Instagram reels debuted some years ago and since then, it has practically become the platform’s most addictive feature. Without realizing it, IG users spend long stretches of time just watching Instagram reels. In this way, reels have gained an advantage over the regular posts, in terms of growing followers, and reaching people who may have interest in what your brand has to offer.
Unfortunately, you can see a lot of small brands simply getting carried away with the trend, without necessarily focusing on using reels for business growth. If you want to use reels the right way, then keep in mind that the goal is to have a bait to reel in the catch, same way you would reel in a fish using a bait.
In case you had not realized, it is exactly the same as “reel in” which technically means “to get control of something or someone, sometimes by offering something in exchange”. If your reels are not bringing in customers, or offering them something, you are not using your reels the right way.
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels are short-form videos that an individual or brand creates to entertain, educate, and inspire social media users. There is no limit to what you can do with reels. You do not even need to have a video-creating app, you can do it all on Instagram. You can upload multiple video clips, edit them down, mix with popular songs and sounds, all on Instagram. When you create these videos, you can also use them on Tiktok to reach the same audience.
Marketing on social media is getting more competitive by the day, and you need to employ all the resources that can help you stand out. Here’s the hack you need to use reels the right way. With this hacks, you will never run out of content ideas for your reels, and more importantly, you will be branding your business properly and reeling in the right audience.
Show your products and your offerings
Reels are not just an opportunity to dance to trending music without communicating anything. You should use reels to show your products, solutions, prices and other product features. Use them to explain how your products and services work as well, product tutorials also so that your audience get an idea of how to use your product.
If you have special offers, discounts and promotions, reels can be an awesome tool to get it across to as many people without necessarily running a sponsored campaign.
Share your process and behind the scene
One way to validate your brand is to show the processes behind the awesome products and solutions you are giving to your audience. You may notice some food vendors on social media showing some of the process of making the food and packaging the deliveries. What does this do for them, you might ask? First, it shows the customer the environment in which the food was prepared. Some people are picky about what they consume, and it would give them some confidence and assurance to see that the meal is prepared in hygienic conditions.
If you have a photography and videography business, for instance, you could also share behind the scenes of how you interact with customers, set up your studio, take your shots, edit the videos. You can show your studio setups etc. Every business has processes and behind the scenes to share with the customers. People always love to look behind the scenes, and see how much effort you put into giving them excellent products. It boosts customer confidence in your brand and these reels can spike your exposure and reach.
Show your team, leadership and the faces behind the brand
It is proven that customers relate better with a brand when they can put a face to the brand. In fact, statistics show that that 77 percent of people are more likely to trust and support if they can see the face of the team and the leadership on the social media page. Reels are a good tool to show your team, show how they work and a bit of their personality. Such content are always relatable. A reel as simple as showing how one team member prefers tea, another prefers juice, and another prefers water can generate a lot of engagement as this is something people can relate with. The most transparent and honest reels hit home with the audience over and over again.
Share educative content around your products and solutions
When we say educational content, you do not necessarily have to create an entire course. Educational content could be tips to maintain your products. For instance, if you sell shoes, you can have a reel showing the wrong vs the right way to polish your shoes, or how to keep your shoes after each use. If your brand sells gadgets like phones or laptops, you can share proper usage tips. If you sell food, you can use your reels to show different food combos with your products. Get creative. Don’t just show them what you sell. Show them how they can use it right, dos and donts, and how to get the best value. It can be done in series of 30-seconds video reels.
Share Customer Experience
A good idea for reels are customer experience. If you can get your customers to send you short videos of their experience with your products and solution, you can edit them into reels and show your audience what the experience can be like for them if they choose you.
Mix with trending sounds and songs
If you are conversant with the use of social media, you should know that there is always some sound or song trending at every point. Instagram gives you a hint on what sounds are trending, and if you have any doubts, you can always check out other contents.
You can use them as audio for your videos, and don’t forget to give due credit.
Jump on challenges (where feasible)
It is not your full-time job to create a reel for every Instagram or Tiktok challenge out there. You have to select the ones that align with your brand and content direction. For instance, if you sell tea mugs or drinking glasses, you would be interested in a challenge from a beverage brand, or a dairy product. Look for the ones that align with you, or the ones that have shared audience with your business, and jump on them.