Make #Hashtags a #Habit on LinkedIn

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LinkedIn Lesson Number 1: Make #Hashtags a #Habit

On LinkedIn, you follow your connections. You might follow LinkedIn-identified influencers like Bill and Melinda Gates.

And you might also follow business topics suggested by LinkedIn’s algorithm. But, just like on other social networks, you can – and should –use hashtags.

Using hashtags is a quick way to find employees and employers, mentors, and potential clients and customers on the hunt for what you or your company is offering. 

Start with Why

Here’s why:

• The right hashtags will attract the attention of users who also care about the topics that matter to you or your company.
• You will discover users and organizations you’ll want to follow, even if you are not formally connected, and perhaps pursue conversations that lead to professional friendships and business leads. 

How to Choose and Use Hashtags

The best LinkedIn hashtags are topics you or your organization need to follow every business day – not just because they happen to be “trending.” 

Start a hashtag list by entering a topic in the search bar at the top of your LinkedIn page. 

You may want to make your choice based on how many users are following a particular topic, and LinkedIn will tell you how many. (For example, the hashtag #VentureCapital has more than 19 Million followers, while #VentureFunding has only 69, at this writing.)

Click ‘follow’ to have LinkedIn serve you content with your hashtag choice, then repeat the steps to add other topics. 

To see what other users are posting, you can click topics from your hashtag list that now appears under the heading, “Followed Hashtags,” on the left-hand side of the page.

Now, when you add relevant hashtags to your own posts, others who follow the same topics can “discover” your posts. And if your content is compelling enough and frequent enough, others will begin to follow you or your organization. 

But what should you post and how often? Those are questions for LinkedIn Lessons that we’ll address in the future.

Meanwhile, do you have advice for others about using LinkedIn hashtags? What’s worked for you?