Instagram Reels are the hottest form of content on the platform today. The latest data shows that Instagram currently has over 2 billion monthly active users – and the most trending content that they are creating and consuming are Reels.
Reels are not only wildly entertaining – they are also a way to find and engage the ideal customers for your business. Best of all, crafting effective Reels for your brand can be much simpler that you probably think. This is because, when creating Reels for your business, your goal is not necessarily to go viral, because there’s not much value in lots of followers who aren’t a fit for your offers. Such followers won’t ever buy from you and will just ruin your engagement rankings in the long run.
When creating Reels for your business, your goal should be to attract, engage, and ultimately convert your dream customers – and that process can be as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Create Winning Content
The first step for effective Reels is determining your content. Unfortunately, many content creators freeze at this point with a kind of writer’s block, just wondering what to say. If you want to streamline your efforts and make sure you never run out of content ideas, follow the strategy of: Educate, Entertain, and/or Elicit Emotion.
The first kind of winning content is useful content that provides information. You want to Educate your audience. Maybe you’re educating them about your product or services, and letting them know how it will fulfill a need or desire. Maybe you’re answering a frequently asked question. Maybe you’re sharing a hack or quick tip they will find valuable.
Another way to create winning content is to entertain. Luckily, you don’t need to be a comedian or professional actor! Entertainment is often just about showing off your personality and the ways you like to have fun. It’s about the freedom to feel a bit sassy or quirky or playful and show there’s a human element behind your business. If you’re stuck for ideas, start paying attention to what your most engaged customers are doing online for fun, maybe there’s a trending joke or meme you can play with.
Lastly, it’s always a good idea to try to elicit poignant emotions with your content. Maybe it’s content about parents and children, siblings, or best friends that tugs on the heartstrings. Maybe you want to stoke righteous anger for a just cause. Maybe you want to inspire your audience to strive to reach their potential. Maybe you just want to bring some humor and levity to lighten the mood.
If you’re still stuck for content ideas, don’t forget you can always reach out to professionals – like our team of social media experts here at JXT Group – to help generate ideas for you.
2. Find Addictive Audio 
When you’re creating Reels, one of the key considerations is choosing the audio track.
This choice can feel intimidating, as there are seemingly countless audio clips available on IG plus you can always create your own. In order to not get overwhelmed, it’s often useful to give yourself only a set amount of time to make a decision so that you don’t get sucked down the endless rabbit hole of searching through audio.
One quick tip is to pay attention to audio that is currently trending. Start monitoring other accounts in your industry as well as Reels created by some of your most engaged followers. Observe which Reels captivate your attention and make you want to watch the whole way through, and try to identify why. Also, make note of the Reels that get the most significant engagement. Riding the wave of a trending audio clip can even be a strategy for reaching new audiences searching for that sound.
3. Add Details that Delight
The last step in creating effective Reels is to incorporate details that delight.
For example, you might want to give some thought to the setting where you shoot and details such as the colors of your clothing and background. If nothing else, be sure you have good lighting – you don’t want anyone scrolling past your Reel simply because they can’t see it clearly. You might want to add captions or graphics to emphasize the most salient points in your message. And don’t forget to use hashtags – for local businesses in particular, there’s often an advantage to using hashtags that mention your city or metro region.
Are you interested in creating better IG reels and developing a social media marketing strategy that will help boost your sales? If so, our team of Social & Digital Marketing experts here at JXT Group can provide just the help you need! To learn more about a customized social media marketing strategy for your business, give us a call today at 718-690-7302 or fill out our online contact form .
