Hashtags and Improved Searchability Available on LinkedIn - Good News for #B2B

Our agency is constantly implementing social media strategy for B2B clients, figuring out which social channels are the right fit for their campaigns. (If you are a B2B and need a quick reminder of the social checklist, check out my past blog). Working in the B2B space, the majority of our clients are blogging and utilizing their blog content to build their thought leadership platforms. For instance, re-purposing blogs as LinkedIn posts or simply re-sharing content on the LinkedIn Pulse feature is one tactic we’ve employed to achieve robust client communications, increasing the reach of each blog post.

Here I am as a hashtag for Halloween way back in 2013,
which I thought was appropriate for this post!

Because LinkedIn is one of the main tools we use to amplify client stories, I was excited to learn LinkedIn is stepping up its game regarding social searching. For instance, LinkedIn now enables you to do a content search, enabling users to keep up with industries and topics of interest easily. Improved content searching is one more reason why working with clients on their thought leadership campaigns is imperative because you never know how or when their skillset/expertise may be found through a search on LinkedIn. What do they want to be known for, why are they an expert source and what insight do they have to impart that is of value for stakeholders? 

Similarly, another feature LinkedIn has rolled out to provide a better return on search results is the hashtag. Of course, many of us have used hashtags for years on other social channels such as Instagram and Twitter, but it hasn’t caught on with B2B social platforms until now. Remember, hashtags help you find and bookmark other posts with the same hashtag. Why should B2B care? Because now, it will be even easier for users to find your “thought leadership posts” on LinkedIn Pulse or even real-time information about events and trends simply by searching for a hashtag. Side note – you can search for hashtags and content on both the desktop and mobile versions of LinkedIn. However, hashtags included in your posts (or others) are only “tappable” in the mobile LinkedIn app. 

Check out this post for more specifics about the recent LinkedIn content and search updates. Happy blogging, searching, and “hashtagging”! #socialmedia #thoughtleadership #B2B #digitaldirection