Humans and Hashtags, Keywords and Content
It is ironical that while Google and others talk about being user-friendly, in some ways, it is becoming harder to actually find what you are looking for on search engines. The use of long tail terms (3 or more search terms) has become imperative now as online users are increasingly looking to the social networks to find their answers from friends and followers.
While Twitter was originally termed a 'microblogging' service, one of its main uses now seems to be as a real-time, people-powered search engine or index. Marketers are using tweets to promote content – press releases, articles, competitions and giveaways, new products, news, etc. It is now possible to track down information using keywords in the search box, by checking through brand tweets, and by following people who are tweeting about the sector you are interested in.
The use of hashtags (#) means that content about a specific topic can be found if it has been tagged. By searching through hashtags, related content can also easily be found. For instance, #contentmarketing will bring you all the latest news, opinions and events around the topic of content marketing.
There are also regularly scheduled tweet chats about certain topics, and these also provide an ideal opportunity to ask within the niche for any information that you are looking for.
Search Among Your Followers
Another method to find specific information on Twitter is to simply ask your followers. Even with only a few followers, it is possible that someone else has read the news item or article you are seeking, or who knows the product you need information on, or who the expert is on the topic.
Finally, you can tweet the brand, expert or news source directly, and by putting a dot in front of their Twitter name, your tweet will also be read by all of their followers too. This means that even if the person you are addressing does not reply, you have the chance that one of their followers will.
For fast, accurate, informative results, it is worth giving Twitter a spin if you are having problems with the search engines. And for marketers, omitting Twitter from your content marketing strategy is more than just an oversight!
Is your business using Twitter to build engagement and drive traffic? If not, let’s talk. Call us now at 888-646-8003 or send us an email to find out more.