Marketing Education with Tori Sikkema, Interior | Brand Photographer + Stylist
Choosing the right social media strategy for interior designers and creative entrepreneurs is essential to creating a buzz and following around your brand. Having a clearly defined strategy, well-executed workflow, and execution is all about planning and being strategic with your time.
Instagram is one of the many social media platforms that reach a wide variety of people. Not only is it a platform to connect with friends and family, but it is also a suitable place to start marketing your brand and business.
There are many exciting features on Instagram, and one of those features is the Instagram Guide which was first introduced in 2020. It is a dedicated tab that allows users to share their favorite products, places, or posts on Instagram in the most editorialized way. It serves as a miniature blog for Instagram.
Instagram Guide allows users to scroll through a curated flow of content similar to a blog post. It also gives a Pinterest vibe with how the format is laid out. This feature can curate gift guides, product highlights, content roundups, FAQ guides, travel recommendations, launched products, restaurant reviews, and so much more.
Guides include a cover image, title, introduction, embedded Instagram posts, and optional descriptions for entries.
Once you create your first Guide, a tab with a brochure icon will appear on your profile (along with your posts, videos, Reels, and tagged posts).
There are 3 types of Instagram Guides: Places, Products, and Posts.
Here’s a brief overview of the different kinds of Guides you can create on Instagram.
Place Guides
This is the idea that Instagram Guides was born for: sharing excellent locations. These Guides are geography-focused and generally center around some theme.
When you click on Places, you can see recommended places within your vicinity and beyond. When you choose any location, you will see people’s photos with tags to this location.
You can search through different brands you are already following, but you could search for a specific brand and select the products they have listed.
Product Guides
This type of Guide is excellent for small businesses selling products and services directly on Instagram.
Product Guides are integrated with Instagram Shops (so you can’t add something to a product guide unless it’s a product on Shops). If you’re a brand that sells products, these guides can be used for sharing new launches or gathering up a bunch of products in a specific category—like Our new Holiday Collection or A New Product Launch. If you’re a creator, you can make guides using goods from your favorite brands.
Post Guides
Post Guides are the most open-ended guide and allow you the most freedom regarding what content you can include. Any public post can be included in a Guide, so it can be anything from How to Style a Bookshelf | Decorating for the Holidays | How to Hang Pictures | Working with an Architect | How to Work with a Builder and Designer to Build Your Dream Home
You can create a guide of posts from others that align with your branding and that hold essential information worth sharing with your account. But the most important thing to make is a guide with your posts (and that’s the most critical part, especially when you want to market your brand or business).
How to create your Instagram Guide
1. Go to your Profile and click on the + button at the top right.
2. Tap the “Guide” button and choose which guide type you want to create.
3. How to Create a Post Guide
Go through your feed and start saving the posts you intended to create as a guide. These can be your personal posts or others you have saved: save a photo > save to a collection. When saving your photos, organize them in the collections folders, making it easier for you to navigate when creating your guide later.
From there, you’ll need to write a few details about your guide: the title and summary. You must also upload a cover photo if you want to change the one Instagram provides.
This feature can be beneficial for grouping content together into a neat category that followers can easily access. Instagram Guides allow you to curate your posts and posts from other accounts around themes and events.
As an Interior Designer, Instagram Guide is the perfect way to show your design portfolio and promote your shop. Guides are an excellent opportunity to explain your talents to your audience in another way through social media to attract your ideal customer.
Using guides allows you to share helpful resources like how-to guides and curated listicles. They can also make your content easier to navigate. You don’t have to create new content for guides. Recycle your older content, posts, and reels to gain new followers and exposure. If your organic engagement needs a boost, give Instagram Guides a try and share your success story!
