is simpler to hashtag it in-situ. If you already have a specific hashtag in mind that doesn’t already appear in the text body, then add it separately at the end.
How should I Hashtag?
It is at this point you should remind yourself that LinkedIn is still a work-based platform and can be seen by colleagues and employers, present and future. So think carefully before posting any career-limiting hashtags! Keep #IHateMyJob and #MyJobSucks for your personal accounts.
Here are a few more tagging do’s and don’ts:
- DO take the time to research a new tag to ensure it’s not in use by someone else or, even worse, has an alternate meaning
- DO capitalise tags with more than one word (anyone remember the chaos caused by #nowthatchersdead?)
- DON’T overdo it. Limit your hashtags, five or six is more than enough
- DO spell check your tags. They are often overlooked, but a typo is embarrassing at best
- DON’T use punctuation within a tag, but include normal punctuation – such as full stop or commas – around it.
Now you’ve got the knowledge, you have no excuse. Get #LinkedInHashtagging!
If you would like any help with your LinkedIn content then we have some excellent plans that may suit you. Whether it is LinkedIn or other social media platforms you need some help with, we can help enhance your social media presence. Check out the plans here.
Create a FREE customised social media plan for your business
Related Posts

Why Social Media Marketing Fails (And How To Avoid Failing)
Social Media Strategy for Small Businesses Small business owners often struggle to create and manage an effective social media strategy. However, social media marketing has significant advantages for businesses of any size. It can be an incredibly effective way to...
Blogging for Small Businesses: Planning Your First Blog Article
Why Your Business Needs a Blog You might be wondering ‘why should a new business owner, with limited resources, invest their time and money into adding a blog to their site?’ The answer is simple: blogging is a great way to reach new clients and establish yourself as...
The 11 Best Social Media Tools For Small Businesses
How to use the Right Tools to Grow Your Business Social media has become an essential part of any marketing strategy, and small businesses are certainly not exempt from this rule. With various tools now available that include features such as analytics,...
How to Successfully Outsource Your Social Media Management
Interested in Finding Someone to Outsource Your Social Media to? So, you are finally ready to take the plunge and have someone manage your social media for you. As a business owner, it can be hard to know when to let one aspect go and outsourcing, while incredibly...
The Best Times to Post on Social Media to get the Most Engagement
Social Media Posting Times: When to Post to Social Media They say timing is everything. Whether it’s that perfect punchline to a joke, or introducing yourself to a crush in a cafe, timing can be the difference between a smashing triumph and awkward heartbreaking...
7 Social Media Marketing Metrics Every Business Owner Should Understand
What are Social Media Marketing Metrics? Social media is a key part of your wider marketing strategy. It's business-critical to understand the impact of your social media strategy and how to measure social media marketing performance. So, what are metrics in social...
How to Use Curated Content to Benefit Your Business and Boost Your Social Media Presence
How to Use Curated Content Content curation is often used in the context of art and collecting, but it can be applied to pretty much anything. In the digital marketing world, content curation is the act of finding, filtering, and sharing relevant and valuable content...
Social Media Engagement Guide: How to Increase Social Media Engagement for Your Business
How Social Media Engagement Benefits Your Business Your social media strategy should focus on more than just increasing your brand presence. It should be about engaging your audience as well. More than half the world’s population uses social media, with the...
Strategies to Grow Sales: Using LinkedIn for Digital Marketing
Using LinkedIn Marketing for Lead Generation We've all heard about how businesses are leveraging their online presence to generate leads, especially those in the business-to-business (B2B) arena, but have you ever wondered how you could utilise these strategies for...
How to Grow Sales With Existing Customers (and Reduce Client Churn)
Engaging With Existing Clients Retaining existing customers is just as important as attracting new ones for any businesses. While you can increase sales by pushing product promotions and advertising, you can also do this by optimising your LinkedIn profile. Your...