The evolution of business-to-business (B2B) advertising has changed over the decades. Previously, businesses would spread the word about their services by sharing business cards, postcards, mail brochures, newspaper classified ads, online classifieds, full-color magazine ads and pay for booths at in-person company conventions. But with the founding of Twitter by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams came the introduction of a new way for companies to network via digital marketing. It’s largely credited to a product designer named Chris Messina in Silicon Valley. His idea? Hashtags.

Why Were Hashtags First Used?

Messina observed how Internet chat rooms were using the pound (#) symbol and thought it would be useful for a “group organizing framework.” Although his 2007 idea was originally dismissed as “nerdy” and others were convinced it wouldn’t catch on, clearly Messina was right in the long run. By 2009, Twitter was using hashtags. In 2012, hashtags became popularly affiliated with activism after #Ceasefire went viral because of an online 30-minute documentary focused on Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord Resistance Army. While hashtags could be used for everything from entertainment gossip and inside jokes to political news, hashtags have also been useful for business networking.

How Are Hashtags Improving Networking?

Hashtags come in handy for both businesses who want to network with each other and consumers who are interested in their products. While businesses may find out about each other from a relevant Instagram, Facebook or Google ad, hashtags give them the option to learn about each other even if they’re not each other’s initial demographic target. For example, a company who sells hair conditioner may initially reach out to beauty salons. Meanwhile, a beauty supply store that sells hair products can also see these products and may be interested in buying inventory. Just as hashtags work for business-to-consumer (B2C) networking, they also come in handy for B2B marketing.

Incorporating Hashtags On Social Media

Bluesky, which was founded by former Twitter CEO Dorsey in 2019, took a page from the bird app Twitter but improved on how hashtags are used. On Twitter, an entrepreneur could click on a tweet to see the hashtag being used in real time. On Bluesky, business owners can check status updates that same way or filter a specific hashtag’s use by a user. Using the same conditioner example above, a beauty supply store owner with a Bluesky account could choose to look at all status updates from one company using hashtags such as #shampoo or #conditioner. If the beauty supply store is looking to switch up their inventory, hashtags could be a one-stop shop for where to put their investment money.

Companies on Threads can also peruse hashtags, but Threads users are confined to only using one hashtag per post. If multiple hashtags make sense on status updates, business owners may want to use one platform over another. Or, start a (literal) “thread” (series of messages under one link) on Threads to use a variety of hashtags.

Additionally, LinkedIn incorporates hashtags on its platform. More often than not, B2B networkers usually use one hashtag. Even their long-form blogs focus on one topic. If other companies are interested in the topic matter, they can leave comments or share the posts to expand engagement and connect with each other.

The Best Hashtags For Business Marketing

These are some of the hashtags for business marketing used in Best-Hashtags.com, IQhashtags and Reddit posts that may see the most traction insofar as meeting and networking with other business professionals.

  • #businessnetworking
  • #networkingevents
  • #blackentrepreneurs
  • #businessowners
  • #businessideas
  • #businessinnovation
  • #growyourbusiness

And tags with the second-highest levels of engagement:

  • #startup
  • #professionaldevelopment
  • #supporther
  • #businessconnections
  • #networkmarketing

Tips For Using These Hashtags

The best hashtags for business networking on Twitter, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn and other platforms will change, depending on the topic. Companies should always use hashtags that are relevant to the topic though. Spamming users with hashtags when their companies or status updates have nothing to do with the product can put them at risk of being blocked or reported.

A recent hot topic has been the back-and-forth appeals related to the Beneficial Ownership Information Reports (or #BOIR). Law firms on LinkedIn may find that LLCs and corporations are interested in following the results, and connect to learn when to file these forms. But if a company decides to use #BOIR to talk about something unrelated to the lawsuits related to these company filings, this reflects poorly on the poster. Of course, there may be companies who don’t realize a hashtag is newsworthy or an already-established abbreviation or acronym, so it helps for companies to search hashtags ahead of time to see how they’re being used.

What If A Hashtag Doesn’t Catch On?

Not every hashtag catches on, especially ones that are made up for a specific purpose. Every hashtag (ex. #ShareACoke, #JustDoIt, #IceBucketChallenge) isn’t going to go viral. Companies are often better off waiting for something relevant to trend. Even awareness weeks (or months) may work to a company’s advantage instead of trying to come up with something brand new.

Made-up hashtags don’t always work out well anyway, primarily because users may not even know to look them up. However, if a slogan or tagline is used enough, loyal followers may recognize it if trends. For example, fitness company Kukuwa Fitness is popularly known for the hashtag #MoveYourBoombsey. But it took a considerable amount of Monday workout videos before the phrase was connected to founder Kukuwa. Musicians or producers who want to see if the trio would be willing to dance to one of their own instrumentals could potentially reach out for the next #MoveYourBoombsey video.

Should Every Social Media Message Contain A Hashtag?

Although Messina’s hashtag suggestion does help people find information faster, along with other clients who are interested in this topic, it’s not the only way that people find content. Businesses can always search for a word on its own without the hashtag to get similar results. Companies don’t have to drown each message in hashtags to be seen. Twitter and Instagram will sometimes shadow ban accounts that use too many hashtags on a regular basis anyway, specifically if they’re not relevant and appear to solely be used to find followers.

By balancing when to use hashtags, when to type relevant social media stats and understanding a company’s brand, this potentially creates a winning combination (and more networking opportunities) for the long haul.