Use Twitter Hashtags for Business
If you have been using Twitter for some times, you have probably seen that some tweets containing a word with the hash symbol (“#”) attached to it. That is what we call a “hashtag,” and at any given time at least one of them can usually be found among the trending topics on Twitter.
But what exactly is a hashtag in Twitter?
Hashtags are a simple way to catalog and connect tweets about a specific topic. This will make it easier for users to find additional tweets on a particular subject, while filtering out the incidental tweets that may just coincidentally contain the same keyword. Hashtags are also used by conference and event organizers as a method of keeping all tweets about the event in a single stream, and they’ve even been used to coordinate updates during emergencies.
You can create a hashtag simply by appending the hash symbol to a word, like this: #Word, #SEO, #marketing.
How to Utilize Existing Hashtags
To use hashtags can be a great way to extend your reach on Twitter and connect with your current audience in a more meaningful way, because hashtags tend to spread so quickly and also because Twitter users often search hashtags for content from people they aren’t following. There are a wide variety of already established hashtags, and new ones being created daily, that you can join. But you need to be careful here, your use of hashtags has to be consistent with both your brand and the tag itself. But the backside her is, as hashtags have become more popular, they’ve also become a vehicle for spam.
1. You should never use a hashtag on a tweet unrelated to that tag.
2. You should never stuff your tweets with currently popular hashtags with the sole purpose of appearing in Twitter search results.
3. Proper etiquette dictates that you should only use hashtags if your tweet is actually relevant to the tag’s associated meme or topic.
Which tags should you use, depends wholly on your business and your purpose for using Twitter. Use sites like:
Twubs, a hashtag directory,
What the Trend?, a wiki that attempts to explain what certain hashtags (and other Twitter trends) mean, to locate and identify hashtags that make sense for your business.
You may also pay attention to tags being used by your followers and search for them on Twitter to see what sort of tweets are associated with those tags. If it makes sense for your business to jump on board, compose tweets that are on topic and compatible with that hashtag.
How to Start Your Own Hashtags
The first step in creating a hashtag is deciding on the tag word itself. You should pick something memorable, easy to spell, and perhaps more importantly, as short as possible. Remember that Twitter gives everyone just 140 characters per tweet, so no one wants half of it to be taken up by an unwieldy hashtag.
You should also use hashtags to describe all of your tweets, they can be very helpful for small businesses as a way to track social media campaigns or create memes that help establish a sense of community and build your company’s mindshare among your core customers.
Next step is: Start using it and promoting it. Make sure your tweets using the hashtag are worthwhile and add something of value to the conversation. Promote your tag or the social media campaign that uses the tag via other social media channels, such as your blog or email newsletter. Tweet out calls to action explaining your new tag at regular intervals, but don’t overdo it
How to Keep Track of Hashtags
Use Twitter Search to track hashtags. Here you can watch people using your hashtag and also any other tag you want to track in real-time, and subscribe to an RSS feed of the results.
Monitter and TweetGrid are two other good web-based dashboards for performing real-time Twitter earches of hashtags.
Rel Articles:
1. How to Twitter
2. What about Tweets and Ranking
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