Hashtags on LinkedIn can be a great way to expand your reach, build connections, and engage with your target audience. Choosing the right hashtags to use in your posts and content is key to getting noticed and driving more visibility on the platform. Here are some tips on finding and using effective LinkedIn hashtags.
Why Use Hashtags on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn gives you the option to add hashtags to your posts, articles, photos, and more. This allows your content to become more discoverable and searchable for other users interested in those topics. Some key benefits of using hashtags on LinkedIn include:
- Increased visibility – Adding relevant hashtags makes your content more findable for others searching or browsing those terms.
- Expanded reach – More people will be able to see your posts who may not already be connecting with you.
- Engagement – Hashtags encourage likes, comments, and shares from users interested in the hashtag topic.
- Thought leadership – Using niche hashtags related to your industry establishes you as a subject matter expert.
- Brand awareness – Branded hashtags help spread awareness of your company, products, or services.
Tips for Choosing LinkedIn Hashtags
To get the most impact out of LinkedIn hashtags, you’ll want to be strategic with which ones you use. Here are some best practices:
- Relevance – Only use hashtags directly related to your content topic, industry, and target audience.
- Niche – Include a mix of popular and niche hashtags to increase visibility.
- Branded – Create 1-2 branded hashtags to promote your company and build them over time.
- Trending – Stay up-to-date on trending hashtags you can ride the momentum of.
- Numbers – Limit hashtags to 2-3 per post so it doesn’t look spammy.
- Research – Study hashtags your competitors and industry leaders are using.
Top Hashtag Categories for LinkedIn
Here are some of the top categories of hashtags commonly used on LinkedIn that tend to perform well:
Industry
Use hashtags related to your particular industry, niche, and associations. For example:
- #accounting
- #finance
- #engineering
- #healthcare
- #marketing
- #sales
Professional Topics
Tap into topics professionals in your industry would be interested in. Some ideas:
- #leadership
- #management
- #HR
- #recruiting
- #productivity
- #entrepreneur
Skills
Highlight relevant skills and areas of expertise. For example:
- #socialmediamarketing
- #contentmarketing
- #digitalmarketing
- #SEO
- #analytics
- #socialselling
Software/Tools
Use hashtags for popular software, systems, and tools used in your field. Such as:
- #HubSpot
- #Salesforce
- #Tableau
- #Slack
- #Asana
- #Trello
Companies/Brands
Tap into brand hashtags used by leading companies in your industry like:
- #Oracle
- #SAP
- #Adobe
- #Hootsuite
- #Forbes
- #IBM
Locations
Target local audiences by including location-based hashtags like:
- #Chicago
- #Austin
- #BayArea
- #NYC
- #London
- #Toronto
Events
Use relevant conference and event hashtags happening in your industry such as:
- #Dreamforce
- # Collision
- #SXSW
- #C2Montreal
- #RSAC
- #AdobeSummit
Best Practices for Using LinkedIn Hashtags
To maximize the impact of your LinkedIn hashtags, keep these best practices in mind:
- Place hashtags at the end of your post so they don’t look disruptive.
- Mix and match varying hashtag types in each post (industry, topic, brand etc).
- Check hashtag popularity before using so they are being actively tracked.
- Use hashtags consistently over time to build momentum.
- Include 1-2 branded hashtags in each post to promote your company.
- Stay up-to-date on trending news jack hashtags when possible.
- Track hashtag performance to see which ones resonate most.
- Encourage employees, followers, influencers to adopt your branded hashtags.
Top LinkedIn Hashtags by Number of Followers
Here is a table of some of the current top LinkedIn hashtags ranked by popularity based on number of followers:
Hashtag | Number of Followers |
---|---|
#leadership | 9+ million |
#marketing | 7+ million |
#socialmedia | 6+ million |
#recruiting | 5+ million |
5+ million | |
#entrepreneur | 4+ million |
As you can see, broad industry and professional topics tend to be the most followed. But don’t be afraid to also incorporate some niche and branded hashtags relevant to your content and target audience.
Conclusion
Adding targeted and strategic hashtags to your LinkedIn posts and content is a highly effective tactic to expand your visibility and reach more of your ideal audience. Focus on a mix of industry, topic, skills, tools, brand, location, and event hashtags that would resonate most with your followers and community.
Be consistent, track performance, encourage adoption, and stay up to date on trends to maximize your LinkedIn hashtag strategy. With the right hashtags, you can build greater awareness, connections, engagement, and thought leadership on the platform.