How Our Hardware Store Clients Are Using Reels To Keep Their Instagram Engagement Up!
Have you noticed that your Instagram engagement has gone down recently? Your photo and message are better than ever, and your hashtags are researched and proven, yet your numbers are dropping.
What is happening? Don’t worry! You’re not alone. Instagram is changing how people view their platform and how content is discovered. For better or worse, we can always count on social media to change.
Initially, Instagram created Reels in an attempt to stay competitive with TikTok. They quickly discovered that short video reels are the primary way people want to engage with the app!
Creating a Reel is easier and quicker than you think. We’ll cover everything you need to get started making reels and 3 quick tips on how they can boost your hardware store engagement on Instagram!
What Is An Instagram Reel?
Instagram reels the newest way to increase followers, boost engagement and get your content in front of more people. Reels are short, vertical videos that can be up to 90 seconds long. They are a combination of video clips, images and live photos. To get your reel discovered organically, combine trending music, sounds, stickers, hashtags and a location tag.
How Long Are Reels On Instagram?
Reels can be as short as just a few seconds and as long as 90 seconds. The most crucial element of your reel is that it is in the vertical format, 9:16. You cannot edit the size of your image while creating the reel, so be sure to have vertical photos and video ready to go when you start to build your reel.
How To Make A Reel On Instagram
Creating an Instagram reel is easy! In the upper right corner of your screen, click the plus sign and choose the reel option. Select a few photos and videos from your photo album that you would like to use to tell your story. Click the music notes in the left-hand menu to add music, add a little text as you would for a regular post, a few relevant hashtags, the location of the video and click share! You’ve just published your first reel.
3 Tips To Create Engagement-Boosting Reels!
Ok, so you made your first reel! Congratulations!! But your engagement numbers didn’t immediately sky-rocket, and you didn’t gain 100 new followers? Don’t throw in the towel just yet. There are a few tricks you can use to help get your reel in front of more people.
Tip #1 See What Songs Are Trending.
The number one way to have your reel shown to people that don’t follow you is to use trending music. Find trending music by scrolling through the reels page. It’s the middle button on the bottom menu.
When you hear music that would work for your reel, click the audio file name to see other videos created with it. Then click “Save audio” to easily access it while creating your reel.
Tip #2 Use A Template!
Creating an Instagram reel from a template is the easiest way to produce a high-quality reel FAST. Use the same method above to discover a reel you’d like to copy with your images. It will say “template” above the creator’s name.
Be careful, though. Not all templates are created equal. Some templates line up with the music better than others, so keep looking if needed!
The template will prompt you to add images and videos. Add your hashtags and location tag and hit “share.” That’s it!
Tip #3 Publish Your Reel Right Away Instead Of Scheduling It Out!
Some trending music and templates have a shorter trending timeline than others. Because of this, it’s essential to publish your reel when you create it. We’ve found two main ways to increase engagement with Instagram reels: adding a location tag and using trending music/sounds.
When you schedule a reel, you cannot apply those tags, losing the high engagement numbers they bring because of the Instagram algorithm. Be sure to share your new reel to your profile page and your story so your current followers can watch too!
You can see the difference in these two reels from Flagstaff client, HomCo Lumber and Hardware. The first reel was posted with music that was saved to the video, it wasn’t added in real-time. The second reel was posted with trending music and scheduled immediately.
Time To Grow Your Engagement!
Adding more reels to your current content mix will not only increase your social media engagement but will raise brand awareness which can become one of your most powerful tools for bringing new footsteps and revenue to your stores.
If you want to take full advantage of social media but don’t have the time or resources to be consistent with your content, we would love to help! Here at Mojo, we stay up to date on the latest social media changes and content campaigns. If you are interested in realizing the power that social media marketing can have on your brand, contact us today! We would love to discuss the many ways in which we can help your business reach its full potential!
Michelle has been with Mountain Mojo Group as the Lead Social Media Manager since 2020. Throughout her time here, she has led the efforts in social media, content writing, branding strategies, and graphic design for our clients in the Hardware Retail Industry.