Location Tagging - Why You Need to Be Adding This to Your Posts

July 20, 2019

When posting content on Instagram, businesses need to optimize these in order to get noticed by their target audience. One way to to this is to add relevant keywords and hashtags on the text content of their posts. Another way is by adding a location tag, which is a great way to attract users who happen to be within the same location and browsing through the photos that contain that specific area’s geotag.

A location tag may be a business’ physical establishment or an area, such as a town or city. When you add a location tag to your post, this will be displayed at the top below your username once you have published your post. Users can tap on any geolocation tag to see all the photos and videos from people who have tagged this particular place.

 

 

Benefits of Location Tagging

With more and more consumers using their smartphones to search for local businesses, adding your business’ geotag to your Instagram posts increases your chances of being seen by those who belong to your target niche and are using this app to look for a nearby café, an online store, or a new product.

According to a report, 70% of smartphone users first use their phones to get information about a product before making a purchase. More than 50% of internet users search for videos related to a product or service before going to a store. In another report, Instagram posts which have location tags enjoy 79% higher engagement compared to those without geotags.

 

Whether you are a neighborhood bookstore or a global brand that ships to several countries all around the world, your business will benefit from the increased exposure and engagement from location tags.

 

Adding your business’ location tag not only allows users to see all of your posts with the same tag, it also shows them all of the posts from other users who have tagged your business. This can function as a social media version of word-of-mouth. When they see actual photos and videos from real people who have experienced your brand and are raving about your products or services on Instagram, these posts can motivate them to try out your brand.

 

In addition, tagging your location on posts can raise awareness among your current roster of followers and influence them to do the same, increasing your brand’s reach to their circle of friends and their families.

 

 

How to Add a Location Tag to Your Post

Adding a location tag to an Instagram photo or video post is pretty easy and won’t take much time. As long as you have the Instagram app installed on your smartphone or tablet, you can use the app to add the geotag of your business.

You can add the location tag as you are posting a new photo or video, and even for past visuals that have been published on your Instagram feed.

 

For new posts, you just need to tap “Add Location”, enter your business name in the Search field, and choose your business’ location from the list of options. If you wish to add a location tag to older posts, you can do so by tapping the “…” on the top right of the post you want the tag to be added to, tap “Edit” then “Add Location” below your username, enter your business name in the Search field, and choose your business’ location from the list of options.

 

 

Creating the Location Tag for Your Business

The location tags you see on Instagram all come from Facebook, so businesses that have a Facebook page would likely be shown among the geotag options on Instagram. For some businesses, their location can be found on Facebook even when they don’t have a business profile on this social media channel. This happens when their customers have created their geotag for them, so these customers are able to tag these businesses on their posts.

However, if you have tried adding your business’ location tag on Instagram and your business is not showing among the options, you can actually create a new location on Facebook so you can tag your Instagram posts with your location. Begin by tapping on “Create the Location” setting in your Facebook account, create a new post, click “Check In”, enter your brand’s name, provide your business information, and then submit. You can now see your business’ geotag on Instagram.

 

 

Add Location Stickers to Your Instagram Stories, Too!

Aside from tagging your posts with your business location, you can also add a location sticker to your Instagram stories. By doing so, you will be able to expand your reach to Instagram users who view IG stories. When these users tap on your location sticker, they will be taken to the same page where all the posts tagged with your geolocation are featured.

 

As of January 2019, there are 500 million daily active users on Instagram who view IG stories. If you want exposure for your brand on this social media channel, you definitely need to frequently post stories and add your location tag on these.

 

 

How to Add a Location Tag to Your IG Stories

To add a location sticker to your Instagram story, start by creating your Instagram story by either tapping the camera icon seen on the top left portion of your screen or swiping right from anywhere in the feed. Take a photo, record a video, or choose from your gallery, then from the options shown at the top of your screen, tap on the sticker icon (the “square” smiley face). Tap “Location” then enter your business name in the Search field, and choose your business’ location from the list of options.

 

From here, you can rotate, resize, or move the location sticker, as well as add text to your story. Once you’re happy with how everything looks, tap “Your Story”.

 

 

Don’t Forget to Track!

Once you’ve started adding your location tags to your posts and stories, you will notice that more Instagram users are liking your posts and your followers are growing. The next step for you is to track the number of views, likes, and engagement on these geotagged posts. You can find a lot of online tools to help you assess the individual performance of your posts and stories, or you can use the built-in tool in Instagram called Insights which is a free feature of the app.

 

By using this tool, you can see which type of posts work for your brand and what time of day or week is best for reaching your target audience. Continue using this and tweaking your posts so you can grow your audience, increase your followers, and increase your sales!

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