Bar Promotions Using Twitter – Part 1 of 2

Part 1: #Hashtagging Your Events In Twitter

So you have become the Twitter expert for your bar or restaurant……well, you at least hope so.  You tweet to your hearts content, you have a strong following, you promote specials, events, and more.  But you are still unaware on how to not only find more followers but how to gain more while promoting an upcoming event.  Wouldn’t it be great to see what others are talking about before, during and even after your promotion in a organized fashion.  Well this is possible by creating a  #Hashtag for your specific event.

Examples: #MoJoBarEvent  #DollarThurs #HarrysAfterWork #BarCrawl #VIPevent #MMAfight

Creating a hashtag can help you organize and promote an event to help spread the word through a trending topic.  But there are some unwritten rules about Hashtags.  Remember, the idea is to trend an event to notify current followers but to also gain new followers by creating a trending buzz through Twitter.

1.) When you create the Trending (#Hashtag) for your event, make sure you Tweet about why you are starting this trending topic and its details.  This gives context and content behind your Hashtag and event.

2.) DO NOT ABUSE! Keep the trending topic relevant to your event and business.  Do not use the Hashtag to discuss random issues that are not related to your promotion.

Example: My wife made me sleep on the floor again last night when I came home at 4am! #StPatBarCrawl

The trending topic has nothing to do with my wife kicking me to the dog house, so don’t use it with your upcoming event Hashtag.  It is irrelevant and your followers will catch on and might either ignore your trend or even un-follow you.

3.) Make sure to check and list your Hashtag with www.hashtags.org.  This site will make sure that your Hashtag is not currently in use and it is distinctive for your specific event.  Make sure to follow the Hashtags Twitter account as they will follow you back and index your tweets with Hashtags in them.

4.) Once you have your event in motion you can check Twitter Search to see the conversation about your event’s trending topic.  You can also check Twitter Fall, which is another great feature to get a real-time feel for the discussion.  Some locations love to post this on their monitors in the bar during the event to keep everyone up to date of the discussion.  Another great site is Tweet Chat, as you can follow a Hashtag, tweet right from the site, and it will add your Hashtags automatically in your tweets.

Using Hashtags for an event is a powerful way to get the word out, especially with your current followers.  Keep tuned to Part 2 of this series as I will be discussing how to build your following before, during and right after your event.  This is a great way to get involved in the discussion with your followers to drive future traffic and increase sales.  Keep tuned for more!

Good Luck with your event  promotion!  If you should have any questions on creating a trending topic for your upcoming event or need some assistance in the promotion, please contact me direct at mjohnson@conciergepreferred.com

Michael Johnson | Social Media Beast, Chicago, IL

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