How a hashtag can help you drive traffic ? An example

1. Send out a tweet with a hashtag and a link:

2. Initially it’s viewable in the home feeds of followers:

3. It also gets visibility in feeds for anyone following the #SEO hashtag:



4. Additionally, it gets visibility in Twitter search for people searching for SEO:

5. And to top it off, search engines index tweets so they may show up in search results:

How to get visibility for your tweets

Here is a quick and easy list of tactics you can employ to get the most out of your tweets.

1. Use hashtags wisely. That’s the “#” symbol. Put a hashtag on a word or two in your tweet that is topically relevant to the tweet. Don’t overdo it or people won’t want to read your tweets at all. This allows your tweet to appear in the feeds of people following that hashtag topic.
2. Use keywords. Instead of tweeting “Check out this video”, tweet “Check out Zuckerberg announcing the new #Facebook features at #f8.” Anyone searching for or following Zuckerberg and/or Facebook and/or f8 will be able to potentially see your tweet.
3. Tweet about hot topics. When topics are hot, like earthquakes, company shakeups and new product releases, people will search for those topics. Tweet about what’s hot (and of course relevant to you and your audiences) and you may get in front of hundreds, thousands or even millions of people searching.
4. Study your data. Take note of your tweets that get the most clicks and/or retweets. What language did you use? What topics are popular? What time of day do people retweet you the most? Use tools likeTwoolr for when you are retweeted the most, and Topsy for tweets that got the most retweets.
5. Link to your site from your tweets. Again, don’t overdo this one (you don’t want to come off as self-centered), but do link to your site when promoting content on your site. Use URL shorteners like Bit.ly to allow for more text space in your tweet and to be able to track your link data.
6. Link to Twitter from your site. This seems like a no-brainer, but too many people forget this part. Make sure to promote your Twitter account on your website. A Razorfish brand study showed that 23.5% of people follow a brand on Twitter because they are a current customer. Don’t pass up a simple opportunity to engage them.
7. Link to your Twitter from Facebook. If people like you on Facebook they might also want to follow you on Twitter. Let them know you’re there with a link to your Twitter feed from your Facebook page. Also link to your website from both your Facebook page and your Twitter profile.

*This article was originally posted by Laura Lippay in http://www.yadvertisingblog.com