Instagram has proven to be an effective sales and marketing tool for various B2C enterprises. Reels have given Instagram a boost in power.
*Updated 8/2/2024
Instagram Reels was developed as a direct response to TikTok. Instagram Reels supports short-form video content, with videos between 15-30 seconds.
These videos can be made from a single recording or several clips pasted together and edited. Various creative tools such as filters, augmented reality, and even original audio from an external music library can be added to the video.
Furthermore, if you’re already using Facebook and Instagram ads in your social media strategy, Reels could be a great way to create custom videos for audience retargeting based on who has previously viewed your Reels.
6 Ways to Win on Social Media with Instagram Reels Marketing
- Make How-To Videos
- Showcase Your Staff
- User-Generated Content (UGC)
- Tell Your Unique Brand Story
- Create Behind-the-Scenes Videos
- Make Product Videos
Since Reels show up in the Explore and Discover feed without the typical 24-hour expiration of Instagram Stories, they’re a great way to reach your target audience at little to zero advertising cost.
You can also get paid for reels if the number of views increases by a particular amount!
1. Make How-To Videos
With how-to videos, you can share educational content, hacks, resources, and quick tips in the 15 seconds allowed on Reels. They add value to your business, helping you engage your audience, gain loyalty, and convert better.
However, for your video to gain momentum and more views, you must be skilled in your industry. For example, you must be a coach or an experienced course seller to educate people on how to market your online course.
Your Reel should also have a distinct perspective that sets you apart from the other bloggers. Instead of just telling your audience what to do, put yourself in their shoes and use humor, honesty, and empathy to get their attention and get them to follow your content.
By creating engagement from your audience, you will instantly attract similar profiles to your Instagram account and thus grow your follower base.
Social proof plays an important role; people are more likely to be attracted to others who are popular or well-liked by their peers.
To take advantage of Instagram fully, you can embed Instagram Reels on website for free.
@jumz.accessories is an excellent example of a company that uses Reels well. It has produced a how-to Reel that shows several ways to wear its mini bag.
The content is both amusing and educational. As a result, more people engage with the content. With that kind of engagement, the company can also expect an increase in sales of the mini bag.
Your industry-related how-to videos do not always need to be on a complex subject. Just think about the questions or issues your target audience struggles with.
You can even get ideas from your customer care reps and through the reviews shared by your existing customers.
2. Showcase Your Staff
Your audience can connect with your brand by simply viewing your Reels and liking them. However, you can take this connection further by introducing the people behind the brand and its success.
Whether for training, promotion, or welcoming new members, sharing videos of your employees may help your organization reach and engage a wider audience.
For example, in this Instagram Reels video, Sassy Woof introduced its staff with a 90s TV show song in the background, the Full House. The brand also added a humorous aspect by introducing dogs as employees.
You can also have your employees talk briefly about what it’s like to work for your brand, what makes your company or brand different, or what new products and goodies customers should expect soon.
If you offer a service and want to promote your employees, embedding Instagram Feed on your website is a smart move. That will lead to a rise in traffic, engagement, and virality.
With a POWR Instagram widget or plugin, you can achieve that easily. The POWR Instagram feed shown on your site will get updated automatically as you update your posts.
3. User-Generated Content
User-generated content is one of the best ways to engage with your audience, increase conversion rates, and upsell and cross-sell your products.
Around 90% of customers think UGC influences their buying decisions more than advertising emails and search engine results.
Users who like your product will be more willing to promote or share your content with other users. It generates a feeling of community and authenticity among users.
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How do you use UGC on Instagram Reels?
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- You can ask users to send short videos of them using your product or a product review which you can then post into your Reels.
- You can promote contests and giveaways through hashtags and share the hype of the winning submissions on your Reels.
- You can ask users to share your Reels, and the one with the most likes wins a prize.
- You may create a branded hashtag on Instagram and encourage your audience to use it while posting their own Reels.
Follow Your Heart is a brand that publishes Instagram Reels from its fans. It combines hashtags with user-generated content for marketing purposes, which is one of the growth hacks for Instagram Reels.
You can also build Reels from your customer reviews posted on other sites and your customers’ photos.
4. Tell Your Unique Brand Story
With Instagram and social media, viewers often focus more on the human side of your brand than on its commercial side.
Therefore, Reels's content gives an even more significant potential to strengthen the relationship between your brand and its consumers.
You may use them to demonstrate who you are, your personality, your motivations, and the reasons behind your efforts. That is, in essence, the story of your brand.
There are several ways to tell your story on your Reels. You can create real-world experiences linked to your product. Alternatively, you may share your story via an interview about you and your business.
You can also use old footage from when your business was starting. It might be a great way to communicate your business story without spending too much money.
Intel, for instance, created this Instagram Reels content to celebrate its 44th anniversary. It shows a variety of its early and current products.
It's also a good idea to share what your brand is doing to improve the world. For example, share your awareness and efforts about environmental and humanitarian concerns.
5. Create Behind-the-Scenes Videos
Around 87% of people will watch a video if it contains behind-the-scenes content, according to a recent Livestream/New York Magazine poll.
Providing your audience with behind-the-scenes footage of your activities is an excellent approach to maintaining their interest and excitement. It humanizes the brand and helps a business communicate its story.
You may make behind-the-scenes videos for product development, an approaching product launch, a "top-secret" project teaser, a day in the life, or even an exciting new partnership.
Everyone would probably like a sneak peek of the creation process of their favorite song, movie, pastry, or even shoes. Instagram Reels allows you to do so and improve that sense of personal connection customers have with your brand.
You don't have to use a script for the behind-the-scenes videos. Instead, just record the regular discussions that take place in your workplace.
Here is an example from a shoe business. Feelgrounds shares the process of preparing and shipping orders.
You can post before-and-after shots of your product, company, and any improvements you've made.
The audience is interested in the transformational process because it gives them a peek at what usually takes place behind the curtains.
6. Make Product Videos
Around 72% of consumers prefer to learn about a product or service via video, according to WyzOwl.
Reels are a great way to reach these people and showcase new products, product demos, reviews, trials, etc. Whether your product is a new cosmetic cream or something else, Reels represent a great way to reach your target audience.
These shouldn’t just be product descriptions but more informative videos about the product. Demonstrate how it will benefit your target audience and ensure your product video answers their questions.
You may also provide helpful tips and tricks that you think others should know about your product.
Nailing the creation of product videos will give you an edge in selling on Instagram. A good product video begins with a zoomed-out still of the product, followed by close-ups of minor pieces, details, or features.
Use a script for your product videos to capture essential features and advantages. Also, ensure you have a quality camera to provide consistency throughout all videos, including the background and lighting.
Frank Bod is an Instagram beauty and lifestyle content creator who seems to have mastered the art of 15-second Reel product demonstrations.
Frank Bod engages her audience by, among other things, discussing exclusive products and how these can benefit their audience.
Wrapping Up
Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms, with millions of active users. Therefore, chances are high that your potential customers are on it.
There is no denying the power of video content when it comes to social media campaigns. Instagram Reels marketing leverages the power of short-form video content to create powerful, engaging, binge-able, and entertaining content.
Unlike long-form video formats, it’s content that won’t feel overbearing on your audiences.
You can leverage Instagram Reels marketing in many ways. Create behind-the-scenes and how-to content, make product videos and videos highlighting your employees, tell your brand’s story, and promote user-generated content.
As the examples in this article show, with Instagram Reels marketing, you can scale even greater heights and achieve new milestones with Instagram marketing in your social media strategy.
Author Bio
Baidhurya Mani is the founder of SellCoursesOnline.com. He regularly shares tips, tools, and strategies to help creators and entrepreneurs build a successful online course business.
