Quite often I am asked about the “pound” sign in tweets referred to as “hashtags” by those of us more in the know of such things. I commonly describe it as a search tool for twitter; a way for users to find conversations about subjects they are interested in, as well as allow others to find subjects they are sharing. Hashtags can also be used to find PEOPLE you might want to connect to – such as potential customers. So for example, if you are a Printer and looking to increase your audience it might be a good idea to search #design not only to see if there are some local tweeps to follow, but also see if there are any discussions or questions about PRINTING you can add your expertise too.
The strategy: Search some relevant hashtags to your products and services. Follow some people and hopefully they will follow back. Reply to topics you can add value (without saying check out my website – I mean have real exchanges and conversations). Avoid the DM (direct message) sales pitch if you havent had some sort of public exchange and the next level is warranted. Try to remember there is WORK is networking and if you try the shortcuts twitter has provided a block as well as report spammer feature. The good news is that hashtags can also help you weed through the clutter, so take a look at the article below for some useful info and tools and happy hashtagging!
What You Need to Know About Using Hashtags on Twitter
BY JASON FALLS
If you’re new to Twitter, or even if you’ve been using it for years, you may wonder what all those words preceded by the # sign are. They’re hashtags. And you should consider using them if you want to potentially get more out of your experience.
Problem is, many people don’t use hashtags correctly. Here’s a primer on hashtags, plus some recommendations for using them effectively for your business.
What are Hashtags?
A hashtag is simply a relevant word or series of characters preceded by the # symbol. Hashtags help categorize messages and can make it easier for other Twitter users to search for tweets.
When you search for or click on a hashtag you’ll see all other tweets that use the same hashtag. Only others who are interested in the same topic thread will likely be using the same hashtag.
For example, if you search for #Apple, you’re less likely to see tweets that include references to the fruit and more likely to see information about the technology company.
Keep in mind, however, that Twitter is a real-time platform and its search function only goes back one week. If you want to pull older conversations, try using third-party services, such as Topsy, that archive messages sent over public social networks.
Why Use Hashtags
Twitter is an open social network, and anyone can see your public tweets provided you haven’t set up your account to be completely private. But few people want to follow everyone in the world. Hashtags can make it easier to discover other Twitter users who are interested in the same conversations you like.
continues at: What You Need to Know About Using Hashtags on Twitter | Entrepreneur.com.
