Sandy offers some key tips on how to increase your engagement on Instagram using video and Reels. Some timely advice for business owners who are serious about competing in this market!
Get More Engagement with Video on Social Media
Using Video to Increase Engagement
In this crazy market, we are all trying to get qualified prospects into our pipeline. Realtors are clamoring for listings to sell to hungry buyers and business owners are seeking new clients who have need of their services. It’s time to get out of the box with your marketing and get serious about your prospecting!
The primary goal is making connections.
One way to gain new prospects is to make sure you are getting maximum engagement with your social media posts. Building relationships, and developing friendships that will turn into potential leads is why we create content and put it out there. Making connections is a primary goal, so let’s look at that, specifically at VIDEOS, and how you can use the medium to increase engagement over your social channels.
First things first, keep these things in mind:
Be yourself. Prospects are getting to know your business for the first time. Show them what your business is all about and be authentically you – give them a reason to follow your account. Attract people who are like-minded. Share your expertise with your personality.
Keep it simple. Don’t sell, tease your offerings to gain attention. Save the selling for blog posts, or sales pages. Your video posts should be quick and easy.
Tell a story. When you want to get the attention of a new audience, a compelling story helps. Storytelling can also get people to return for more content—and eventual sales. Use emotional touchpoints that connect with people of like interests and needs.
Make it short. Instagram has invested in the platform around short-form video. That means it’s best to keep videos to 60 seconds or less. REELS and STORIES are being pushed big time, so follow this curve and keep short videos in your content mix.
As you brainstorm content, remember that you can post all types of Instagram videos:
Feed: Best for square and landscape formats, feed videos typically look great without Instagram’s native editing tools, or you can add a filter to give it a little sass! Feed videos are great when you need to go over the 1-minute mark.
Reels: Short-form reels can include text overlays, music, and effects. Reels can also appear in the feed and their own tab, giving them more chances to offer value. PLUS you can save the Reel with all your creative edits and use it in other marketing posts like crossposting to Facebook.
Stories: Ideal for sharing brief snippets (15 second clips) or weaving together multiple clips, stories can include interactive stickers, music and links. Tease a blog post and link to the actual post URL!
Lives: Great for connecting with your audience, Instagram lives can also appear on your profile after the event ends.
From feed posts to Instagram lives, you have plenty of options for generating awareness with video.
Options are great, but sometimes you need IDEAS for content! Here’s a list of ideas for video content on Instagram:
- Introduce Your Business
- Showcase Your Brand Values
- Educate and Inform
- Inspire People
- Launch a New Product or Service
- Give a Tour of Your Office and Process
- Do a Tour of a New Listing
- Highlight a Grand Opening
- Highlight a Community
- Provide Market News
- Make People Laugh
- Use LIVE to Connect With Followers Real Time
One last thing, remember that ENGAGEMENT = ENGAGEMENT, so interact with others and have your team do the same. Like, share, add to stories, comment and reshare!
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