What’s a Hashtag?

You may have heard people talking about Hashtags or seen # signs on Twitter and wondered what kind of strange code was being used. It’s not really a code at all, just a way of showing your interests and letting other people know about stuff you have found on the internet that might interest them.

For example, and I say it quietly here… I support Leeds United FC, and like to hear about transfers, team news and other related gossip.  By putting #LUFC into my regular searches I make sure that any news or gossip posted by anybody using the #LUFC hashtag will be sent to me.

Effectively a #tag is a special interest sign; it could be furniture, cricket, employment legislation, or absolutely anything you like.  Just put in #guitar for example and see what comes up.

Some sales people think of it as a kind of mailing list, because if you want your tweet to be read by your target customer (assuming they are into Social Media) then putting an industry hastag in front of it will pretty much guarantee that it will get into their PC, Mac or phone, if not that they will actually read it. Your message will at least pass their eyes when they flick through their twitter feed.

BTW, there is no directory of hastags, and you don’t look them up as such. Just do a search on a subject that interests you, see what #tags other people are using, and use that. If nobody has created one that fits with exactly what you want, just create your own by putting a # sign in front of the subject. For example, I could create a hashtag that says,  #goandstartahashtag just to see what happens. You never know it might start a trend, or not…..

Steve

Twitter this and twitter that…….

“It’s all Twitter this and Twitter that these days”, someone said to me last night at the Yorkshire Mafia networking evening. And it is, but not in the way it could or should be….

Many people are now using Twitter for their businesses, and good for them that they are taking a look at this incredible communication, marketing and customer interaction tool. But what most people are doing, and especially if they are letting their PR agency run their campaigns for them, is broadcasting, not engaging. Many people  view Twitter as just another medium for broadcasting their message, like a Press release website,  a TV ad or an editorial slot in a magazine ……… but it’s not.

Twitter is a brilliant tool for finding out what people in your industry are saying about you, your business, your rivals, new products,  critical issues of the day or any other business related topics. It offers you the opportunity to answer criticism, make comments, join in and be seen to contribute to the “The Conversation”.

Sure, it also offers you the chance to promote your latest product, event or launch using carefully chosen hashtags,  but the best way to do that is to Tweet out a link to your blog post where you write a more detailed account of your news.

My advice for those starting out with Twitter is to follow those industry figures who give good information, listen to what’s going on and join in.

Once you are up and running then you can start to combine Twitter with a blog and with linkedIn and with Facebook for a well rounded and comprehensive Social Media strategy,  dragging your business and the Luddites screaming into the light….

Just don’t tell people about your lovely cappuccino at Starbucks!

The window cleaner with dirty windows…….

Ask a painter and decorator’s wife about her home decor and she will more than likely be unsatisfied, because they will be so busy doing work for their customers, that they don’t find the time to do their own, ( and I should know, because my dad was one and my mum was never happy).
looking at my blog, which I have not added to since August, I seem to have inherited this trait !
I have been so busy doing work for Tesco, Dickies, APMG and others that I have neglected my own blog and my own twitter account.

I mention this because it fits the theme of the blog perfectly – what are the mistakes that people make when starting out with social media ?  Number one, getting started and then stopping soon afterwards….

I have decided to start again with my own blog and you ( if there is anybody out there) will see a more active blog with lots of tips for improving your social media performance.

First lesson:  Once you start – keep it going.
Steve

Using Social Media to promote your event – Find out how at Conference Scotland

If you run events or conferences in the UK, you need to be at Conference Scotland this Friday 2nd September at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange.

Mako Marketing is contributing to the event with a major conference discussion run by my colleague Charlotte Britton, a Social Media Strategist with extensive experience on how to leverage the social internet for your business.

Charlotte will be giving a presentation explaning in simple terms how event organisers can make the most of social media before during and after the event.

The subjects Charlotte will cover include:

• Why you need a blog
• How to use Facebook, to create a community around your event
• Why every event holder should have an active Twitter account
• What is a #tag and why your event should have one
• Using LinkedIn to build interest and discussion
• And much more ….

After the presentation Charlotte will answer questions from the floor and live on Twitter.

If the Social internet is still a mystery to you, or you are quite proficient but would like to get the latest top tips – register for Conference Scotland and let Chrlotte show you the way……

Regards

Steve Garcia
Mako Marketing

5 tips for promoting your event using Social Media

So you want to have the most successful event yet?
Here are the key basics for using Social Media to market your conference or event.

1. Change your Mindset:
The first thing you need to do is change your approach from the now old fashioned broadcast or advertising model. It’s no good just announcing the event, running some adverts and sending out a few press releases to the trade mags’. The key here is building a community, not just selling tickets ……….

What if people criticise us on Twitter or a blog?

One of the main reasons many business owners tell me they do not get started with Twitter or a blog, is the fear that critics, ex-employees or rivals will criticise them online. It’s as if by getting involved you are encouraging people to be negative about you. Who knows? a great groundswell might start up and the whole world could be tweeting bad things about your company. The trouble  is,  it may well be happening already, especially if you have a product or service that invites controversy in some way (an oil company for example).
If you are not monitoring what people are saying, joining in the conversations, answering criticisms and correcting factual inaccuracies, who will?
Your blog is the perfect place to answer criticism clearly and precisely. Twitter is the place to let people know your blog post is there. Google alerts allows you to find out what people are saying on forums and blogs. And a third party Twitter app is the simple way to manage your twitter account.
Stop the trollers, haters, the bitter and twisteds, rivals and exes from giving your business a bad name.
The truth is that unless you take control of your online profile, someone else will, or even worse, to misquote Oscar Wilde, you might not be talked about at all…..

What’s the best Social Media platfom for business, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook?

I was at a networking event the other day and after I had introduced myself, someone asked me what was the best Social Media platfom to use, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook?

Answering this question is the main reason I set up this blog, because to someone who is not actively involved in it, Social Media can seem like a mysterious new business art with pitfalls and tricks and rules to follow.

Admittedly there is a lot to take in and twitter certainly can be confusing to a first timer (especially if you’re not using an external twitter app/tool like Hootsuite or CoTweet), but it’s not rocket science. The key to success here is to create a realistic Social Media strategy as part of an overall integrated marketing plan.

What do I mean by realistic? Well common sense tells you that not everybody is on Linkedin or uses Twitter and that Facebook is largely a mum and teenager phenomenon rather than a purpose build business tool, so what I mean is that you have to be realistic about who you can target and what your Social Media campaign is likely to achieve. If you work in quite a traditional environment you can’t just join Linkedin, send out some tweets and expect customers to come flooding to your door. But what you can do is find out what type of customers and potential customers are using social media and target them with a specific and achievable campaign. Your objectives for the campaign need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound, (an old fashioned idea, but especially true in our modern and ultra-segmented marketing environment) and you need to dedicate someone to do it, so it doesn’t get left and forgotten about. The point is, you need a Social Media Strategy, not an isolated Twitter campaign.

Oh, and what’s my answer to the question about the best social media platform?

Use all of them, and a blog and Google alerts, and read blogs and comment on forums, and, and, and…….

Take it seriously and get on it.

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