Instagram reels are a gold mine for brands and businesses in today’s world! However, having unique Instagram reels ideas and a well-crafted storyline is required to make your business visible using reels. A well-planned and executed Instagram reels strategy can skyrocket your company's visibility! We've covered everything you need to know about Instagram reels in this guide, including making reels and Instagram reels ideas for businesses. Dive in and create a blueprint for the ideal Instagram reels guide for your company to reach out to new prospects, engage your audience, and increase sales!!
What is Instagram Reels, and How Do They Function?
In general, Instagram reels are short, easy-to-digest video clips. Instagram users can shoot reels ranging from 15 to 60 seconds using a similar format to Tiktok. You can record and edit video clips and share reels in Instagram stories, Reel, and the Explore tab. The Instagram Reel tab is full of popular accounts' trending reels and reels. You can film reels on the spot or upload a previously captured and edited video from your camera roll. Instagram's native stickers and text tools are supported by Reels.
Additionally, Instagram reels allow users to share a long take video or a video made up of multiple quick takes. Who can see your reels is determined by the privacy settings in your profile. If you have a public profile, reels will appear under the Explore tab, along with other options.
Businesses can use Instagram Reels to increase engagement by using video to explain their product line or services. With Instagram reels, brands can gain more new prospects because they are available in the public domain.
However, don't be confused by the similarities between Instagram reels and Instagram stories. There are significant differences between these two Instagram features:
- Unlike Instagram stories, Reels offers users a variety of creative tools such as speed controls and AR effects. You can also align multi-clip videos in reels for smoother transitions, which isn't possible in an Instagram story.
- Unlike Instagram stories, reels can be featured in the explore tab. You can also share a reel as a story post by posting it on the feed.
- Your story will vanish in 24 hours, but all of your reels will appear in a separate section of your profile, similar to IGTV posts. Your original audio will be credited to you, and others will be able to use it to make new reels.
How to Make Instagram Reels?
Are you ready to learn how to make Instagram Reels for business? The good news is that the procedure is extremely simple. Let's take things slowly at first.
1. Select the Plus Sign
Go to your profile page and tap the + icon in the upper right corner of the app (the same one you would use to create a feed post or a Story).
This will bring up a menu to select the type of content you want to create. Reels must be tapped.
Image is taken from About Instagram
2. Decide on Your Medium
After that, you can either create new content using Instagram's native camera or browse your camera roll and select the media files you want to use. You will be able to combine multiple images or video clips if you desire.
3. Compose Your Video
After you've chosen a video, you can use the app's many editing features to give it some personality. You can adjust the cropping and scale here. We can also trim the video to make it look better. Click Add once it's finished. Click the blue + icon in the bottom left-hand corner to add more video clips on the next screen. This will allow you to stitch different clips together.
4. Include a Sound Clip, a Voiceover, and Visual Effects
You'll see icons on the left-hand side of the screen where you add more clips that allow you to further edit your Instagram reels. You can add an audio clip to the video by tapping the music note icon, and you can speed up or slow down playback by tapping the 1x icon. Visual effects can also be added to your Reel. Filters, GIFs, stickers, text, and other options are available. Finally, a voiceover can be added to your Reel.
5. Write a Caption and Tag People
This screen resembles the feed post creation screen you're probably already familiar with. Begin by composing a caption. With a maximum of 2,200 characters, you have plenty of room to express yourself. Hashtags are allowed in captions.
6. Share Your Reel
Image is taken from About Instagram
Double-check everything to make sure it looks great and you're done! To share your Reel, go to the bottom of the screen and tap Share.
How to use Instagram Reels for Business?
Knowing how to make Instagram reels for business is just the beginning of your journey to success. You must also learn how to use Instagram reels to connect with your target audience. Use this Instagram reels guide to understand the six best practices for creating engaging Reels, as well as examples to help you plan your Instagram Reels strategy.
∙ Keep up With the latest Instagram Reels Trends
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
This is possibly one of the most straightforward and most important Instagram Reels tips. You'll notice recurring themes in the content if you spend even ten minutes on the platform (which we strongly recommend). Some audio clips will repeatedly appear, with users sharing their own interpretations of the theme.
When you see these trends, jump on them. By incorporating your brand into an existing trend, you can demonstrate that you understand your target audience and share their values, aesthetics, and sense of humor.
Some trends will be seasonal, providing you with a unique opportunity to promote timely specials or products. Modcloth used a current Halloween song while showcasing products that are perfect for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney in the example below.
∙ Disseminate Exclusive Information
Users adore "insider" content that makes them feel they know everything there is to know about your company. Videos about "how it's made" or "behind the scenes" can help you appear more genuine and relatable. Here's an excellent example from a custom signage company. They first flaunted their product, then showed their audience how it was made, using a popular audio clip from Taylor Swift's "Ready for it" song. The video is engaging and attention-getting, and it has the potential to bring in new customers who are interested in custom signage as well.
∙ Make a Strong Start
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
For two reasons, your reels require a thumb-stopping start. You want users who are scrolling through Instagram reels to come to a halt and focus on your content. Two, you want your followers to stop scrolling through their feed and actually click through to the Reels tab to watch the rest of the video. As a result, it's critical to get off to a good start. Participating in well-known trends can certainly help, but a tried-and-true strategy is to use prominent text to attract attention.
Here's an illustration. In the middle of the frame, a bridal salon used a famous audio clip of Cardi B rambling about how she's nervous, excited, and overwhelmed, and added the text "Bride at her first dress appointment" in large font. Brides-to-be will be intrigued right away; will they be able to learn something before their first dress fitting? Past brides may be curious or nostalgic as well. This Reel does a fantastic job of picking your interest right away.
∙ Tell a Story
Reels are no exception to the rule that storytelling is essential in marketing. Telling a story about a brand, a customer, a personal connection, or an employee is a simple way to pique their interest and establish rapport. It's why there are so many health companies that tell stories about people who have gone from health crises to living a healthy lifestyle. Stories can greatly impact how people perceive your company and help you build trust. Even better are stories in which you share your vulnerabilities. Someone in the medical field, for example, tells how their advisor advised them not to even apply to medical school, how terrified they were when they did, and how successful they have become.
∙ Share Information that is Useful
Image is taken from Strikingly user’s website
It's great to be entertaining, but you can't go wrong by providing value, such as solutions or information that your audience may not even realize they require. For businesses, focusing on informational Instagram reels is a great strategy. You can share how-to and DIY content and general information that your audience will find helpful. Consider the following scenario. The Reel below features a stylist who discusses how to determine the quality of clothing. This is an intriguing topic that will likely pique the interest of a large audience because who isn't interested in the quality of the products they purchase? The creator provides useful advice, demonstrating her expertise and providing value to her audience. This type of content can help you quickly gain followers.
∙ Include Context and Call-to-actions in Your Captions
You don't necessarily want overlay text to take up the entire Reel screen; that's why you have a 2,200-character caption limit.
Use your caption to provide additional context or add more information to your Reel. Captions also aid Instagram's algorithm in deciphering what you're posting and serving it to the appropriate audience. Finally, captions are a great place to include CTAs, such as asking users to contact you or directing them to a special offer.
Here's an illustration. This Reel features a bridal consultant listening to a phone call (a trending audio clip). That's all there is to it. On the other hand, the caption provides context and value: it offers wedding dress shopping advice. It's an entertaining Reel, and the caption makes it useful.
Introducing Strikingly
Image is taken from Strikingly
Strikingly, it allows users to create their own online area to publicly display their Instagram reels. Strikingly allows you to create an online video portfolio and promote your Instagram reels to the world using a stunning video web design. You do not need to know how to code to design your website. All you have to do to show visitors how talented you are is create excellent content. Your films can be shown in various places, including the gallery, major media, and other media areas.
Finally, Some Thoughts
Businesses that want to grow their audiences can take advantage of Instagram Reels. We know that the feature helps users discover new brands regularly and has high engagement potential. Make sure you're getting the most out of this format by creating Reels content periodically and experimenting with what works best for your audience.
