Twitter Business HashTags
After just five years Twitter has established itself as a very useful social networking tool, allowing businesses to target new customers and reach much further than ever before.
In recent months there has been a rapid increase in the number of #hashtags being used amongst those trying to promote and grow their business via Twitter.
For those of you not used to Twitter, they define a #hashtag as ..
"The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages."
Some of the popular business #hashtag being used are:
#Bizitalk web site: www.bizitalk.com
#purplebiz web site: Purple Dog
#Like2 web site: like2.com
Others include #locatebiz, #nibiz, and #crowdpromo
I spoke with Adrian Llewellyn-Jones of #bizitalk recently about the rise in these #hashtags and asked him why they are important for businesses.
Adrian explained that his #hashtag, #bizitalk, has trended on Twitter many times since it launched.
Trending is defined by Twitter as ....
"Trends are determined by an algorithm and are tailored for you based on who you follow and your location. This algorithm identifies topics that are immediately popular, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on Twitter that matter most to you."
He went on to say that the main reason for people using #bizitalk was to increase their Twitter follower count. That certainly does seem to work for those who actively participate in re-tweeting.
I guess the key to the success and longevity of these #hashtags will be two fold:
How many businesses do pick up new contacts and customers from their efforts.
Will the owners of the #hashtags manage to make money from them or their web sites.
I think it is too early to tell on both counts but will be following the #hashtag phenomena with interest.