Use Hashtags to Create More Conversation About Your Business

In February, Twitter announced that it had acquired television analytics firm BlueFin Labs. This comes as no surprise. Recently, Twitter has become a social gathering place for breaking news and thoughts on latest episodes of favorite TV shows. For many, Twitter was the primary news source during Hurricane Sandy, and users join together in conversations about everything from the Presidential debates to the commercials during the Super Bowl.

Not only are people turning to Twitter to talk about anything and everything, brands and networks are actively encouraging this as of late. Television shows and commercials display hashtags for watchers to extend their viewing experience on their computers, tablets and smartphones. More and more Twitter-television integration provides valuable opportunities for brands to interact with their customer base.

Facebook’s recent announcement that it would integrate hashtags into its service (reported here on the Wall Street Journal) will allow brands and shows to carry the conversation not only to Twitter, but also to Facebook. A hashtag search on Twitter now will bring all posts about that topic to the top of the page. Imagine having that instant sorting carry over to Facebook.

You can apply these principles to your own business, no matter the size. Create and publicize a hashtag about a new product or service, encourage prospective and current clients to engage with it on Twitter and Facebook (when hashtags are available).

Imagine the possibilities: you’ll be able to see exactly who is talking about your company and reach out to them personally, your hashtag could go viral and be adopted by others looking for services or products you offer, or you could engage in real-time Twitter conversations about your business.