Last month we spoke about the best uses and practices on using hashtags on your Instagram posts; this week we are going to focus on how to find those hashtags that are more relevant to the international education industry and more specifically, your business or brand. There are various hashtag generators out there, however, none of their lists will be as effective as when you carry out the research yourself. 

Here’s how you go about it:

‘Spy’ on your competition

In any marketing strategy, knowing what your competition is up to is essential. No one wants to be left behind; same case when looking at what best hashtags to use for you. Copying a competitor's marketing strategy might be taking it too far, but having a look at their posts you may gain insight on which hashtags are working for your industry and which aren’t. 

Study your Audience

If your audience is already using certain hashtags most probably other instagram users with the same interests are using the same hashtags as well. Keep an eye on your top followers and see what hashtags they’re using. When you conduct an Instagram hashtag search, the search tool will show you if anyone you follow also follows that hashtag.

Make use of the Related Hashtag Feature

On hashtag pages, you’ll find a list of related hashtags you can scroll through by swiping left. This list may contain relevant hashtags that are more niche, enabling you to still reach your target audience but with a little less content to compete with.

Create a Branded Hashtag

A branded hashtag is simply a tag that you create to promote your own brand or campaign. Include it in your Instagram bio, highlight it in your captions and stories and you can even go that step further and create a competition including your brand hashtag. Not only does it add user generated content to your portfolio but it also popularizes your brand hashtag. Make sure to follow your hashtag to monitor how it's being used and look for opportunities to reshare content that is relevant.

With last week’s and this article you are now armed with an arsenal of tips and tricks on how to make the best use of those hashtags that are most relevant to your brand and business; providing you with a sure way to expand your Instagram audience and your instagram reach.