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Merrick, NY—There's a lot of good information out there about the almighty hashtag (here and here, for instance). You know, that thing that looks like this: #, plus word or words immediately after. You may also know that symbol as the pound symbol, as well as the hash.

In the social media world, it's the hashtag. Using that symbol on social media turns any word or group of words directly following into a keyword or searchable link on Twitter, Vine, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+ and Pinterest.

Chances are, you and your social media/marketing/advertising department are active on at least one of these platforms. Using the hashtag allows your company to invite participation from the public. If you see a hashtag on an ad, as a consumer, you might consider joining in and adding your own voice. To many, it says 'come and play.' And other generate their own tags.

There are plenty of ways to showcase your own business. Three are below. (Full story here.)

1) Reveal Your Past
#ThrowBackThursday, or #tbt, began on Instagram with posters reminiscing. Today, that theme is embraced by the Internet where individual posters on Facebook (for instance) showcasing older photos of themselves. Companies have picked up the banner, posting historical information and photos each week.

Do you have some wonderful old photos? Consider posting them about your business, you and your employees and even your city.

2) Find What Matters and Connect
People don't necessarily want to talk about what matters to you or your brand. They want to talk about what matters to them. Given that, it's often easier and smarter for companies to follow a hashtag and participate instead of creating a new one.

Keep your eyes to the screen when keeping up online. Look for hashtags - and conversations - that you and your company can naturally participate in and keep the conversation going.

3) Show your True Colors
Use hashtags as a way to convey your company/brand's personalty. Often they can communicate your brand emotions in a quirky way and connect with those most likely to buy from you.

Let your company's personality shine through as you connect with your customer. If your past advertising is funny, sincere, or playful, make sure that feeling comes through in your communications online with customers, when appropriate. 

4) Still Confused?

If you're still wondering when to use a hashtag (#) or the @ symbol but are too embarrassed to ask, here's the difference: a hashtag is used to identify a particular subject or thread of conversation, and the @ symbol is used to identify an individual. @Self: Bring comfortable shoes to Vegas next year. #myfeethurt.

Simpler: Think of it like a memo. The @ replaces "to:" and # replaces "re:".  And keep it simple and focused: #myfeethurt is one subject; #my#feet#hurt is three. 

Top image: business2community.com