Instagram guides are an underutilized opportunity for brands to improve the customer experience. It could be due to minimal use and promotion by Instagram and leading creators. Or it could be due to a lack of insights to track performance. I believe it’s the latter.
We’ve been trained to believe everything worthwhile needs to be measured. While I agree metrics are important for most business efforts. Not everything can be measured nor should it. This creates a unique opportunity for you.
Guides are an opportunity to further develop the relationship with your audience. Curating content to serve them. Guides can inspire, educate, and be a resource.
With Instagram Guides you get to
- recommend Places in your city and beyond
- curate your favorite Products from Instagram shops
- recommend Posts you created or saved
Instagram Guides for Customer Experience
Customer Inspiration
- Gift guides. Curate a list of products for each special occasion.
- Highlight customer use. Show how customers are using your product or service.
- Showcase your flagship product with features + benefits (ex: PowerSheets)
- Capsule guides. Curate select coordinating products for the season.
- Portfolio. Highlight your best work.
- Trends.
Customer Service
- Shipping guide. Address questions about deadlines, costs, and gifting.
- Product care guide. Show examples of how to care for a product. Include protective products (cases, cleaners) where applicable.
- Gift wrapping ideas. Share creative ways to wrap our product.
- Meet the team. Highlight your team members to put faces with the brand.
Specific Niche Uses
- Food or beverage brands can curate a roundup of recipes.
- Interior designers create a guide to vignettes, bookshelfies, lighting tips, or vintage tips.
- Photographers can create guides for poses, family outfit themes, and venue options.
- Destination service providers can create travel guides.
- Wedding planners can create guides of their favorite partner categories: photographers, stationers, florists, venues.
- MUA, can create guides for bronzer, moisturizers, contouring examples, and beauty products.
- CPA’s can create a tax preparation guide or list examples of common business expenses.
- Shop small or local guide.
- For realtors and real estate professionals, create a neighborhood guide.
- For fitness professionals, curate a workout routine.
I encourage you to let your marketing, sales, and customer service teams be creative! Guides should be helpful and shareable. Your front-line team is the best resource to understand what your audience needs and enjoys.
How to Create Instagram Guides
- Go to your Profile, tap on (+) in top right corner of mobile screen.
- Select “Guide” from the Create menu.
- Select type of guide: Places, Products, or Posts.
- Search and select the posts you want to include in your guide.
- Choose a cover image from one of your selected posts. **Select a clear uncluttered image that won’t compete visually with the guide title.
- Add a guide title and summary. **When naming your guide and creating a summary consider what words users will type into the explore tab. Think Instagram SEO friendly.
- Arrange the posts in an order to meet the goal of your guide. This could be instructions, directions, or storytelling.
- Add titles and short descriptions to each post. The descriptions share the importance of the selected post.
- Once you’ve created your guide, select Publish. **You can edit and update Guides after publishing.
- Finally, share your guide to Instagram Story.
Additional Resources for Instagram Guides
- Instagram’s Supporting Well-Being Example
- Instagram’s Announcement
- Hootsuite’s Instagram Guides How-To
- Later’s Instagram Guides How-To
- Neil Patel’s Instagram Guides How-To
Melissa Kay Jones 