Many small businesses were launched during the early days of the pandemic as a way to survive the economic lockdown; social media has been a valuable tool for these businesses.
South Africa (05 August 2021) – Thousands of South Africans started small businesses over the last year to either subsidise their incomes or to make up for total income loss. Many of these businesses are managed and promoted through social media platforms.
Social media has become a massive asset for the small business community as it helps get businesses out there without spending thousands to be seen.
Instagram is one of many platforms being utilised to promote small businesses. They recently shared four tips for maximising online results for small businesses.
Elizma Nolte, Regional Marketing Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, offers some tips about how you can get the most from this engaging and immersive format.
Get inspired by the community.
If you want to captivate your audience, remember they are looking for entertaining content on Reels. They want to be amused, they want to be inspired, they want to be informed. Check out the Reels Explore Page to get a taste of what Reels creators are doing. This will offer inspiration so that you, too, may create content that resonates with your community.
Keep it real
Reels Ads work best when they look ‘native’ – in other words when they look like organic Reels content posted by the community of Reels creators. They’re meant to be fun, snappy, and real. Feel free to show a human side to your business — even if it’s less than perfect. And if you repurpose content recorded for another channel, be sure to edit it to fit the Reels format.
Tell stories
Instagram is a channel for creative, visual storytelling. Get your audience’s attention and engage their emotions through compelling images, video, and text that tell micro-stories. You can use Reels to educate people about ways to use your product, to give them tips and tricks, or to tell a funny or heartwarming brand story. But whatever you do, take them on a journey rather than hitting them with blunt brand messaging.
Get Creative Using Reels Tools
Reels offers several options for editing videos and adding effects. You can cut videos, use augmented reality effects or music to create creative pieces. Here are some tools you can use to spice up your videos:
- Don’t stop the music: Search Instagram’s music library for a song or use your own sound, which can be used by other users later, to make your Reels. You can also use an original audio track from someone you follow. Simply click on “Original audio” in your Reels and then click “Use audio” to create your own version of the video with the same sound. We’ve recently added an audio browser to help you discover more music.
- Don’t forget about AR (augmented reality) effects: Try your own AR effects or filters from your favourite creator. You can play with an unlimited number of different filters on the same video. There is also a filter search function so you can make more specific searches within the existing catalogue. You can find the effects gallery in Reels by swiping right on the effects.
- Create cool, harmonious transitions: Use the “Align” function to see your previous sequence so you can easily go ahead and adjust the video cut, so you don’t have to worry about positioning your phone at the same angle, make quick cuts between clips for smooth transitions and make reels more vivid and attractive.
- Set the speed: With the timer, you can decide which sequence of a song is used for which scene. You can also use the timer to emphasise parts of your Reels and to make hands-free recordings for the time you set.
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