The dos and don’ts of social media tagging

We’ll be honest, part of the reason why we wanted to write this article is because, as what we might term local influencers, we get tagged in a LOT of social media posts. But more often than not, we find that this tool to get an account’s attention is used counter productively, and has the opposite effect to what’s intended. So in this article we wanted to explain the right way and the wrong way to do it, not so that no one tags us anymore, but so that it’s done in a way that works. But first, what is social media tagging? 

Tagging people into social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is a fairly standard way many accounts try to increase engagement. It’s done slightly differently on each platform, but what it basically means is that the account you tag will receive a notification that they’ve been tagged by you, and will also receive notification every time the post is commented on. What it does not mean is that you will somehow reach that accounts audience as well as you own, or that they will necessarily do anything about it. So, how do you utilise this feature in the right way?

Don’t: 

Tag the same accounts in every post 

If every single time you post to social media you tag the same account, pretty soon the people behind the account will start finding it annoying, and at the very least they’ll begin to ignore you and they may even block you in the end. If you’ve tried tagging an account several times and they haven’t responded, stop! Give them a break and then maybe tag them again after a while for something special, like if you have some news. 

Additionally, if you tag and account that then does respond, DO NOT then go back through all your old posts and tag them in everything at once. For the person on the receiving end, it’s really frustrating. 

Repeatedly tag someone you don’t bother following

Social media is used for making connections, so there’s little point in tagging an account that you haven’t yet connected with by following them at the very least. Preferably, you should frequently engage with an accounts if you’re planning to also tag them on a regular basis, for example a couple of times a month. If you don’t, you’re basically saying to that account's owner that you expect them to engage with your posts, but you’re not willing or interested enough in them to reciprocate. This can come across as entitled. However, if you’re only going to be tagging someone in once or twice, perhaps because you happen to be holidaying in the area, you can get away with it. 

Tag someone for no reason 

Don’t be one of those social media pages that randomly tags the maximum number of accounts it’s allowed to in each and every post. Firstly, this could well actually result in the post being seen less, not more, as the social media platform may flag it as possible spam and limit its reach. And secondly, you’re really not gaining anything by it. Larger accounts do not necessarily even look at everything they’re tagged in, and even if they do look at your post, they’re unlikely to do anything about it if it has no relationship to what they do. 

So you’re running the risk of getting yourself flagged as spammy for no real benefit, plus you’re probably irritating countless account owners who are tagged in multiple posts per day and who’ve taken the time to look at yours — only to find it’s nothing to do with them. 

Do:

Tag a business that you mention 

If you’ve had a great coffee from a local cafe, bought some art from a local artist, enjoyed great service somewhere, by all means post about it and tag the business in so they can see your feedback and respond! It also helps new customers find them on social media so they can follow them too, and is a great way to support your favourite local businesses. 

Tag for a reason — and mention the reason 

Occasionally, you might have news you’d like to be shared. Perhaps you have a job vacancy, are putting on an event, or are looking for feedback. If so, it’s okay to tag a few businesses such as news outlets, business support organisations or current clients. Just make sure that you’re caption states why they’re being tagged — even if it’s as simple as ‘please share!’ at the end. Just be aware that they may choose not to if they don’t think it’s relevant to them, and be careful that you’re not asking for free publicity in order to make sales if the business normally charges for advertising. In other words, have some genuine news, and if you charge for the product or service you want publicised, be aware that others businesses also have a right to do so for the services that they provide. 

Another reason for tagging on Instagram could be that you’re taking part in a hashtag challenge. This is something that artists and writers often do, involving posting something on a particular theme. If you’re tagged in something like this it means the challenge has been passed on to you! Etiquette for this type of tagging is that you should already have had some interaction with them on Instagram, such as following each other and commenting on posts. Other than that, you can just have fun with it!

Always remember that there’s a person behind every account 

This is really the general principle behind everything we’ve already mentioned. Social media accounts are run by people, even larger accounts. Remember that a lot of these are being tagged in multiple posts per day and they are not mind readers — if you want them to do something with the information, you’ll need to tell them what it is. Don’t flood their feeds with irrelevant tags. Don’t ask them to give you free publicity if they normally charge for it, unless you have genuine news which might be of interest — building a good social media presence and finding an audience isn’t free, it takes a lot of time and hard work, so respect that. And remember that the person behind the account has feelings. 

I think we can all agree that remembering their are real people and livelihoods behind every social media account is key to better interactions. This transcends just tagging into all aspects of social media. It’s why it’s so important to #bekind. We could also add #berespectful and #beconsiderate. If you keep this at the forefront of your mind while using your social platforms, you shouldn’t go far wrong.