You probably already know that Instagram Reels allows you to record brief videos and share them on the app and that you can have your videos appear on the explore tab, in your feed, and in a Reels tab on your profile.
And you’ve probably seen businesses you follow on social media using Reels to deliver information, engage with potential customers, and share their brand identity. And as Entrepreneur Magazine explains, you’re missing out on potential opportunities and exposure if you’re not creating reels.
So, if you’re ready to dominate reels like a social media pro to grow your following, get more business, or get some serious engagement on your social media, you’re in luck.
Today we’re sharing a set of tips on how to make this free marketing tool work for you. Let’s get to it.
First Things First: Have Fun
Before you get started, be sure you’ve got your mindset right. One of the best things you can do when it comes to creating reels for your business is to let it be fun. That way, it won't feel like work!
The bonus here is that the more fun you have, the more likely people are to resonate with what you share and to engage with it.
Simply put: When you show up authentically and create interesting content that you believe in. People will take notice.
And while you’ll want to be consistent with your reels, when you make sure the process is fun for you, that consistency is less of a big deal.
Get To Know Your Audience
As we’ve covered in previous blogs, it’s important to get to know your audience. When you go to plan or record a Reels video, remember who your audience is and why they’re following you in the first place.
Are they busy moms who want to carve out some time in their schedule for a workout? Are they brides-to-be looking for the right event planner to make their big day stress free?
No matter who you love working with, you can ask questions like
What content, topics, visuals, and ideas come to mind when you think about them?
What do we have in common? Experiences? Thoughts? Feelings? Desires? Pet Peeves?
What do they love?
What are they struggling with each day?
What would inspire them to take action? To share my content?
What information do I have that they need?
To get a bit more clarity around what types of content you may want to create.
Going deeper, asking questions like these, and taking the time to really get to know your audience allows you to keep showing up for them in ways that lead them to engage with you and your business.
Give Them Something They Need
Once you’ve got some clarity on what kinds of content your audience might like, it’s time to give your Reels a dose of marketing strategy.
While you can create many different types of content using Reels, you may find it helpful to think about them in a set of categories so you can vary the types of content you share and see what works best for you.
Informative Reels
While this may feel like a “boring” category, you’ve probably seen some creators and business owners come up with some fun and funky ways to share information from the benefits of a skincare product to how they work with clients 1:1 to the new tea flavor they’re brewing.
Informative reels can take ideas, FAQs, and other details and make them easy to understand and if done right, impossible to forget.
Funny Reels
From recordings of viral dances to unlikely 90’s music mashups and even videos of pets doing silly things, funny Reels are some of the most popular videos on Instagram.
While you may just decide to share a funny video for fun, When it comes to these humorous Reels it’s important to remember that you can still have a marketing strategy behind them if you want.
You may have seen others do this too!
Some businesses figure out the pet peeves or unwanted behaviors they see in their industry and decide to poke fun at them.
For example, if your skin care product is formulated without ingredients that have super-long names, you might make a reel full of those super-long names along with some audio that calls out the absurdity of putting things on your body you can’t even pronounce.
If you can find common ground with your audience and share something funny from that shared perspective, you’ll connect with them in a new (and for them, probably unexpected) way.
Save For Later Reels
When creating Reels, you can also consider what you want someone to do when they see your Reel. That’s where things like Save for Later items and lists come into play.
If you create a list of hacks or tips (Like we have here) you can turn that into a Reel that someone might decide to save and refer back to later.
Creating content people find so helpful they save it, is your chance to deliver something awesome ahead of ever working with them. And if you become the go-to person for them, it keeps you top of mind for far longer than the length of that Reel.
Travel And Inspirational Reels
Another way to think about the content you create is to imagine what share-worthy or inspirational Reels might resonate with your audience.
Whether it’s a momentary reflection, a quote with beautiful music, or a simple recording where you share a kind or encouraging phrase with them as they enter the new week, these content pieces are notoriously shared between friends. This increases your engagement and shares a new layer of your brand with the audience you show up for each day.
When you select the messages you choose to share as encouragement or inspiration, be sure to consider your brand’s message, the topics you tend to explore, and the problems your product or service solves. That way, you stay on message and your brand remains consistent as you share all of the different types of Reels you create.
When In Doubt Keep It Simple
One of the myths about creating Reels is that they need to be high-production-value videos that take forever to plan and execute. But that’s not true and videos without that time commitment have gone viral again and again.
So, if that thought is keeping you from getting started, don’t let it!
When it comes to getting started and dominating reels, sometimes a simple approach can get things moving. Adding a vacation video + a bit of text or unique audio may be just what you need to resonate with your audience.
So, let go of what you think a Reel “has to be” and focus on what your audience wants and what you’d love to deliver.
Don’t Let Tech Stop You From Getting Started
Another common hiccup on the path to Reels domination can be navigating the tech that’s involved in creating these videos.
Sometimes we can see other people’s Reels with really unique transitions and think that ours needs to look like that. This might lead us to feel like we can’t make Reels because we’re not tech savvy enough to do what someone else did.
But tech doesn't have to stop you from making Reels work for you and your business.
If the tech side of things is keeping you from trying this marketing tool out, you can use apps. In fact, some of these apps, like Video Leap, do nearly everything for you when it comes to video editing.
While you can totally try your own hand at video editing, apps like this can give you peace of mind that you don’t have to figure it all out or do it all yourself.
Experiment and Remember Why You’re Doing This
If you’re already busy with the day-to-day tasks in your business you may wonder why Reels should become a part of your marketing at all.
Aside from the fact that it’s free brand building and marketing for you and your business, it’s also a worthy time investment.
Why?
Well, once you figure out what works for your unique business and your Instagram account, you can use that formula, again and again.
As you zero in on the Reels strategies that work for you, you’ll get more views, more followers, and even more business.
Along the way, you’ll discover what your audience really wants to see (From funny voiceovers to a certain genre of music and even the topics that create the most engagement on your account.
And, as you experiment with a variety of different types of content, you’ll find out what your audience wants to see more often. While you can get this information from your engagement stats, you can also poll your audience to find out.
In our experience, you can see pretty quickly what works and what’s not quite hitting the mark.
Learn From Others And Create Your Reels Routine
If you’re finding your experiments aren’t quite getting the engagement you’re really after, it can be helpful to look at what others in your niche or industry are doing with their Reels. Since the subjects they’re tackling are similar to yours, you’ll be able to see how they’re approaching them in new, thoughtful, and creative ways.
Once you’ve found your Reels strategy, you’ll find that the views and engagement continue to grow. You’ve found your rhythm and you can keep it going consistently.
And that consistency can take whatever form works best for you. If you’re looking to make the most of your time, it can be helpful to set aside a few hours each week or month to make your Reels. Batching allows you to create and share Reels on a schedule. For example, you may decide to record on the first Monday of the month to share out through the whole month or you might decide to record each Tuesday so you have what you need for the week.
Scheduling your recording time keeps things predictable and allows you to get to know how much time you’ll need each time you record.
This also allows the process to fit nicely into your overall marketing process so that what you share in Reels fits in with your other social media, blog, and email efforts too.
Go Ahead, Put These Tips Into Action At The Next Babes Event!
So now it’s time to put these tips into action.
Wondering where to start?
We can help: Our selfie stations and photo ops make it super simple for everyone to create awesome Reels content at Babes Events. It’s also a great place to connect with other babes and learn what’s working and what’s not in a fun and supportive environment.
So, why not put some of these tips into action. You can find tickets for our next event here.
Can’t wait to see you there!