Tagging is a powerful tool for any social media strategy. Hashtags (#) are for joining or starting a conversation on a specific topic, while tags (@) directly notify persons, groups, or companies that you wish to communicate with. However, each social media platform has its own purpose, so you should develop nuanced strategies when dealing with each one to ensure your message is being communicated properly.

Here are some types for few of the more popular platforms:

Twitter

When discussing tags, Twitter is usually the first social media platform that comes to mind. You can use both @ and # in any type of posting. And, when you start typing a tag, Twitter will suggest the most popular ones to help you select the most relevant tag.

However, remember you have a character limit, so be judicious about which tags you select.

Facebook

While hashtags aren’t as popularly used on Facebook, you can still employ them to create buzz or to facilitate searches. If you want to find out what’s the most popular or appropriate hashtags, you’ll need to search yourself, as Facebook doesn’t offer suggestions or drop-downs.

Tagging with @ is more common. There will be suggestions in a dropdown as you type, but remember that Facebook has public and private accounts, so access may be an issue. Personal profiles can usually tag pages and other profiles, while Facebook pages can tag other pages.

Instagram

Instagram will only suggest accounts you follow when you start @ tagging. If you want to be sure you’ve got the right target, you should look them up for the exact name. And you may as well follow them too, it’s good practice.

Instagram loves hashtags – there’s no limit to how many you can use, and it is how many users find posts of interest and accounts to follow. But depending on your device, you may have to look them up first as a dropdown list of suggestions may not appear.

Help is just a click or call away

Most social media platforms have sections in their support pages dedicated to tagging so that you can learn how to best use tag and hashtags. And you can search hashtags to see if they are being used and how popular they are before you use them. Or, you can contact Midas PR and leverage our social media experts to ensure the best social media strategy for your brand.