Hashtags are an incredible way to connect with other X (formerly Twitter) users with like interests. If you’re consistent and honest in your hashtag chats, you can make new friends, colleagues and even business partners.
However, I’ve spent a lot of time in hashtag chats and general hashtag conversations and have seen a lot of people miss the mark. It’s not that it’s “wrong”, but every tweet is an opportunity to say something valuable and on X, people are measured by the consistent quality of their tweets. When a user’s every tweet is funny, informative or educational, the followers will come.
So here are three ways to improve your use of X hasthags.
1: Find the events that your hashtag is interested in
If you’re on a film hashtag, then you know everyone’s going to be really excited about the Oscars, so show up on the chat when that event is going on and you’ll meet other passionate fans. For instance, during the Oscars, the #Oscar hashtag was abuzz with writers, film buffs, producers and comedians. It was a great place to meet other people that enjoy the same sorts of events that I do, and also a great way to make it known to my X followers what kind of interests I have.
2: A good balance of commented retweets and unique posts
Ideally you have something to offer to your followers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share their great ideas too. I find a lot of Tweeters either end up posting their own content all the time or just retweeting. It may be a simplification, but the idea of ‘value’ is essential on X. What value are you adding to each post? I find a lot of people that use X don’t even give a second’s thought to a tweet. This is where X gets the reputation of being about “what I had for lunch” – that kind of post still exists.
There are far too many “I like that” and “I hate that” posts on X that really don’t add any value at all. Be specific, be funny and try to find a unique angle. If a recent movie isn’t your favorite – point out the moment where you lost your suspension of disbelief, or do some research and find out whether the producers halved the budget. Add some value!
3: Spread out your tweets
Supply and demand is an essential part of our world and psyche. If you’re posting heaps of tweets at one time and then going blank, it may work, but only if every one of those tweets is a gem. Otherwise, take your time, and slowly mete out valuable, interesting tweets and people will enjoy having you in their feed.
Interesting points on improving tweets, but I was looking for content about hashtags.
I’ve been using HOOTSUITE Free and HOOTLET for about 9 months and they do a great job. HOOTLET lets me auto-post to Twitter, and in tandem with the TOOLS supplied by BLOGGER I can take of my FB, LINKEDIN and PINT posts manually, since they only need attention once per day. This frees up time for curation and REAL WRITING, which my users like the most.
I try to keep a good mix of POLITICAL NEWS, TERRORISM NEWS, Social Media Tips, HOW TOS and Social Media Law.
It’s a great boon to use a number of the #SOCIALMEDIA Dashboards and keeps things current, which is the key.