While it’s extremely hard to imagine Instagram today without the tagging functionality, there was a time when users or brands didn’t have the option. Shocking, right? And if that’s your first reaction, then you must sense that there’s something really valuable about the possibility to tag people on Instagram.
We couldn’t agree more! That’s exactly why we’ve equipped Preppr with an update that will boost your scheduling possibilities. The iOS version of Preppr now allows for tagging people on Instagram and is rapidly preparing the desktop update as well. So, great news all around!
Thus, equipped with this new toy, you should start making the most of it. And to help you do that, we’re going to give you a quick overview of why, how and when you should use tagging people on Instagram as a great asset to your marketing initiatives.
I. WHY is tagging people on Instagram a great tactic?
1. Up your content strategy through reposting
Reposting brand-related content published by your followers shouldn’t be just “in-case-of-emergency” scenario. On the contrary – it should be an integrant part of your strategy. Why? The reasons are simple:
First of all, it will encourage followers to post things related to your brand. Once they see that related content is featured on your instagram feed, chances are they’ll want to be part of the game.
Secondly, it will help you create a diversified content strategy that shows your business from different perspectives. Also, putting your brand in a customer-related situation offers it credibility and raises the feeling of authenticity.
Thus, make sure to check out every mention or tag you get, because it might be a golden opportunity for you to put an exciting spin on your content strategy.
2. Boost your engagement rates
Tagging people on Instagram is a fast and easy way to help out your engagement rates.
Every time you choose to tag one of your followers, they’ll receive a notification that will directly send them to your post. With the direct connection in their notification box, followers will have more chances to interact with your post.
However, tagging for engagement should just be tagging for engagement. The post needs to have a strategic place in your overall strategy and must have a logical reason for tagging. Otherwise, forget it!
3. Get more brand exposure
On Instagram, there’s an abundance of tools that can get you in the spotlight of new followers. Thus, try not to put all your eggs in the same basket and spread your efforts across. And, in addition to your feed, Stories and the Explore page, there’s another section you must aim to appear in.
Whenever you tag a user in a post, that specific piece of content will appear in the “Photos of you” section on their profile. That means your content will be easily discoverable from yet another place, by all those who visit the tagged person’s profile.
Again, don’t just tag people without any reason. Make sure the posts you’re tagging users in are relevant to them and that they are not too often.
4. Help build a community
Having people tagged in your posts will help your followers and brand-lovers know who your others customers are. This is helpful in the degree in which they’ll feel part of a community they admire and respect. They’ll make a shift from seeing your business as impersonal to viewing it as a connector. And that is highly important. They’ll feel more in control and even more open to other posts from your account.
Thus, if your brand strategy can accommodate communities, tagging people on Instagram is a great tool that can help you build towards that goal.
II. When to tag people on Instagram as a tactic?
1. Use
We’ve gone through the reasons why tagging people on Instagram is good for your business. However, there are some rules. In the end, you must make sure that tagging is beneficial both to your brand AND the people you are tagging. So here are the cases in which you should go ahead and tap the tag:
- Give thanks to partners and affiliates
- Announce contest winners
- Give credit for a testimonial
- Give thanks for something
- Answer a question
- When reposting content
- When the person is actually in the post
2. Don’t Use
We’ve bragged about how great the tagging people feature is that you might be inclined to tag, tag, tag. That was not our intention. Sure, we want you to take advantage of this great tool, but not to overuse it! Like anything else in excess, this as well might do you more harm than good.
Thus, if the reason you’re thinking to tag someone is not found in the list above, rethink it! Give it a night’s sleep or a nap overthink. The last thing you want to do is to come off as spammy by tagging someone without any reason in a post. In that case, you’ll be tagged as a boastful brand and that tag is a hard one to un-stick. So don’t go ahead tagging people in all your motivational posts or other generic types of content.
Here’s the mental process you should be going through before tagging anyone:
1. Is this post directly connected to the person/brand I plan to tag?
2. Have I recently tagged this person in another post?
3. Would the tagged person like to be associated with the content?
If you don’t have definite answers to these questions or if you feel unsure, then you know your answer.
III. How to tag people on Instagram?
Tagging people on Instagram is as straightforward as it gets! Simply start adding a new post as usual and, just before sharing it, hit the “tag people” button. Then, select the people you want to tag and that’s it!
And, as we’ve already happily announced, the iOS version of Preppr now supports the tagging feature. And it’s just as simple as the one from Instagram, with the added benefit that you can set it up in advance.
In case you don’t already have Preppr, try it free, for 10 days. You’ll never want to go back to the old way of managing your Instagram account!
IV. Enjoy!
And don’t forget that tagging goes both ways – Having users tag your business is awesome!
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