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Like almost everything about social media, everybody is an “expert”. Unfortunately, as social media consultants will tell you, while everyone knows social media, few really know social media.
The use of hashtags on LinkedIn is no different. Users either constantly use the same hashtags, or they use hashtags with little or no following. For the former, while using the same hashtag is important for consistency, it inadvertently limits the reach as only the same audience is exposed to it. For the latter, using hashtags with little or no following has literally no effect.
One strategy I recommend is what I have termed the ‘long tail’ strategy to ensure maximum reach and exposure for their content. Using this strategy, users develop a hashtag list comprising hashtags in 3 categories — core, related and associated (See diagram below). Once this list has been developed, users then use it to include a mixture of these hashtags in their content. Having a mix will not only ensure that the user’s core audience sees the content, but that their related and associated audiences also see it.
