In this blog, we’re going to talk about how to use Instagram Reels for business.
What are Instagram reels I hear you say? Well, by the time you’ve read this blog you will understand.
Some of you might have heard of TikTok? Reels are very similar, it’s just not on the TikTok platform.
There are different ways of promoting your business on Instagram, for example, posts, stories and IGTV and Reels is the new feature, which was only brought out in August 2020.
When you log into your Instagram account, stories are the little circles you see at the top with more spontaneous posts from people, businesses and brands.
IGTV, is a video more like YouTube, From 1 minute up to 15 minutes.
Reels are a little bit different, they are 30-second mini videos that rotate; they keep playing over and over and over and are shown in searches too. If you can be clever with them, you can put some hashtags in them as well so they are seen by a wider audience.
What is the point of Reels?
Lots of influencers use Reels, but I’ve also seen lots of businesses starting to use them as well, and being really effective with them.
The point of using a Reel is it’s a really, really good way to show your personality and to show your brand off to it’s best as well. Stories work in the sense that they’re great at showing your personality, you can chat, you can do different things, they only last twenty-four hours.
Reels are on there for a long time and if you can invest a little bit of time in doing them, they can be really effective at increasing engagement on your page. They’re a really, really good way to promote your business, to get seen by more people, a really good way to build your audience.
Since I’ve started using Reels, I’ve seen some amazing results which have actually taken me quite by surprise and has increased my audience as well. So, it definitely increases your reach and engagement.
Do they work?
Do they work? Oh, crikey, they work!
The first Reel I created as a bit of practice had 478 views, which I was really good as a first attempt. Once I created the reel I posted it to my story as well. The difference I have seen is that more people were watching the Reel than watching it in my Story. So, in my Story when it lasted about around 24 hours, it only got maybe, 50 to 60 views but the Reel got 478.
As time has moved on I’ve done a few different ones. One of me dressing up, one of me homeworking, one of me giving tips, one doing a little happy dance because I got a new client. However, a really spontaneous one I did on a Friday night when I was looking for a bottle of wine and the fridge was bare has over 5,500 views in just over a week.
It has lots of comments and likes and the reach on my account on that day went crazy.
The content that I posted that day, resonated with people and I think if you can show that kind of content in your social media, that’s what works really well. Then recently I’ve noticed my other Reels have started increasing in engagement too as people are then watching my other reels as well.
So, do they work? Oh yes, they do! People remember me and I’ve had people messaging me enquiring about things because of seeing these videos, so I’m becoming more visible. So that’s how they work really well for business.
Should I use Reels?
Should you use them in your marketing?
The reason I do Reels is that I need to know how these things work so I can tell my clients. So I’ve got a Snapchat account, I’ve got a TikTok account, I’ve got LinkedIn, I’ve got Twitter, I’ve got YouTube, I’ve got everything because I need to know these things for my clients.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with Social Media, really think about who your target audience is, where they hang out online and concentrate on that social media platform. If your target audience is on Instagram then go for it, have fun with it.
So I hope that has given you a good insight into how to use Instagram reels for business. If you want to know more about how I can help you through social media coaching get in touch.
