Reel in Your Prospects with Instagram Reels

by Michele Rempel

One thing we can always depend on is a little (or a lot) of crossover and copycatting of features between the social media platforms. Google tried to make a go of “Google Plus” after the rise of Facebook. Twitter had Vines and now regrets getting rid of them after the surge of TikTok. Facebook offers Stories (and of course now owns Instagram), and Instagram decided to give TikTok some competition with “Reels,” which debuted last August.

“Although Reels is largely used by individuals, businesses can and are engaging their audience and prospects by using this relatively new feature.

With Reels, you can record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio and effects. You can share these reels with your followers and make them available to a wider Instagram audience through “Explore”. In Explore, anyone has the chance to become an Instagram “creator” and reach a worldwide audience. You can find Reels by clicking on the bottom middle button on your Instagram feed or profile page. To find new Reels, just scroll down like you do on your regular feed. Although Reels is largely used by individuals, businesses can and are engaging their audience and prospects by using this relatively new feature. Here are some ways that your business might use Reels to its advantage:

Create Product or Service “Show and Tells”

Restaurants and bakers are a natural for Reels, and many enterprising eateries are creating video shorts that show just-off-the-grill steaks dripping with butter or cake decorators putting the finishing touches on a birthday cake. Often set to catchy music, these bite-sized videos give would-be customers a taste of what they could experience with these businesses. Here’s a mouth-watering reel from Croque (@croque_la) in Los Angeles.

Michele Rempel is the founder and managing partner of Westvyne, a marketing and website design firm based in California and Illinois. For almost a decade, she and her team have been guiding their clients in what to say, how to say it, where to say it, and who to say it to in order to attract and retain customers. For more information about Westvyne, visit www.westvyne.com.