The Importance of Instagram Guides to Boost Engagement 

When Instagram hit the social media scene in 2010, the platform revolutionized how we connected with friends, loved ones, and brands. This change transformed the focus of posts from words to pictures. In 2020, Instagram gave the digital world even more innovative social media trends through Instagram Live, shops, reels, a refreshed home screen, and Instagram Guides.

While brands have become familiar with lives, shops, and reels, many have not yet tapped into the creative potential of guides. When used correctly, engaging Instagram Guides can do double duty for your social media strategy by giving new life to existing content and boosting brand engagement. 

What is an Instagram Guide? 

The Instagram Guide feature lets content creators publish themed and numbered lists directly in the Instagram app. Consider a brand with a blog post called “5 Best Places to Eat in Nashville.” That list can now live on Instagram as a mini-blog without directing users away from the social media site and your brand’s page.

The guides allow for a cover photo, an introduction, a selection of embedded posts, and optional descriptions of each list item. Currently, lists can be created for places and from previously published posts. 

Creating Engaging Instagram Guides

Creating an engaging Instagram Guide is easy because it uses existing posts. In other words, you don’t need to spend more time creating brand-new content! Instead, use it to give new life to the published posts you’ve already perfected.

Instagram offers guides for places and posts. While product guides were an option previously, they were discontinued in June 2023. However, there are still many ways to maximize guides and boost engagement.  

The Places Guide is geography-focused and allows creators to share locations. These are also typically based on a specific theme. Remember our “5 Best Places to Eat in Nashville” example? You can create a place guide by searching geotags, using saved places, or tagging locations that are geotagged in existing posts. 

The Post Guide is the most open-ended of the two options. Because this one is not governed by geotags, there is much more freedom to be creative in how this guide can be used. You can share product instructions, steps to a recipe, team introductions, and more. Any content that shares a similar theme and can be gathered under a common theme will work!

Both types of guides will encourage followers to stay on your page for longer periods of time. Because your guides use embedded information and descriptions, they will not have to venture away from you for more information. You can also make it easier for users to find your guides by using hashtags and keywords.

Guides that offer step-by-step instructions, life hacks, tips and tricks, or a behind-the-scenes look at your brand increase engagement and offer genuine, helpful content your audience will be interested in. While they cannot like or comment on the guides, they can share them in stories and direct messages. Even though the communication is one-way, the benefits of users spending more time with your content is a definite plus. 

Get Expert Help with Instagram 

Successfully staying on top of your brand’s social media platforms is a full-time job! Let our team at Green Apple Strategy help you maximize your online presence with engaging content that makes sense for your business. Contact us today to see how we can work together to increase brand awareness and engagement. 

Should Your Business Be on Every Social Media Platform?

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Quality over quantity. It’s a phrase that’s said so often that it sometimes loses its meaning. However, the reason that it’s said so often is that it’s overwhelmingly true. As it does in every area of marketing, quality over quantity applies to social media, too.  So, in short, no. Your business should not be on every social media platform. This is always good news to businesses trying to juggle upwards of three platforms at once, seeing lackluster results across the board. The key is to focus on the platforms that give you the most return so that you aren’t wasting precious resources. So, how do you decide which platforms to put your effort towards? We have a few tips to guide you. 

How to Identify Which Social Media Platforms to Use

1. Identify where your customers are spending their time. 
Depending on your product or service, it’s likely that your customers are using one platform more than another. Many marketers find that this could largely depend on the customer’s age. For example, for brands marketing to the younger generations, it’s reported that 73% of Gen Z prefers that brands reach them through Instagram. On the other hand, 78% of Baby Boomers reportedly prefer interacting with the brands they like on Facebook. You may also consider your customers’ interests and professions when identifying which platforms they frequent.  Identifying the social platform that will provide you with the most exposure to your audience is the most important part of this tactic and will be a great foundation for building your social strategy.  Here are a few simple ways to help point you in the right direction: 
  • Poll your customers in a review survey to see how they found you. 
  • Ask customers as you interact with them.
  • Review your metrics across the platforms that you’re using.
2. Determine what kind of content you have to share. 
The types of content that you create may heavily influence the platform that you choose. Each site has its niche, and if you go against that niche, you may not see the engagement you’d like. Take Instagram, for example. To be successful on that platform, you must have eye-catching photography or video content with thoughtful captions. On the other hand, LinkedIn relies more on informational content, such as videos, slides, and articles. So, before you begin sharing, consider where the content you already have would make the most impact. 
3. Consider which platform you have the most experience with. 
Your level of comfort factors into this decision as well. If you use a particular platform most often, you know what the trends and expectations are for that site already. If you find that your audience isn’t on this site, enlist the help of a social media marketer or a marketing agency to curate and post your content. 
4. Analyze your metrics across your current platforms. 
The numbers don’t lie. Take a look at your metrics on each platform to see which is performing the best. This is a great way to identify where your return on investment is the highest. Once you’ve chosen the best performing site for your brand, begin building a social media strategy that addresses the types of content you will share and the goals you want to reach. Don’t forget to include paid advertising as part of your strategy! This can help you ensure that your audience sees your most important content. 

Do You Need a Strategic Social Media Plan? 

If you feel like you aren’t getting the return you’d hoped for on social media, consider partnering with a marketing agency to create a strategic plan. We can help! Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation.