During the past months, Instagram has come up with numerous new features to keep up with its trending Social Media competitor, TikTok. With the introduction of Reels, which come up as an alternative to TikToks, Instagram had to take action and give something new to its users, introducing earlier this year a new scrollable content piece, which is Instagram Guides.

In this article, we will be guiding you through the newest feature from Instagram, giving you an overview of what it is and how to use it, as a content creator and a marketer, in order to achieve your marketing goals for the rest of the year - and why not, for the upcoming one, too.

The new feature allows content creators to have their own Instagram blog, where they can share ideas, tips or recommendations, just like in a usual blog article, but on Instagram. “Guides” come up as a rescue point for brands which had their marketing efforts focused on Influencer Marketing, as the new feature includes product, places or posts recommendations, which can be used by the influencers that you collaborate with, to create more engaging content for their follower base and to drive relevant traffic to your business.

Since external websites are avoided through Guides, the content being shared directly on Instagram should be really appealing, so the user’s journey would continue on your website or in the Instagram Shop - another aspect that shouldn’t be missing from your marketing strategy if you are in the ecommerce industry.

Unlike Reels, which can be seen as addictive short videos that keep the Instagram user in the loop for several minutes - even hours, Guides is a feature that isn’t mass consumed by many people, just like blog articles. And that is because our attention span is getting shorter the years that go by.

The reason why Instagram Reels and TikToks have become so popular is because they are short, engaging and easily shareable across multiple platforms. That doesn’t mean that the most recent feature from Instagram will not be useful for you, as a marketer and as a brand. On the other hand, the restrained audience will be an advantage when creating your strategy, since the content that you share on Guides can be easily created especially for the audience that it is addressed to.

For example, if you are a travel agency, an airline or a page that promotes a city, you can make use of Instagram Guides and share top five places to visit during the spring break, for example, just like you would do on your company blog. After sharing your recommendations, give your readers an option to book these places using your services and have a strong CTA (Call to Action) - studies show that if your CTA is more relevant to the content piece, your click-through rate can increase up to 213,16%, according to Medium.com.

AirBaltic was one of the only airlines that we have found that has already included Instagram Guides to their social media strategy, featuring one guide where they shared their core principles, their values and an overview of their company’s beliefs and objectives.

The key to Instagram Guides is to have short, interactive content, with lots of visual elements: use your own photos or posts, or why not, share some other’s people posts if they are relevant to your content piece, so they will also share it afterwards to their followers base and so, bring highly relevant traffic to your page.

Take advantage of this time where not so many brands have discovered Instagram Guides: this is your chance to have more engaging content and to be interesting in your audience and potential customers’s view.

Don’t forget that the key to a good Content Marketing Strategy for 2021 is to be present, have engaging content, communicate with your audience and deliver what your potential customers would want to hear, read and see from your brand. 

If you’re not sure if this new feature from Instagram would fit your business, schedule a 30-minute meeting with us and we’ll make sure to come up with the best plan for you for the upcoming year.

Click here to read more about Content Marketing and how it can help you grow your business, in our Content Marketing Guide.