RT @marianschembari: {latest post} LinkedIn Mondays: The Best Way To Use Twitter Hashtags http://bit.ly/a6c6Zs

How do you use Twitter hashtags? http://bit.ly/a6c6Zs

I use hashtags to hunt, that is, a hashtag identifies a business development target, and I use those identifiers to the advantage of my client's business development tactic.

Sometimes it's scooping up a hashtag's community – like #dbw since you mentioned it. The people who use that HT represent certain demographic characteristics that identify them as useful to, for example, an unpublished author who might be looking for a side door into the business, or a consultant looking to establish contacts inside target houses.

There are a boatload of HTs like that across all manner of industries identifying target connections for a plethora of business development purposes.

Sometimes I'll inject a hashtag in a biz dev tweet because I know who's tracking it, and I want them to capture my client's message in their search. Tags like #franchise, #weightloss and #depression are closely monitored by key players in those markets, so when I want them to focus on a client's message, the HT has the power to grab them by the nose for 5 seconds – then the client is on their own.

I also agree with you that hashtags are beastly for creating community around a live event. Combined with shrewd use of geolocating apps like Foursquare, HTs have the power to micro-organize events within events almost to the point of hijacking the host event.

More importantly, all these activities get our clients closer to the holy grail of Internet marketing (short of a sale), an email address and the permission to use it.

The Best Way To Use Twitter Hashtags– http://dld.bz/cYVv

RT @ElizabethSCraig: The Best Way To Use Twitter Hashtags– http://dld.bz/cYVv

See, I'm NOT new to Twitter and still haven't figured out how to incorporate them into every day tweets. I think that says something – that maybe they're just not important??

Hi Marian,

Thanks for this post! I'm always trying to learn how to use Twitter “better” and more efficiently, and I really think that hashtags are one of those bandwagons I just need to jump on! I tend to use hashtags on twitter for two different things:

1) To target a specific (usually serious, work-related) audience–for instance, using the tag #amwriting targets those writers who are watching all related tweets carefully for both like-minded friends and also those they can hit up for encouragement. This earns followers and leads you to some wonderful people!

2) To be silly/fun/original–making up hashtags can add to a joke in a tweet, and oftentimes can link you to like-minded folk you would never have otherwise met! Say, if you think you're making up #awesomesauce, but someone else used it and then starts following you because you have a similar sense of humor, etc.

I do think hashtags can be really useful, but it could be handy to have some kind of twitter guide out there for all of us newbies! :-P

I think the hashtag key is more useful only to savvy internet users! Just to note, how many hash tag tweets are displayed on Top Tweets of Twitter homepage? I think the answer is little. Also, leaving the technical part of writing messages using hash, can we find people who are looking for those? Yes we can but do they also do the same to find out you? Almost no!

Thanks, Marian.

Your point about “Random hashtaggers” is spot on; they're no more than common spammers. I'm referring to the practice of using a HT to inject into a conversation, a link to a landing page full of affiliate links, or some other bullshit sales pitch.

If I have an author, however, who's written a book about weight loss or nutrition, advising her to use the HTs #diet, #weightloss, #nutrition or #health in a message is simply solid marketing practice, not predatory nor spammy, as long as the destination content is genuinely relevant to the HT.

When you jump in on a hashtagged chat, like #smallbizchat or #dbw or #kaizenblog, you'd better be contributing to the conversation, although as I mentioned earlier, harvesting target contacts from a tagged chat is perfectly acceptable, as long as your follow-up engagement is professional and appropriate to the environment.

Like #dbw, there ARE a boatload of hashtags that only industry specific professionals know. It's the finding them that gets overwhelming and then you have to find a way to incorporate that in your tweet (no one likes a random hashtagger). The best piece of advice I can give for people just starting out (not that you are, Don!) is to monitor relevant people on Twitter and keep an eye out for the tweets they tag – what events they're going to, what identifiers they use, how often they use the hashtags, etc…

I REALLY like what you say about the HTs being monitored by “key players.” That's something I had never even thought about. I think I might try to incorporate a hashtag into my tweets once a day THAT way and see how it rolls.

Great comment Don! You have a way with words and I was at a loss as to how to use HTs effectively without bogging myself down even more than I already am! Thanks for leaving such a helpful post!

I use hashtags when I think they may pertain to a subject/person/place that others may look up and want to follow on the subject, such as when I mention a state in my tweet, I'll hashtag it so anyone looking up that state hashtag can read something I've posted that may interest them about their state, for example. I've also created my own hashtag for #Fabulawsome, but like some others, I seem to be the only one using it, and that's ok. Perhaps I can search my tag and make sure that I'm not using that tag too much or when I shouldn't be. I think hashtags are useful. I use them myself when I am looking up certain current events or news or places.

RT @marianschembari: The Best Way To Use Twitter Hashtags http://bit.ly/a6c6Zs

I use them to bring notice of what my tweet is about. I also use them because if people are interested in the same hashtag topic then they will see it when (if) they search for that particular hashtag. For example, if I am telling people about a sale I have I will use the hashtag #deals. If any one searches the tag my tweets will show up there as well. That way I get more mileage out of my tweets. Does it work? That I really cannot answer unfortunately, so I keep hashtagging anyway (lol).

RT @photojack: Best way to use Twitter Hashtags ( short post) http://bit.ly/bCGS1w #togs

RT @MarianSchembari The Best Way To Use Twitter Hashtags http://bit.ly/a6c6Zs

RT @photojack: Best way to use Twitter Hashtags ( short post) http://bit.ly/bCGS1w #togs