Social Business Bites: Hashtags on Facebook? | LinkedIn Connection Limits | Beat Social Media Trends

Published: Thu, 06/23/16

​Social Business Bites - Curated by Des Walsh

​Hi 

3 crunchy bites this week

  • Should You Use Hashtags on Facebook?
  • LinkedIn, the 30,000 Connection Limit
  • Get Ahead of This Year's Social Media Trends

Plus: link to latest episode of the Let's Talk Leadership podcast show. 

Browse previous issues of Social Business Bites at this link
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Andrew Hutchinson

Among other things, this article illustrates how frequent changes in social media mean that what might have worked a couple of years ago may not be such a good idea now.

In order to maximize the performance of hashtags, you need to conduct research in order to develop an understanding of which tags are most relevant to your business, and which are most likely to connect with people looking for discussion related to your focus topics.

And that’s just the beginning of your hashtag understanding.

Another key element you need to consider is how hashtags are used on different platforms. There’s a heap of articles about this, looking at how hashtags are used, and how you should apply them on each platform.

So, picking up on the subject line for this article, what does the research say about using hashtags on Facebook?

The author quotes respectfully from the Buffer blog's Kevan Lee that:

“Facebook posts without a hashtag fare better than those with a hashtag.” 

'Nuff said.


LinkedIn: 30,000 connections and that's your lot...

Chris Reed

Although I'm a strong proponent of having a sizable network on LinkedIn, I've never really been interested in having tens of thousands of first level connections. But there are those who are, and this article provides an insight into the thinking behind that approach.

And it argues that the real reason LinkedIn sets its 30,000 limit (or other limits for those it allows to exceed that standard limit) is that the system is not built to cope with the exponential explosion of complex connections that could entail. Which in turn raises interesting questions for the Microsoft acquisition covered in Social Business Bites last week. Interesting times!

Why have a limit? Why 30,000? As more and more people reach this, where does this leave LinkedIn's famous strapline of "keep growing your network"....I would like to but I now cannot.

At the same time as the LinkedIn share price is low and earnings are under pressure they have now forced their best customers to not doing the one thing they have been telling us to do, grow our network. If your platform can't cope LinkedIn, admit it, if it can't cope, build it so that it can cope.


How to Get Ahead of This Year’s Social Media Trends

Lauren Teague

As mid-year approaches, you may be looking back at your social media plans and goals for the year and realizing they need attention. What was set in motion less than six months ago now causes us to pause. In this ever-evolving industry, key social media networks consistently pivot, refresh, or introduce new features that require social media marketers to change their strategy on the fly.

Lots of good advice and suggestions in this article, especially in the first of the three sections (implementing this one point could improve any number of companies' social media strategies:

  • Think of Social Channels as Content Hubs
  • Make Content That Moves, Sings, and Smiles
  • Targeted Reach Trumps Mass Reach
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LATEST PODCAST EPISODE


In this podcast I explain how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, so as to:
  • be found more quickly by your ideal clients or business partners
  • promote your brand more effectively
  • align your online brand story with your offline one

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Looking for previous issues of Social Business Bites? Here's the link.
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Till next time, be well, be social :)

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Des


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My contact details

Phone: International +61 413089355   Australia 0413 089 355
Skype: userid is deswalsh (if you want to connect with me there, just type in "Social Business Bites" - or email me and we can set it up).