Social Media The Power Of The Hour

(Image courtesy of Bruce Clay, INC)

The rise and evolution of social media platforms, particularly Twitter and Facebook in recent years is astonishing; with over 3.5 billion pieces of content being shared on Facebook each week and 5,000 tweets posted each and every second.

Once a place for 18-24 market to convey details of their everyday lives Twitter and Facebook have shifted the way businesses think about marketing, forcing many to adapt and reshape their strategies to integrate social media.

One of the main components of social media, and Twitter in particular, is #HashTags. A hashtag simply helps categorise or mark keywords or topics in a tweet, enabling searches and allowing people with similar interests to engage with each other e.g. #ImACeleb. The process itself is one that still confuses many who aren’t familiar with social media, but if used correctly it can reap benefits for your social media accounts.

Dedicated #HashTags:

HashTags are searchable features, but they can also be used to create live feeds for content, based on the real-time nature of tweets. Many brands are cottoning on and adding dedicated HashTags to products, advertising campaigns, television programmes and articles, however some are taking this one step further. Many companies, industries, magazines and collectives have taken the initiative and created dedicated discussion feeds which run at regular intervals to bring people together; also referred to as Twitter #Hours, these are the most active real-time social networking opportunities, generating significant interaction as well as a little bit of havoc among tweeters every day of the week; twitter users contribute tweets for a dedicated hour, using the relevant HashTag, then respond to others on the same thread. These hours allow for interaction and rapport to be built with new clients, are a useful way for businesses to connect with compatible audiences and they also aid in raising the awareness of a company’s profile and services in the local area.

Examples include #weddinghour, #NetworkBritan and #CotswoldHour which focus on industry related business, businesses based in the UK and regional specific businesses.

As well as driving interaction, these Twitter hours have also made it easier to measure the return on investment from social media as a marketing tool; a common question among business owners, these #Hours increase the likelihood of generating leads through engagement, as well as building relationships with other business/clients.

We recommend that businesses look for the relevant hours and give them a try. Top tips include…

• Be engaging and friendly - it’s an online social networking event with a purpose, not a one dimensional sales pitch.
• Post images – Pictures speak a thousand words and are a great tool to capture people’s imagination whilst driving your message home.
• Target who you talk too – There will be many businesses actively engaging in these hours so make sure you observe, interact and build rapports with the companies closest to your target audience.

We must warn you though, most #hours are held out of office, around eight and nine o clock, so you may need to grab your phone and network in your slippers!

Author: Chris Robins, Marketing Assistant