One of Facebook’s newer features, photo tagging for pages, extends the power of brands; yet it’s one that, in our opinion, should be used carefully.
You can get the full scoop on the new photo tagging feature here, but, to sum it up, Facebook pages can now be tagged in photos. This means brands, products and companies can now be tagged, as compared to former tagging abilities that only let you target individuals. We’ve been trying to decide if this is a good or bad thing–and I’ve got a few thoughts on both sides of the spectrum.
The Good
Any time you can make your mark on Facebook, it helps increase your brand’s visibility–and photo tagging is no exception. Kyle Lacy wrote a great post about the top 5 ways to use photo tagging. He cites benefits like increased ownership in brand use and encouragement of influencers to build a deeper connection, among others.
Kyle also points out that when you tag a photo as a page, it shows up in the Photo tab and not on the wall, which we like—this seems to deter photo clutter while still affording prime visibility to tagged images.
The Bad
I’ve read a lot of posts praising this new feature—and there’s certainly a lot of ways your brand or business can use photo-tagging to increase your visibility and engagement. But like a lot of good things in life (ice cream, happy hour, retail therapy), you can have too much of a good thing—and that includes a slew of photos tagged by your page.
If you’re planning on using this service, we suggest coming up with a brief extension of your company’s social media policy (you have one of those, right?!) to address tagging photos as a page. While it’s cool to pop in as a product and tag that item in an individual’s photo, this could quickly become overbearing—and annoy your audience. And that’s the last thing you want to do. Remember: Facebook is about building an audience and enjoying conversation, not driving them away to talk smack about your brand.
The Ugly
In a nutshell? Don’t be spammy with this feature. You know how I feel about spam. And if you don’t? I hate it. It’s annoying and intrusive. Instead, use photo tagging wisely. Your brand—and your audience—will thank you.
Have you incorporated photo tagging into your page? How are you using it? And what do you think so far? I’d love to hear about your experience so far.
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
