Twitter Hashtag Competitions - Just Spam?

The recent increase in popularity of the use of hashtags on Twitter (used as a way of creating groupings for Tweets based on keywords), has given rise to an increase in the use of hashtags for ‘spam’.

Not limited to the domain of the stereotypical spammer, we have seen significant numbers of reputable brands falling prey to the attraction of hashtags, only to be shot down and their attempts labeled as spam.

One of the most recent high profile examples was Habitat’s less than thoughtful use of trending hashtags to gain following and exposure on Twitter, even using hashtags related to the Iran election to gain coverage. Not a clever move, and one which left Habitat reeling from the criticism and #habitatfail comments that flooded the Tweetsphere.

So, if a brand as respectable as Habitat can be so unethical in its use of hashtags, it is no wonder that a recent NMA poll showed that 61% of us feel that Twitter competitions by brands which ask users to retweet hashtags are just spam.

So, before you launch a competition on Twitter using hashtags, think again…

Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager
@jocelynkirby

Tweets, Dweets and Hashtags

If you find yourself a little confused as to what all of the Twitter-related terms mean, then you are not alone. Twitter is creating a host of new words for the English language and the meanings aren't always clear at first glance.

Today, I came across a great starting point to help you understand the ins-and outs of Twitter and related vocabulary - Twictionary, a glossary from UTalkMarketing - worth a read if you want to be in the know about your Tweets, Dweets and Hashtags!

If that gives you a taste for more, your Twitter homepage gives you a Twitter-related word definition every time you refresh, revealing yet more Twitter words and new services born out of the Twitter revolution. Enjoy!

Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager

Everyone's talking about Twitter

To Tweet or not to Tweet? That is the question.

But what is the answer?

It is a much discussed topic in today’s blogs, news, TV and even radio, with Chris Moyles touching on the subject on this morning’s show. And despite my reluctance to follow the masses, even I have given in to writing about it. So just why is Twitter so newsworthy?

For those of you that haven’t yet come across the phenomenon, Twitter is a micro-blogging service, that allows you to tell your ‘followers’ what you are doing in 140 characters or less – a little like updating your Facebook status.

Launched in March 2006 and probably partly due to its ease of use, its rise to fame has been rapid and it now finds itself ranked in the top 600 websites on the planet! (according to Alexa)

Its popularity has spawned a whole host of ‘bi-products’, making it even easier to post your tweets, keep up to date with the people you are following and post pictures. We’ve written about a few of them in our previous post, The Twitter Revolution.

The question that everyone is asking at the moment is – should you tweet?

It’s not a tough question to answer – YES!

Twitter is great fun and a fantastic communication tool, for personal and business use.

At Bluhalo, we find it a great way to keep up with what our colleagues are working on, what colleagues in our other offices are working on and a superb way to knowledge share – one person finds a great new site that can save them time, they post it to Twitter and now we all know about this great new site and we’re all saving time.

So aside from keeping up to date with friends and colleagues, how else can you make use of Twitter?

It brings huge value to online PR. Not only does it give your brand a way to communicate with its public, it also allows you to glean hugely valuable information on public opinion of your company and products, by monitoring brand chatter across Twitter users. Huge benefits have been seen by the famous, with Obama’s election campaign proving to be a seminal moment for both Twitter and social media. It's worth checking out what we did with a Twitter integration to Andy Murray’s website.

I could write about Twitter all day but in short, the main benefits are:

• ease of use
• access to your public
• ability to informally communicate
• contribution to online PR
• brand monitoring

So to quote the Muller ads, with so much pleasure, where’s the pain?

Some argue that Twitter just shouldn’t be used as a marketing tool.

And in a world where your thoughts are published to the world, you'd be forgiven for agreeing with this view. However, a simple degree of censorship when tweeting means you can make the most of this great comms tool without fear.

Here are some general rules which should not be broken and will keep your Twitter experience a pleasant one and not a business faux pas!

1. Anyone could read your Tweet. Is it suitable for public reading? Could what you are about to tweet offend someone, especially a client?There’s a great story on this which is worth the read if you have the time.
   
   
2. It pays to stay positive. If all you do is moan, people won’t want to follow you. Try to keep it upbeat and if you do feel the need to gripe, at least make it comical!
   
   
3. Keep it interesting. Who really cares what you just ate for breakfast? Keep your tweets interesting and informative. The wider the appeal of your tweets, the more followers you’ll get.
   
   
4. It’s not a sales tool. It’s great for brand presence and communication, but don’t use it as a tool to hard sell. It will turn your audience off pretty quickly.
   
   
5. Be genuine. If you’re a celebrity, your fans want to know it’s you and not your PR guy posting to Twitter. If you’re a brand, followers want to know they’re getting the real story and ‘insider knowledge’, not PR spin.
   
   
6. Know your objectives. Understand why your are using Twitter, whether it is simply for personal communication, building your professional reputation or representing a brand. Confused messages make for confused followers.

So, that’s it! Rather longer than anticipated, but my take on the phenomenon that is Twitter.

Jocelyn
Marketing & Business Development Manager
Twitter @JocelynKirby