How & why to get Instagram users to tag you in their posts
#Hashtags used to be all the rage on Instagram, but now that we’re in 2020 they’re slowly dying, at least as far as brand interaction goes. Not only do most Instagram users prefer hashtag-free captions (usually for ~aesthetic reasons~), but Facebook has actually changed Instagram’s APIs to favor @mentions and photo tagging instead of hashtags.
They’re not alone in doing so though, as the broader industry is moving away from hashtags. One of the reasons is increased user privacy and security, but also intent. According to Instagram, @mentions and photo tags are a much more clear and direct way of saying “I want to interact with this brand” than a hashtag.
Aside simply becoming outdated and excluded from APIs, a large problem with hashtags is the hijacking. Have you ever explored a specific hashtag only to find posts that are completely irrelevant? Us too. As hashtags aren’t unique, it’s more than easy to get confused when anyone can claim one and bumble their content together with someone else’s. Handles, on the other hand, are completely unique, as I’m sure you know from when you first registered and had to search long and hard for one that wasn’t already taken. Unicorn_lover_934 might not have been your first option, but at least you’re the only one with that name. Anything tagged with an @mention or photo tag is assured to be relevant unless someone’s messing with you, but that can never be completely avoided on the Internet.
That being said, you don’t have to stop using hashtags all together; they’re dying but not dead. You do, however, might want to start focusing more on getting your followers to @mention and photo tag you, rather than hashtagging.
So, how do you get Instagram users to @mention you or tag you in a photo?
Start with your Instagram bio. People love to be recognized, so encourage your followers to tag you for a chance to be featured on your account. That way you could also get some great UGC that you (with their permission, of course) can repurpose in your marketing. It may seem overkill, but @mention yourself in your bio and write a clear call to action, letting your followers know that a tag = a possible shout out. Check out these companies that are doing it right:
Three great examples of our Flowbox clients that have applied this principle.
An even easier way of getting people to tag you in their photos and posts is by hosting a contest. Give your followers the chance to win something and make tagging you in their posts part of the competition rules. The fewer, less complicated and less visibly commercial steps to compete that there are, the likelier people are to participate. Tagging a company in a post with your own photo is no big deal but reposting a company’s photo is something that many people steer away from as it comes across fabricated and ingenuine.
A good example (that also happens to be a Flowboxer 😎):
Short, doesn’t require a lot of effort, easy to compete. Followers can post a photo that they might have wanted to post anyway, regardless of the competition.
A bad example (not a Flowboxer):
Way too many steps, people will lose interest and think it’s A) too much work and B) too much advertising for them to do for something they might not even win.
For more information, contact:
Bianca Rior, Content Editor, Flowbox
bianca.rior@getflowbox.com
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