In June 2013, Facebook decided to incorporate into its platform one of the most successful tools used by its rival, Twitter: hashtags.
However, one quarter has passed without any significant effect, as shown by a study conducted by Simply Measured.
Based on the findings, companies using hashtags on Facebook did NOT get additional engagement. Compared to posts that did not include hashtags, there was no significant difference when the ?#? symbol was used to supposedly push brands.
Some posts without the hashtags even have higher engagement than others with the marker. To conclude, social media users on Facebook do not find brands and companies based on the tags.
On Twitter, however, hashtags continue to drive additional user engagement. This is based on analytics conducted by Edgerank, which included 35,000 posts on 500 different pages.
On Facebook, posts without hashtags outperformed those with hashtags in terms of viral reach. The results were 13.36 percent (no hashtags) against 12.47 percent (with hashtags). On Twitter, Edgerank found higher viral reach when hashtags were used (.0069 percent) compared to posts without hashtags (.004 percent).
One of the main reasons that can explain the stark contrast between the two social media giants is the ?top results? system. When people use hashtags on Twitter, they will more likely be provided with a list of topics highly related to their personal preference or field of interest.
Twitter even recently included a feature that suggests related hashtags as users type on the search bar or Twitter box. Facebook, however, presents a different approach. Fans are discouraged from using hashtags on the site since they usually get completely unrelated categories.
Brands that intend to get promoted using hashtags would rather use Twitter over Facebook to acquire the right and relevant followers. Otherwise, they would only be wasting time and effort or even drive customers to the wrong businesses.
What do you think? Have Facebook hashtags been good to you? Or are they something you can do without? Tell us in the comments!Facebook Users Are NOT Hashtag Users, Says Study
In June 2013, Facebook decided to incorporate into its platform one of the most successful tools used by its rival, Twitter: hashtags.
However, one quarter has passed without any significant effect, as shown by a study conducted by Simply Measured.
Based on the findings, companies using hashtags on Facebook did NOT get additional engagement. Compared to posts that did not include hashtags, there was no significant difference when the ?#? symbol was used to supposedly push brands.
Some posts without the hashtags even have higher engagement than others with the marker. To conclude, social media users on Facebook do not find brands and companies based on the tags.
On Twitter, however, hashtags continue to drive additional user engagement. This is based on analytics conducted by Edgerank, which included 35,000 posts on 500 different pages.
On Facebook, posts without hashtags outperformed those with hashtags in terms of viral reach. The results were 13.36 percent (no hashtags) against 12.47 percent (with hashtags). On Twitter, Edgerank found higher viral reach when hashtags were used (.0069 percent) compared to posts without hashtags (.004 percent).
One of the main reasons that can explain the stark contrast between the two social media giants is the ?top results? system. When people use hashtags on Twitter, they will more likely be provided with a list of topics highly related to their personal preference or field of interest.
Twitter even recently included a feature that suggests related hashtags as users type on the search bar or Twitter box. Facebook, however, presents a different approach. Fans are discouraged from using hashtags on the site since they usually get completely unrelated categories.
Brands that intend to get promoted using hashtags would rather use Twitter over Facebook to acquire the right and relevant followers. Otherwise, they would only be wasting time and effort or even drive customers to the wrong businesses.
What do you think? Have Facebook hashtags been good to you? Or are they something you can do without? Tell us in the comments!
