Smart Businesses Watch Conference Hashtags

[tweetmeme source=”pagetx”]For the last couple of days, Texas CVBs have converged on San Marcos TX for the 2011 Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Annual Conference.  I am fortunate to have joined them for the first time in several years.  The educational content has been first-rate and the San Marcos CVB and Embassy Suites San Marcos have done a terrific job hosting us.

But they weren’t the only ones who provided excellent customer service and hospitality.  There’s a local Twitter account called TwitBiz San Marcos (@TwitBizSM) that helps shine a light on some of the great local businesses and restaurants located in San Marcos.  They do a hell of a job.

Not only do they effectively promote these great local businesses, they are also doing it in very smart ways.  TwitBiz San Marcos watches hashtags.  I don’t know if they do this for every conference that comes to town, but they sure did it for ours.  They picked up on the #TACVB hashtag and began tweeting out teasers about great places we could go for dinner, drinks, and entertainment.  They also interacted with TACVB attendees.  Here’s an example of how they tempted us:

Their efforts did not go unnoticed.  Here’s what Stephanie Molina (@Beaumartian) from the Beaumont Texas CVB had to say:

I chimed in too, by thanking TwitBiz San Marcos and letting the San Marcos CVB know about this awesome local partner’s efforts.

Could your local businesses do this?  Of course they could.  But do they?  It wouldn’t be difficult to get a list of upcoming conferences and ask for their conference hashtags.  With just a few minutes of leg work, any local business could tap into conference attendees who are looking to have a good time and spend some money in town.  Smart.  Just plain smart.