Secret Instagram Tools to Boost Your Business Profile

Instagram is the go-to platform for businesses nowadays. It’s more effective than Facebook for reaching people and perfectly suited for today’s visually-driven audience. If you’re already using Instagram for your business, you’re on the right track. But are you aware of all the features that can give your business a boost? Let’s dive into some lesser-known features that you might find helpful.

Back in late 2017, Instagram introduced a feature that allows you to follow hashtags just like you follow other users. This means you no longer have to search for certain hashtags manually; the relevant posts will appear in your feed automatically. This is especially handy for keeping up with industry-specific hashtags that are important for your business.

The next time you come across a hashtag in a comment, bio, or caption, simply tap it. You’ll be taken to a page with the hashtag at the top and a blue Follow button below it. Tap that button, and all related tagged photos will start showing up in your feed.

If your business has a physical location, browsing Instagram posts by location can be beneficial. Customers often take photos of your products, staff, or store without necessarily tagging your business. Whether you want to find community-generated content or see what’s being said about your business, location searches can be very useful.

To do this, tap the search icon, then tap “Places” on the far right. You might need to turn on location services if you haven’t already. Tap “Near Current Location,” and you’ll see a list of places—ranging from broad locations like your city to specific business locations. Tap on the location you’re interested in to see a grid of related posts.

Getting tagged in an Instagram video is positive, as it shows your customers are talking about you. Ideally, you’ll be tagged in high-quality photos of your products, staff, and services, which act as social proof of your popularity. However, you might not want these tagged photos cluttering your carefully curated profile, especially if you’ve invested in professional photography. In such cases, consider hiding the tagged photos.

When you get a notification for being tagged, tap the photo, then tap your username. Choose “Hide from My Profile” and tap “Done.”

You might also want to approve tags before they appear on your profile to avoid any potential damage from spam or negative posts. For instance, an unhappy customer could tag your business in a complaint, and that post would be visible to your followers until you manage to remove it, potentially harming your brand.

To manually approve tagged photos, go to your profile and tap the settings wheel. Tap “Photos of You,” and then select “Add Manually.”