If your on Twitter and have not discovered the hashtag # symbol, and what it can do for you then get ready to open your world to even more Internet marketing perks.
A hash # tag is a great way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic and they are the reason you see trending topics on the right hand side bar of your twitter page if many people use a certain hash tag, like the trend below. When you click on a trend you will be on a page just about that trend and what others are saying about that subject.

Creating Your Own Hash Tag
Create a community of people who will share their love of say blogging. If you have blogging days, and a group that participates, it is like forming a group on twitter with all of them using the same hash tag after every tweet they post for that blogging day. To create your hash tag simply go to twitter and in the search bar put in the hash tag symbol # and what ever name your group is, you can even use just the initials of your group.
For instance, lets say I am in a blogging challenge and the group holding the challenge is called “Blog For Fun” then I would see if that hash tag is being used and if not, then use the hash tag #blogforfun. When your members are ready to tweet the title and include the link to the blog they are using for the blogging day challenge they can add to it to their twitter account with the group hash tag at the end or before the link.
Example would be – How Automated Twitter Feed Makes My Social Networking Easy http://ow.ly/adjjX#blogforfun
Everyone that is posting their links for their blog posts on twitter that day for the blog challenge will be included in the group for #blogforfun. Not only are you making it easy to follow everyone in the group but also to visit, comment and re-tweet their blogs and for them to do the same for you and your group. Another benefit to this is that all their twitter friends will see this and can re-tweet, follow you and bring traffic to the blogs and the group.
If your group is participating on Facebook or a blogging community then you will now get double the exposure using both social marketing sites.
The @ symbol is another way for promotion.
When you do a re-tweet from an automated system and add for instance @magiesmentions on the end of it, the @maagiesmentions will be click-able and take whoever is reading that tweet to MagiesMentions page on Twitter. If people like your content they will follow you and maybe re-tweet something you have written. In turn you could re-tweet something they wrote and bring them followers to.. its all about being social and courteous.
Example:
Food Network Bobby Flay Recipe for Easy Grilled Italian Style Vegetarian Sandwich: http://bit.ly/pVyV3x @lovefoodnetwork
I have given credit to lovefoodnetwork just by adding it at the end with the @lovefoodnetwork tag promoting them and in return they can promote me.
Do you do Follow Friday?
This is another use for marketing and showing appreciation to fellow tweeters who are following you, leaving comments or re-tweeting you. This can bring attention to your page along with theirs.
Here is how is works:
Copy your friends names, group names on twitter with the @ symbol in the front of their name. I open a word pad or doc and paste my friends in a list so I can copy and paste the next time, add new followers or remove ones that are no longer on twitter.
Here is what it looks like:
#ff ♥ @misssweetsugar @jewelrywiz @CrystalSaysSo @DonnasStuffMore @FishyFaceDesign @LoveFoodNetwork @MagiesMentions
Awesome to Follow! #ff ♥ @searedfoodblog @magiesplace @allflinsurance @elegantkb @magiesmentions @kathykeefe
All the names above will be highlighted and click-able to their page.
Notice the #ff ♥ hash tag (I added the heart at the end with a space after the #ff.)
There are a few different versions for this hashtag that will take you to a #followfriday page. I like to use the shorter version and see that is more popular then the #followfriday tag, probably because its less letters on an already limited amount you can use on Twitter.
Not am I only marketing to my twitter followers but also on the #ff page for potential new followers and people that I can follow as well.
Questions? Leave me a comment :}