6 Reasons To Start Using Instagram Reels
Your followers are craving video content! Give it to them with Instagram Reels!
If you are reading this blog post, you’re probably on the fence about this whole Instagram Reels business. Trust me , I get it. And I know what you’re thinking!
“Reels are a pain!! They take forever, I don’t want to dance around, and I don't have time to figure out a new feature. I have enough to do with the rest of my business! I am just going to keep posting like usual, it works for me.”
I was in the exact same boat as you when Instagram rolled out the reels feature. I was content with my beautifully curated carousel posts and templates. I was hesitant to get into it, self conscious that people would judge me, or that I would put in all of this effort and get about 7 views.
Looking back now, I am so glad I dug in and decided to teach myself reels, and now I am on a crusade to make sure that every business owner on Instagram is getting the most out of the platform, and that means mastering reels.
For those of you that still need some convincing, here are my 6 reasons your business needs to utilize Instagram Reels:
Reach A New Audience- Let’s face it, most people aren’t scrolling through the explore page all that often, or through different hashtags. BUT people do scroll through the reels feed (often for wayy longer than they intended lol). This means Instagram Reels is the BEST way for you to get in front of new people who aren’t following you. Bonus points if you make a reel and use targeted hashtags for the content of that reel in the caption. (we love a little double dipping)
Increased Engagement- Everyones favorite buzzword, engagement. We all want it, and now matter how much we get, we want MORE. If you have found your engagement dipping on your traditional feed posts, it’s time to start using the reels feature. Reels are a great way to peak interest in your audience and get the conversation started. If I go back and compare my reels to my static posts, I get 2-3x the comments on a reel nearly every time.
Stretch Your Creativity- Whether you consider yourself a “creative” or not, entrepreneurship takes major creativity! One of my favorite ways to stretch my creativity these days is recording reels! If you don’t know where to start. Look up a popular hashtag related to your industry, and watch all of the reels with that hashtag. You’ll get tons of ideas of types of content to make, trending sounds to try etc. (remember to also look beyond your industry, there are soo many trending videos that you can apply to your brand/industry)
Get Rewarded By The Algorithm- While I don’t usually like to get into conversations about “beating the algorithm” or anything in that category, it would be naive to ignore the algorithm altogether. It’s clear that Instagram is pushing to grow reels. While Instagram has not yet released insights for reels, there are a couple of things we know. If someone you follow posted a reel, it will always pop up on your feed before a traditional static post will, and reels can rapidly gain massive reach or “go viral” in a way that a static post will not. (I will leave the rest of my comments about reels and the algorithm until we get insights within the app)
Enhance Your Video Skills- We have known it for years, but it is more apparent now than ever. Video is the way forward. Youtube, Tik Tok, Reels, Instagram Stories, Snapchat etc.
VIDEO IS NOT GOING AWAY.
So it is on your best interest to start practicing video in a micro sort of way. Get comfortable in front of the camera, play with editing and trimming clips, understanding lighting and sound. While long form video obviously takes a different production level, the core of editing video is the same. So practice with reels! I’m betting in 2 years, Instagram will be 99% video. So start practicing and getting comfortable now.
Show Your Brand Personality- This is my favorite aspect of reels, and the magic behind them. Your audience can get to know you and your brand so much quicker!! You can really show your own personality or your brand personality. Even a product based business can show off it’s brand identity with reels. What trends do you recreate? What audio/music do you use? Are your reels funny? Or are they strictly informative? Are they formal? Or are you keeping things casual? You don’t have to dance around to silly trends! But if you like them, and your brand personality is fun and outgoing, DO IT!
