Types of Instagram Tags and How to Use Them
What’s your strategy when tagging and hashtagging on Instagram? There are four different ways to use tags in your posts. Hashtags, location tags, image tags, and mentions. Read on to learn more about Instagram product tagging, whether you should use hashtags in your Instagram captions or comments, and how to tag profiles or locations to enhance your reach.
Hashtags
With every Instagram update, the algorithm changes how posts and features work. For the past several years, many of these changes have to do with how hashtags function. Using niche hashtags with fewer posts and high engagement helps you reach a distinct audience. Hashtags that have millions of posts are a target for spammers and do nothing, literally zero, to improve your reach. So what can you do? Find low competition hashtags (less than 150k posts) with high engagement on the top posts. This makes it possible for you to rank and get discovered or featured for this hashtag.
In my post about finding the best holiday hashtags for your business, I went into detail about the different types of restricted hashtags and how to avoid them. If you aren’t aware of those issues, I recommend you go back and read that post for tips on optimizing your hashtags.
Instagram maxes out hashtags at thirty, but the quality is more important than quantity. Focus more on your content and less on hashtags, especially worthless ones that have millions of posts, by using less than twenty when posting. Some categories I’ve mentioned before are your location, your industry, the photo aesthetic, and seasonality of your post. Mix and match from the best options for ranking in your post, and don’t forget to add your brand hashtags!
Do you put hashtags in your comments? Stop! You can’t edit the comment if you discover you’re using a banned hashtag. This can cause a lower engagement or, fundamentally, if you use the same hashtags all the time, it can throttle your reach as it looks like spam to Instagram. Any duplicate content can be flagged as such and harm your reach, whether it is in the comments or post captions. If you’ve run out of space in the caption, then it is understandable to use the comment method for that post, but otherwise, it’s not advised.
Instagram Stories has a hashtag sticker that I suggest using for your main topic hashtag for that slide. If you make them too tiny, it has been reported that they may not function as a hashtag, so keep them a legible size. Usually, I stick to 4-5 in stories at most and use them discreetly in the background. There is also a glitch lately that doesn’t allow me to post hashtags in the text until I’ve used the primary hashtag sticker. So annoying! I’ve seen reports of others who have this problem as well, so if this is you, try using the sticker first!
Image Tags
Is a brand featured in your post? Tag their profile in the photo! Are you promoting a local event? Tag some local blogs on the flyer image! Profile tags are a great way to get publicity for your event. Brands love to share social proof, so it is a great way to get featured on a larger account. You can tag up to twenty people in a photo, video, or carousel post. This includes product tags, which we’ll talk about next.
When sharing user-generated content to your brand profile, make sure you mention and tag photographers, creators, and others involved. Also, get permission to share the post. This establishes social proof, which is vital in strengthening your brand online.
Don’t be caught instaspamming profiles in your image! It is essential to tag relevant profiles in your image and to provide them with valuable content. There is no evidence this helps your post perform better. It looks spammy and I believe Instagram will be cracking down on this behavior due to people spamming repost accounts that are being kicked off Instagram in general.
You can tag more than just people in images. Instagram shopping features are making it easier for eCommerce shops to connect their catalogs and make products available to browse and buy directly in the feed. Earlier in 2019, one new Instagram update gave us the ability to tag both profiles and products in a single post. Boy, was that an exciting moment! It was challenging to make it easy to shop and adequately credit and tag user-generated content. Sharing social proof got an upgrade!
Etsy sellers, take note! If you are posting your products, make sure to also tag the main Etsy profile along with your products. Instagram allows you to tag up to five products per image and up to twenty products per carousel total.
You will need to set up a Facebook Business Manager brand profile for this feature. If you need help setting up your Instagram product tagging, consider setting up a consultation to see if I can help you with this process.
Location Tags
And finally, don’t forget the basics. Tagging a location in your post is a great way to boost visibility. While not relevant to every single post, there are some creative ways to add places like fantasy locations, for instance, when sharing content on Instagram. Whether you’re tagging your hometown or Hogwarts, it’s been reported that using a location tag on Instagram can increase your reach.
Don’t forget to use this feature in Stories via their location sticker! This is an easy step that can be overlooked in your posting strategy or daily stories. London was the most popular location tag in 2019. What location do you think will top the charts in 2020?
I’ve covered various ways you can use each feature to enhance your posts, and what to avoid, so you aren’t flagged for spam. Remember, just because other brands are doing it doesn’t mean you can get away with behavior that violates the Instagram Community Guidelines. It’s often celebrities and those spending large amounts of ad money who are the last to get penalized in these spaces.
Now that you know that hashtags are just part of the Instagram Tag Team, how will you be updating your Instagram posting strategies? Leave a comment below if you have any questions or tricks to using these features for your brand.
