What # is.
If you’re relatively new to the social media world, or you haven’t yet joined Twitter, you may be wondering what is up with all the # signs before words or phrases in social media.
So…what is #? This is a hashtag, and its been around for a few years. I’m writing about it now because I’ve finally (somewhat reluctantly) jumped on the Twitter beast.
What # does.
Hashtags were developed by Twitter users to make it easier to create groups/lists/categories on Twitter. Tweeters can search for tweets with a common topic using twitter hashtags. For example, search for #Glee on Twitter and you’ll get a list of tweets related to the tv show, all of which you should read because #Glee is awesome. I love Rachel Berry. If she were a real person, I would totally follow her on Twitter.
While Twitter hashtags have no unique SEO value, if you tweet something with a hashtag that gets retweeted, this obviously can increase your exposure, which then helps send traffic to your site. Plus, hashtags offer enormous online marketing potential.
How # is used.
Today, the number of daily Twitter hashtags has gotten so huge that there are websites dedicated to tracking hashtags. My favorite, hashtag.org (@hashtag for those on Twitter) tracks real time hashtag trends. I decided to check it out using the hashtag #diet, because I just finished visiting my sisters, and we use the word a lot when we are together (please note that we are all talk and no #diet.) So, here’s what I got:
Monday morning shows a spike in tweets using the word #diet. Seems obvious… so why does it matter?
Why # matters.
It matters to marketers. Think about it- tracking hashtags now gives marketers access to an enormous amount of information about what online consumers are thinking about every day, every hour, every second. The #diet example is just the tip of the iceberg. The hashtag data offers insights into the consumer mind more than ever before, in a huge way.
Even more importantly, hashtags are turning into a HUGE strategy for savvy online marketing who want to create a buzz for their product. If your product’s catchphrase becomes the hashtag trend of the week, your revenues will go through the roof. It’s cheap, it appears to be organic (that is, users themselves generate content and not advertisers,) and it’s turning into the main way to execute a viral marketing campaign. My husband knows a lot of about Twitter’s viral marketing campaigns for video games, if anyone’s interested. #husbandisadork.
# on Facebook.
Why hashtags on Facebook? There’s a very simple answer to that: its just because so people link their Facebook and Twitter accounts, that people’s tweets also turn up as their Facebook statuses. Facebook doesn’t use hashtags …yet. I suspect its only a matter of time.
The power of #:
Check out this very successful Twitter hashtag marketing campaign. For even more reading, check out these awesome viral marketing campaigns.
POSTED: Tuesday, April 26, 2011
