Hashtags have long been recognized as the most popular way to get more exposure on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. But, it is important to know that there are other tagging options available to grow your social accounts.
Let’s talk about the different tagging options available on Instagram; including how to add another account, location tag, and, more importantly for businesses, how to add products.
Let’s start with understanding the terminology used for this type of process. First, we have tagging an account and mentioning an account.
Mentioning an Account
This is when you use the @ in front of someone’s username in a comment or caption in order to get their attention. Mentioning an account can be done by anyone in any piece of content.
Tagging an Account
This is when you tag accounts in your original post. It is important to remember that only the content creator can tag other accounts in posts.
Tag an Account vs Mentioning an Account?
Mentions show up in the regular notification feed and can easily get lost. The notification feed only shows 100 of the most recent notifications.
When you tag accounts, however, it shows up in a separate notification. This is a great way to stand out against other notifications and make sure the intended accounts see your content. The second reason why tagging is better than just mentioning an account is that when an account is tagged, the content is stored on a separate tab of their profile. This is great because tagged content becomes a gallery of user-generated-content about a brand.
Location Tags
Another type of Instagram tag you can use to get more exposure is what is called, “location tags”.
This is a great way to increase searchability. People on Instagram are always looking at locations for things to do or to have an understanding of what is going on in the area. Tagging your location is a great way to appear on those search results and other people will see your content related to that location.
Product Tags
If you have already set up a store with Instagram Shopping, you can add product tags to your posts. The advantage of this type of tag is that your customers can easily purchase your items/products directly from the Instagram post.
Takeaway
It is important for everyone to understand the different tagging options available on Instagram. Tagging other accounts, adding location, using the product tags, and mentioning accounts is a great way to grow your followers and build your account organically on the Instagram platform.