If you’re not asking customers to “tag us in your photos,” you’re missing a major Social Media marketing opportunity.

A vast majority of people today — 72% of the American adult population, according to the latest Pew Research survey — are on at least one social media platform. Business owners probably already know this personally. It seems like everyone is posting pictures and opinions on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and other platforms all the time. 

Opinions are best for reviews and listings, which are also extremely important for a strong online reputation. But you know what they say: A picture is worth a thousand words.

Social media is designed to allow users to share their lives with their friends and family members. On Instagram, 90% of users follow a business. How they hear about those businesses is at the heart of social media marketing. Advertising can work, but it has a price tag.

If people hear about a brand from friends, it’s free and perhaps even more effective at creating loyal customers. They don’t have to be influencers with a huge following to simply alert their friends to a recommended small- or medium-sized business in the area.

The trick, then, is to somehow encourage your customers to take pictures and tag your business. In news feeds or story rolls, their friends will see they were at your place of business and having a great experience. It’s like writing a review but with user-generated photos. Here’s the how and the why for making it happen for your business.

Breaking down tag terms

First, let’s get everyone on the same page when it comes to social media marketing terms. You have to speak the language if you want to be successful in organically creating engagement.

Photo tagging

Photo tagging is a process in which a social media user will identify a person or business in a post by connecting the image with another profile. For example, if the picture is of two friends, one can upload the photo on their account and tag the other. The second friend will receive a notice that they’ve been tagged in the photo, and they can choose whether to post it themselves. 

Meanwhile, anyone else who happens to look at the picture will see what usually appears as a pop-up link to the other tagged profiles with a little arrow pointing at the person.

When a user tags a business, they can place the tag anywhere on the page. Their followers and friends will be able to see the link to the business and click on the profile to learn more.  

@ mentions

Another method for connecting a business or person with a post is through a process known as “@ mentions.” The name of every profile on Instagram starts with an @, so when a user types that symbol, they can link the name of another profile in the caption or a comment. 

The mentioned profile will also receive an alert, but it’s a slightly different system. Anyone who wants to alert another person can @ mention them in the comments, but only the original poster can tag a photo.

Hashtagging

A third way to connect something else to a photo is through the use of hashtags. By starting a phrase with a # symbol, the Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter algorithms will go into action. Since users can follow as many hashtags as they want, the algorithm collects the most popular photos with that hashtag in one place.

Let’s say you own a pizza spot. If you follow #pizza, you’ll see a collection of photos from around the world. A happy diner may use #louiespizza to specifically call out your amazing pies, but if no one is following that hashtag, no one will see it. It also won’t directly connect back to your profile.

Understanding the benefits of tagging 

Social media marketing can be overwhelming because it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle. But photo tagging is a trick to cut through the rest of the noise and get noticed. The best benefit of getting tagged in user-generated photos is that you are notified directly. This gives you a direct connection to someone with whom you want to develop a relationship.

When someone tags another account, those photos can be found in a separate and permanent section of an Instagram profile. In effect, they can serve as proof of satisfied customers to anyone who browses your profile before they decide whether to do business with your company. Consider this a less-critical way of leaving an online review.

Photo tagging works best in conjunction with @ mentions. When a customer mentions your business in their caption as well as tags your Instagram profile, their friends and followers will be sure not to miss it.

Getting more photo tags 

Even the most active shutterbug is unlikely to create posts that will benefit a company if not prompted and encouraged in some way. Here are some ideas you can use, regardless of your industry or niche, to get customers to connect with you on social media.

Simply ask

You may be surprised at the power of a polite “Please tag us in your photos.” Training your employees to use this simple statement can sometimes be all that it takes to encourage someone visiting your establishment to tag your business account. 

Offer discounts

I was enjoying a steaming bowl of pho in Ho Chi Minh City when I saw a small table tent next to the chopstick holder. It informed me — in English, by the way — that I could receive 10% off my check if I took a picture, uploaded it to my Instagram account, and showed my server that I tagged the restaurant. Although this was not something I normally do, I was certainly willing to take three minutes in the name of a little discount.

Hold contests

Another idea is to hold a contest with an attractive prize that’s bigger than the dollar or two I saved on my meal with that 10% discount. To enter, your customers would simply have to tag you in a photo and @ mention you in the caption. You can design the contest however it would best work for you. Perhaps you could simply judge the photos and pick your favorite.

Create a photo op

Some businesses are made for Instagram business pages. If you serve colorful bubble tea or create epic designs in the froth of your cappuccinos, you won’t have to do much besides having a small sign. But if your customers need another reason to snap the photo, create a photo op for them.

I’ve seen flower walls, neon signs, and other interesting backdrops with clear signage encouraging photos and tagging. Make it fun and clever, and you’ll gain customers quickly.

‘Tag us in your photos’: Your new mantra

Marketers know that you must be direct with customers to change their behavior. That’s true even in simple ways such as taking pictures to fill social media pages — this is behavior that many users are already doing numerous times a day. Don’t be too shy to post signs asking your customers directly to ‘tag us in your photos.’

These photo tags will draw more people to check out your business social media page, and that’s a great place to start. Before creating a push to get more image tags on user-generated photos, beef up your social media presence. Don’t presume your customers will grow your business for you. Create a publishing schedule and stay consistent in posting regularly.

The post ‘Tag Us in Your Photos!’ How to Use Customer Photos, and Why appeared first on Constant Contact.