Instagram Reels

How to Use Instagram Reels to Grow Your Business

How to Use Instagram Reels to Grow Your Business

Instagram Reels

If you’re a small business owner, then you probably already know how powerful social media channels such as Instagram can be for building a following and promoting your products or services. And right now, Instagram Reels are huge. But despite this, many businesses are not yet using this powerful tool to its full potential to connect with their ideal clients and bring in those all-important sales. So – let’s change all that! Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram Reels, and some ideas for how to use them to get more clients for your business. 

So What are Instagram Reels? 

Instagram Reels are short, (hopefully!) entertaining videos that are less than 90 seconds long, often set to music. You can create them using either photos or videos from your camera roll, or you can record new footage directly in the Instagram app. Once you’ve created your reel, you can share it on your feed, and, if you wish, in your Stories, and you can also share it on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 

Why Use Instagram Reels? 

There are a few reasons why you should use Instagram Reels to promote your small business. First of all, they’re a great way to grab people’s attention. With so much content being shared on social media these days, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. But with an eye-catching and creative reel, you can make sure that people notice your business. 

Another reason to use Instagram Reels is that they’re interactive and engaging. Unlike a traditional post, which people can scroll right past without giving it a second thought, a reel encourages people to stop and watch. And if they like what they see, they might even share it with their friends or followers. This means that you have the potential to reach an even wider audience with your Reels than you would with other types of content. 

Finally, using Instagram Reels is a great way to show off your personality and build connections with potential clients. When you’re creating a reel, don’t be afraid to have some fun with it and let your unique voice shine through. This will help people see your business as more than just a faceless entity – it will help them see it as a place run by real people who care about their customers. 

Keywords and Hashtags

Use Keywords and Hashtags: just like with regular posts, you want to make sure you’re using relevant keywords and hashtags with your Instagram Reels. This will help potential clients who are searching for businesses like yours to find your videos. You can do some research on which keywords and hashtags are being used most often in your industry, and then incorporate them into your video titles and descriptions. 

Ideas for Using Instagram Reels 

Now that we’ve gone over some of the reasons why you should use Instagram Reels for your small business, let’s take a look at some specific ideas for how you can use them. 

One idea is to give people a behind-the-scenes look at your business. This could include anything from short clips of your staff working hard to prepare for a big event to footage of new products being unpacked in the storeroom. Giving people a peek behind the curtain will make them feel closer to your business and more likely to choose it next time they need something that you offer. 

Another idea is to use Instagram Reels to show off your product or service in action. If you sell physical goods, this could mean filming a short video of someone using one of your products; if you offer a service like landscaping or dog walking, this could mean filming a quick clip of someone enjoying the results of your work. No matter what type of business you have, showing people how your product or service makes their life better will make them more likely to buy from you in the future.

People also love tips and tricks videos because they’re usually quick and easy to watch, but also because they provide valuable information that can be applied to everyday life. If you run a beauty salon, for example, you could share a quick tip on how to style hair at home or apply makeup for a special occasion. These types of videos not only help you attract new clients, but they also help build trust with your existing clients by demonstrating your expertise in your field. 

You can also use Instagram Reels to share your glowing customer reviews – simply screenshot the reviews you have on Google, Facebook, or Trustpilot, and put it over an eye-catching video background, then set it to a trending tune.

Finally, one last idea is to use Instagram Reels to host giveaways or contests. This is an excellent way to increase engagement and grow your following while also generating excitement about your brand. For example, you could ask people to share one of your reels in their Stories and tag two friends in order to enter – then randomly select one winner who will receive a prize from your business. Hosting regular giveaways or contests is also an excellent way to keep people coming back for more content even after they’ve seen all of your current reels.

So what are you waiting for? While it may seem like just another social media fad, Instagram Reels can actually be a great way to attract new customers and grow your small business. So there’s no better day than today to get creative and start filming those Reels!

And if you’d like an award-winning social media manager to help… Well, you know where we are!

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of help in any way, drop me an email on eve@fantheflames.co.uk. And if you’d like to get some expert help or talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in for a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

Best,
Eve Scragg
Fan The Flames Marketing & Design
https://fantheflames.co.uk

Click here to see our top free social media tips!

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How can I generate leads using Instagram?

How can I generate leads using Instagram?

Social media offers an amazing opportunity for your to connect to your ideal clients and market your business. But with each social media channel, there are different tools available, and different algorithms, so it’s important to pick the right platform and use it right if you want your time online to be worth it for your business! 

So why pick Instagram to promote your business, you might ask? Well, there are over a billion monthly active users on Instagram, and 500 million of those users are active daily. That’s a pretty big pool of potential customers for your business to tap into! 

And it’s not just the sheer number of users that makes Instagram so attractive for businesses – it’s also the platform’s engagement rate. Engagement on Instagram is 10 times higher than Facebook and 84 times higher than Twitter. In other words, people are way more likely to like, comment on, or share your posts if you post them on Instagram. 

So if you want to reach more people and get them excited about your product or service, you need to be on Instagram!

Make sure you use a CTA (call to action) in your Instagram posts

You should use call to actions in Instagram posts because they can help increase your engagement rates. Calls to action (e.g., “click the link in my bio to learn more”) tell your followers what you want them to do, and when you make it easy for them to do what you want, they’re more likely to follow through.

Calls to action are also a great way to drive traffic from Instagram to your website or other online properties. And finally, calls to action can help increase sales or leads generated from your Instagram account. So if you’re not using them already, start using them today and see how they can help improve your results!

Use competitions to grow your following and mailing list

Another great way to use Instagram to grow your business and generate leads is to run contests or giveaways. Encourage followers to share their own photos or videos using your product for a chance to win a free prize. This is a great way to generate excitement and engagement among your followers.

There are also a few different ways you can use competitions on Instagram to grow your mailing list. One option is to require people to enter by following your account and then providing their email address in the comments of the contest post.

You might also consider having people enter by tagging two friends in the comments of the contest post. This will help you grow your follower count, and introduce those people and their audience to what you do as a business.

Finally, you could also ask people to sign up for your mailing list directly on your website in order to enter the contest. This way, not only do you grow your all-important mailing list, but once they’re on your website, they’ll also see all the great things your business does.

Message the people who engage with your posts

Now that you’ve shown them the great things you do, it’s time to convert those engaging with your posts to buyers of your services. 

Be gentle though – people don’t generally appreciate being directly ‘sold at’ on social media, so make sure you make your messaging individual, friendly, and make sure there’s something in it for them!

There are a few ways you can approach this. You could DM (direct message) followers who are in your target market, or just those who have recently engaged with your content. You could also run ads targeting people who have already interacted with your business on Instagram.

Whatever route you choose, make sure the messaging is relevant and valuable to recipients. Offer them something of value, like an exclusive discount or a free consultation, in exchange for their contact information. And be sure to follow up promptly once you have their information!

Promote your business with Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are a feature on Instagram that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.

Instagram stories can be viewed by all of your followers, or just by the people who follow you specifically. They can also be viewed as a list on the side of your main feed, or as a featured story at the top of your profile.

To create an Instagram story, just swipe left from your main feed to open the stories camera. You can take a photo or video, or choose one from your camera roll. You can then add text, stickers, filters, and more before posting it to your story.

There is no denying that stories on Instagram are one of the hottest features right now. And there is a good reason for it! Stories allow you to share moments from your day-to-day life in a way that feels more personal and relatable than traditional photos and videos. 

But beyond just being “trendy,” using stories can actually be a powerful tool for building your brand and connecting with your audience.

One great way to use stories to promote your business on Instagram is to give followers a behind-the-scenes look at what you’re working on. Show them pictures and videos of your team hard at work, new products being tested, or exclusive discounts that they can only get if they follow your story.

Another great way to use stories is to run contests or giveaways. Encourage followers to share their own photos or videos using your product for a chance to win a free prize. This is a great way to generate excitement and engagement among your followers.

And don’t forget to add links, stickers, and polls to your stories – something you can’t do in Instagram posts!

Tell your business’s story with Instagram Reels

Few platforms can rival Instagram when it comes to building a strong visual brand identity. And one of the most powerful ways to leverage that identity is through Instagram Reels.

For those who don’t know, Reels are short-form videos, usually set to music that you can post on your feed or in your Stories. They’re similar to TikToks, but with a distinctly Instagram feel. 

And while they may seem like just another fun way to consume content, Reels actually have a ton of potential for businesses.

For example, let’s say you own a bakery. You could use Reels to show off your baking process, from start to finish. Or, if you’re a wedding planner, you could use Reels to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into planning a wedding.

Generally, popular reels are punchy, creative, and visual. They often incorporate trending music or sound bites, and they always tell a story. The best reels are also relatable – they offer viewers a glimpse into someone else’s life that feels real and authentic, so though we’re using them to promote our businesses here, make sure they show the human side, and don’t be afraid to have a bit of fun with them – corporate is not the way to go here!

Of course, it’s also important to keep your audience, or ideal client in mind when creating a reel. What type of content will they respond to? What will resonate with them? Keeping your finger on the pulse of what your followers want to see, and you’ll find Reels can be a great opportunity to build trust and pre-sell your products and services so that by the time you speak to your followers, they’re already fans of what you do so more likely to buy from you than a competitor.

Want to find out more, or get some expert help with building your Instagram following, social media management, or lead generation?
 
  • Send us a WhatsApp message on 07747740760 or email eve@fantheflames.co.uk and we’d be happy to help!

  • And if you’d like to get some expert help or talk more about how I can help your business grow, feel free to book in for a quick virtual coffee with me HERE.

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