Have you ever noticed the little hashtag symbol (#) at the bottom of your TV screen with a key phrase attached while watching your favorite TV show? TV programs are using what is called, “hash tagged phrases” to measure who’s watching and track all of the chatter about their show. (See below)
As discussed in one of my previous blogs “Learning Twitter: The Art of Hashtagging”, #hashtags are used on Twitter to enable users to participate in discussions they are interested in with other users who are discussing the same topic. Once you attach a word or phrase to the hashtag symbol (#) your tweet can then be seen by all users who search for that keyword or phrase.
Using hashtags can help your business stand apart from the rest of your competitors. Just like the hashtag (#) is used on Television, your business can try using this technique with a little twist. Create a hashtag that is unique to your agency (i.e. #newempiregroup) and try adding it to your marketing materials. Like on TV Shows, where the hash tagged reference is a bit translucent, add a slightly translucent “hash tagged phrase” to your marketing materials or add it at the end of each tweet. What I mean is, you can add that little image at the bottom of email blasts, flyers, blogs, etc. to entice people to start using your hash tagged phrase on Twitter.
For example, New Empire Group might tweet the following:
“We will be attending the annual #TriCountyIndependentInsuranceAgents Dinner on June 5th #NewEmpireGroup”
“#NewEmpireGroup” would be the hash tagged phrase used on our marketing materials and at the end of our tweets.
There is a free ‘Tool’ you can use to help track your hash tagged phrase called, Hashtags.org. This site allows you to see what’s trending and keep track of your hashtags. “It gives you a graphical representation of the frequency of tweets on the topic, who’s using hashtags, and even a count of how many times a hashtag is used.” according to Kyle Lacy’s book Twitter Marketing for Dummies, 2nd Edition.
For the full list of websites that enable you to track hashtags, click here
This may be confusing at first, but it is a very simple concept and can help boost discussions about your business on Twitter. This could also lead to potential clients learning about your company who normally wouldn’t know who you are.
Sources: TwitterFanWiki; Mashable.com
Check out the great Insurance Programs for Condominium Insurance, Cooperative Insurance, Apartment Insurance and Property Manager’s Insurance that New Empire Group, Ltd. offers! And keep up to date with what’s going on at New Empire Group, LTD. by visiting our social media sites – Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter!
