The Power of a Hash Tag

I can’t describe the energy of the LA and Tulsa Spark and Hustle events over the last two weeks. WOW! It’s truly amazing what happens when DOers get together to talk about ACTions. If you don’t know about the national Spark and Hustle tour, I’m proud to fill you in. Tory Johnson, founder of Spark and Hustle and workplace contributor for Good Morning America, is traveling the country helping women entrepreneurs and small business owners make sure their profits equal their passions. I’m so thrilled to join Tory and small business coach extraordinaire Michelle Pippin on this labor of love as we travel from coast to coast to help women make more money.

Two weeks ago we were in Los Angeles. Of course, my assistant and I had to pack in three hours and hop a plane two days early to get out before Oklahoma got a record breaking blizzard, but we weren’t about to miss the first stop on the tour. The amazing women at the conference didn’t disappoint! We covered everything from collaborating with other women to make money to putting your hustle in the right place to produce results. We laughed, we cried, we conquered!

Last week the tour came to my hometown – Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mother nature decided to do another little number on us and sent YET ANOTHER record breaking snow storm! But the participants did whatever it took to get there so they could learn solid ways to make more money. It was amazing…. SOLD OUT and most showed up despite the odds. For me, the tears really flowed at this event b/c I knew the backstories of so many of the women there. Many were ladies who had overcome so much and now know where to put their hustle to pay off.

At both events, I headed up our SOCIALVENTION Soiree on the Thursday night of the conference. It’s based upon what I teach my clients: using social media to reinvent or simply just ‘up’ your game. In both cities we had a blast as we discussed truly connecting with people online, gaining a loyal following that can turn contacts into cash and how to stay in contact long after the conference is over. (I obviously practice what I preach since it was through a tweet that I connected with Tory.)

That last point is what makes the twitter hash tag so important. Not only are women connecting at each of the cities through the hashtag but the different cities are in connection with each other! #SparkandHustle has taken on a life of it’s own as a way to document what the participants are learning and help like-minded women meet each other across the country. Here are just some of the tweets:

Are you scratching your head… asking “what the heck is a hash tag?” Basically it’s a way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic. For example, search #SparkandHustle, you’ll get a list of tweets related to the national tour. You’ll see women talking about ah-ha moments, powerful info they’ve learned or something they want to share specifically with the women interested in Spark and Hustle. What you won’t get if you search #SparkandHustle is a tweet about “doing the hustle” because it doesn’t have the entire phrase preceded by a hash tag. (Here’s where you go for a Twitter Search.)

Where do hash tags come from? It’s not anything official or formal. Users (yes, YOU) create their own by simply adding it to your tweet. So, Tory made up #SparkandHustle. Hash tags allow you to create communities of people interested in the same topic which can be key when there are so many conversations on twitter that it can be overwhelming.

I encourage you to follow #SparkandHustle as we tour the country. We still have six cities to go with new speakers and attendees. It’s a great way to connect w/ women entrepreneurs and small business women who have the spark but want to learn where to put the hustle so they make more money. I also suggest you make up your own hash tag. For instance, when I talk with a group about social media strategy… I ask they use #SOCIALVENTION in their tweets. It makes it easy for me to search what my clients are saying and helps spread the message to all of their followers.

Basically, don’t fear the hash tag. Embrace it to meet tweet-worthy BFFs and BBFs (your Businesses Best Friend).