Instagram Guides is one of the app’s most recent additions. Instagram Live, Shops, Reels, a rearranged home screen, and a slew of other features introduced in 2020 may have slipped under your radar.
Fortunately, Instagram Guides are designed to help you keep things on your radar. In fact, Hootsuite already has a guide for staying up to date on Instagram marketing tips and updates.
What are Instagram Guides?
Instagram Guides are a hybrid of carousels on Instagram and blog posts. They can be made from previously published posts, places, or product listings from the creator’s or public accounts. Each guide has a cover image, title, introduction, and optional entry descriptions.
Travel was the initial source of inspiration for Guides. However, due to global travel bans, Instagram decided to launch the feature in May 2020 with a wellness theme. Instagram expanded the feature to include all users and topics in November.
Guides, once created, appear in a separate tab on a person’s or brand’s profile and can be shared in Stories or direct messages. Entries can be changed, added, or removed as needed.
Instagram Guides: How to Use Them
Are you new to making Instagram guides? Create Guides with posts, products, or places by following these steps.
How to Make an Instagram Post Guide:
- In the upper right corner of your profile, click the plus symbol.
- Choose Guide.
- Select Posts.
- Select a post from your feed or a saved post from other public accounts.
- Press the Next button.
- Enter the title and description of your guide. Tap Change Cover Photo if you want to use a different cover photo.
- Double-check the prepopulated place name and make any necessary changes. You can include a description if you want.
- Tap Add Place and then repeat steps 4–8 until your guide is finished.
- In the upper right corner, tap Next.
Why Should You Use Instagram Guides?
For the first time on Instagram, brands can create long-form content with Instagram Guides. There are numerous compelling reasons why you should do so.
- Keep Visitors on Your Website
Longer-form, scrollable guides keep users on your content for longer, allowing them to become acquainted with your brand and products. They won’t have to navigate to another website to find out more, as they would with regular Instagram posts.
- Use Keyword Searches to Your Advantage
Instagram’s search functionality has been updated as a result of the addition of longer-form content. Users can use the keyword search to find content, which will bring up Instagram Guides.
That means discovering new content on Instagram has just gotten a whole lot easier. Users no longer need to know your brand’s name or search for it using a hashtag.
- Extend Your Horizon
You can now create guides that target your brand’s new audiences because users can find you using keywords. Guides can also help you position your brand as a subject matter expert in your industry. By creating content that addresses micro-moments, you can zero in on the solutions that people are looking for, even if they are not part of your target audience.
- Increase Brand Loyalty
This feature provides yet another opportunity to increase loyalty by providing useful, trustworthy content. Tips, tricks, step-by-step instructions, and any other content that your target audience will find useful will keep them coming back for more.
You can increase loyalty even more by giving your guides first dibs on the content or product deals, or by announcing new guides via a newsletter.
- Boost Conversions
Product Guides allow users to shop directly from Instagram, cutting the buyer’s journey in half. Users can view product descriptions and prices, as well as additional items from your store.
- Create Content That Is Shareable
Guides can be shared through stories and direct messages. If your audience enjoys your guides, they will likely spread the word.
Partnerships with Influencers should be expanded.
Guides provide another format for experimenting with influencer partnerships. Collaborate with influencers in your industry to create guides that feature your products or services.
Instagram Guides are another great tool in a brand’s marketing arsenal for increasing followers and conversions.
The new long-form format enables marketers to provide valuable content to their target audiences while also reaching new audiences.
You can even use them to provide shopping opportunities to your users directly through Instagram Shopping.
Contact The Social Lions to get the most out of your social media marketing campaigns. We are a digital marketing agency that offers full-service digital marketing to any brand.
