Twitter introduces hashtag landing pages to compete with Facebook brand pages

During NASCAR's recent Pocono 400 race, Twitter aired its first television ads. They were 15-second spots displayed during the event that introduced the #NASCAR hashtag, The Chicago Tribune reports.

The spots directed users to the landing page URL "twitter.com/#NASCAR" where users could view content posted by the drivers themselves, as well as their families and racing teams.

While hashtag pages may have been introduced as a way to compete with Facebook's brand pages, TechCrunch attributes them in the same ilk as AOL keywords, which were tagged during commercials and at the end of television shows back when AOL was still a viable competitor in the grand scheme of the internet.

"For a time (AOL) was the go-to place to find out more about all your favorite brands, products, TV shows, movies - you name it," explains the news source.

Twitter's hashtag pages may eventually be used in the same way, and given their rising popularity (remember how Charlie Sheen's meltdown led to a barrage of #winning tweets?), it's quite possible this is a trend that will stick.

However, the Tribune points out a cautionary tale to remember when advertising your business using hashtags. In early 2012, McDonalds promoted the hashtag #McDstories as a way to allow consumers to voice their positive experiences with the company. What followed instead was a barrage of negative stories about some unsavory things customers had found in their burgers (fingernails, for one), as well as episodes of food poisoning and jokes about diabetes.

The lesson here? Know your audience. For instance, don't start a hashtag page if your primary demographic is in the 40-to-60-year-old range, because the majority simply won't know what to do with it.