How to Use Instagram Guides: 5 Tips and Tricks

Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks, with about 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. This popularity increase makes Instagram a perfect option for creators looking to grow and monetize their brands. The platform is also an excellent tool for marketers, who can use it to reach their target audience and increase engagement.

However, your success on Instagram often depends on how well you utilize its features. And among the helpful features of the platform, Instagram Guides are an excellent option for both creators and marketers. Here are tricks and tricks to use Instagram Guides to ease your creation.

What Are Instagram Guides?

Instagram Guides can be described as miniature blogs found within Instagram and created by IG users. Each guide features a curated collection of posts accompanied by commentary, descriptions, and recipes. This can be a great way to educate your followers about specific topics related to your brand or product and encourage engagement with those posts.

There are three main types of Instagram guides, as follows:

Post Guides

Post guides are not governed by-products or geotags. They are collections of individual posts with descriptions and commentary to create a cohesive story or message. Therefore, any public post can be added to a post guide, making them more effective for longer formats.

Product Guides

Product guides are centered around specific products and collections your brand or business offers. These guides are integrated with Instagram shops, meaning you can only add something to the guide if it is listed in the store.

As an IG manager, you can use product guides to advertise launches or new products, showcase your collections for sale, and encourage your followers to purchase from your store. And if you are a creator, you can compile products from your favorite brands and recommend them to your followers.

Place Guides

Also known as location guides, these guides were the initial type of guides introduced by Instagram. Place Guides are intended to give your followers a closer look at a certain place, such as a city or park.

The guides are geographically centered, and if you are using Instagram to promote a business, it is an excellent way of inviting your followers to visit the area. You can also use Place Guides to share helpful tips about transportation and accommodation in the area and recommendations on where they should go or what they should do while they're there.

How to Create an Instagram Guide

The first step in creating a guide is selecting the type of content you want to include. You can choose from one of four categories: Places, Products, Posts, and People. Once you have selected the category that best fits your needs.

• Click the plus icon in the upper right corner of your profile page. This will open a list of content options. Select ''Guide”
• To select your guide type, tap on the "Places," ''Products'', ''Posts'' or ''People'' options on the top of your screen
• Once you have selected a guide type, you can add your guide title, description, and cover image
• Add your content to the guide by selecting posts, products, places, or people from your profile
• Repeat the steps above until your guide is complete
• Tap ''Next'' in the top right corner of your screen
• Select ''Share'' to post the guide immediately or save it as a draft

Using Guides with people is among the effective Instagram marketing tactics and an effective way to increase engagement and followers on your profile. For instance, you can create a guide featuring influencers and celebrities in your niche, which will help you get more exposure from their followers.

You can also create a guide featuring products or services you offer and tag the businesses. This step will help you gain more visibility with their customers and increase your own following.

5 Tips and Tricks on How to Use Instagram Guides

Now that you understand what Instagram Guides are and how useful they can be for your business let's look at some tips and tricks on using them effectively and make the most out of content curation.

Create Gift Guides

While trends are constantly changing, consumerism does not. And every consumer will agree that nothing makes them happier than getting gifts from loved ones.

Gift guides are a great way to showcase items that make for great gift ideas for your followers and their loved ones. This idea is convenient during holidays or when a particular day is around the corner. For example, you can create gift guides for Father's Day, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, or even a general "Gift Guide for Him/Her."

You can create a gift guide that only features items you sell or a gift guide that includes various products from different brands or stores. For instance, if your brand deals with personalized watches, you can create a gift guide with flowers or wallets from another shop. However, always think about creating descriptive texts. You can even rely on text generators to draw inspiration for your guide description. This idea helps you build a community and makes your gift guide look less like an advertisement.

Organize Product Albums

Organizing product albums on Instagram makes it easier for your customers to find what they want. Your customers will only need to review some of your posts to find what they want. And if they can't find a product, you can link them directly to the relevant album so they can easily view related products without any hassle.

When creating a product album, it's essential to have a consistent look and feel. You can organize your albums based on product categories, geographical locations, or other criteria that make sense.

For example, suppose you are an online retailer selling clothing and accessories. You can create separate albums for each of the categories, such as "tops," "bottoms," and "accessories." This way, customers can easily find what they need.

Gather Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials are a great way to build trust and boost your reputation. You can use Instagram Guides to curate and showcase customer reviews on your profile easily. This is an effective way to show potential customers that you have a loyal following of satisfied customers.

Customer testimonials are effective in product guides. You can compile a list of customer reviews for each product you carry and showcase them to potential customers. This trick will help build credibility and trust, so more followers will be willing to try out your products.

Also, don't make the testimonials sound like you are trying so hard to sell your products. Keep them genuine and let the customers speak for themselves.

Make FAQ Guides

One trick to get more followers is showing that you know the topic. Making a FAQ guide is an effective way to do this. You can create guides that answer questions related to your business and products and tips for using them. This will show potential customers that you are an expert in your field and can provide valuable information.

Your FAQ guide may also include any issues your customers have had with your products and how you solved them. This is important as it shows that you are willing to help when needed, creating a positive reputation for your business.

Collect Niche Recommendations

Another Instagram guide option is to collect niche recommendations from influencers or other businesses in your field. This will show potential customers that others trust your brand or product and give them further insight into what sets you apart from the competition.

For example, if you're a small business selling handcrafted jewelry, you could showcase the pieces other jewelry makers have recommended. This will show customers that your product is of value and can be trusted while providing more information on the item they're interested in.

And if you run a business that sells furniture and home accessories, you can collect home design tips and create a niche recommendation guide, just like Made.com:

Conclusion

Instagram guides are an essential part of any effective Instagram marketing strategy. With a great range of features available, you can create tailored content to engage with your audience and provide them with valuable information.

Whether it's creating gift guides, organizing product albums, collecting testimonials, or niche recommendations, plenty of options are available to make sure your content stands out from the crowd and helps boost engagement levels.

When creating these guides, ensure you are not overselling yourself or exaggerating the product's benefits. Be honest about its features; always use customer testimonials to back up any claims you make. Include links to your website so customers can easily find and purchase the product. And don’t forget to add an FAQ guide to help answer any burning questions your followers may have regarding your brand.