Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month. A recent report revealed that Instagram users spend 17.6 million hours a day watching reels on the platform.
With this huge shift towards short-form video content, brands need to tap into reels to connect with their target audience and drive demand.
But how exactly can you utilize reels to generate more leads and sales?
In this article, I’ll talk about 11 ways brands can leverage Instagram reels for business demand generation.
These strategies will help you grow your Instagram marketing strategy, stand out on the Explore page, engage your ideal customers, and ultimately convert reel views into dollars.
1. Use reels to tell stories
Many people are now watching reels instead of regular form of videos. This gives brands a big chance to connect with users through storytelling reels.
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Stories can grab viewers’ attention and get them engaged. Use reels to showcase fun clips about your brand’s personality.
Let people get to know the human side of your business.
You can also make how-to tutorials or explainer videos that teach people how to use your product or service. Educate them in an engaging way.
Another idea is to spark curiosity by telling an ongoing story across multiple reels. Post one exciting reel after another to keep viewers hooked. This serialized content strategy works well.
Here are some tips for telling great stories with reels:
- Keep videos short, snappy, and easy to understand. Don’t make the story too complicated.
- Use music, effects, and text overlays to make the story more interesting.
- Encourage viewers to check out your other Reels to follow the full story.
Reels give brands a huge chance to connect with users through fun, engaging stories. Take advantage of people’s interest in short videos to tell memorable tales about your brand.
2. Announce new launches and promotions via reels
With reels, you can generate buzz and get people curious even before your latest offering hits the market.
First, build excitement by teasing the new product launch through a series of mysterious reels. Post short video clips that provide just a few hints about the upcoming product without spoiling the full reveal right away.
For example, you could show quick glimpses of the product’s packaging design or certain features but keep parts of it hidden at first.
Use fun text overlays to ask engaging questions like, “Any guesses what this could be?” or “Sneak peek—can you figure out what we’re launching soon?”
Next, release a reel that finally announces and introduces the new product. Capture viewers’ attention with eye-catching visuals and effects. Don’t just display the product – show it in action to demonstrate its usefulness.
On launch day, share an unboxing reel that displays the new product. Let your excited personality shine through as you unbox it. This makes the product launch more personal and engaging.
You can also post more reels of you actually trying out the new product. Give a mini review and showcase all the features at work. This shows real proof that the product delivers on its claims.
Reels can take product launches to the next level. Use these video stories to pique curiosity, announce with flair, unbox with personality, demo the product, and drive conversions.
3. Collaborate with influencers in your niche for branded content.
Partnering with relevant influencers is an effective way to tap into new audiences with reels and expand your reach.
But the key is choosing the right influencer collaborations to benefit your brand. Look to team up with creators in your niche who authentically engage their audience.
Together, co-create sponsored reels that align with the influencer’s own style and feel natural for their followers. Avoid overly sales or promotional content.
The goal is to showcase your brand and products seamlessly within the influencer’s existing content. This allows you to tap into the influencer’s reputation and highly engaged community. Their genuine endorsements will go a long way with their invested audience.
When vetting potential influencer partners, look beyond vanity metrics. Make sure they truly connect with their niche audience and align with your brand values and content standards.
Consider teaming up with multiple micro or nano influencers who have an authentic voice within your industry. Their real connection with a tight-knit audience can be highly persuasive.
Thoughtful and strategic influencer partnerships allow you to expand your Reels reach through voices that followers already trust. Take the time to find creators who will represent your brand authentically.
4. Show behind-the-scenes brand footage for an inside look
Giving an inside look at your brand with behind-the-scenes reels can be compelling social content. Capture short video clips of your team, office, workflows, and more.
Show people what goes on in the daily life of your company outside what customers see. Highlight your culture, values, and real employees through candid clips.
For example, show team brainstorming sessions, outtakes/bloopers, employees using your own products, office games, and events, and more human moments.
This gives your business an approachable, transparent feel even as you scale. It engages viewers by pulling back the curtain and making them feel part of the inner workings.
The behind-the-scenes angle also gives you endless daily content without extra production time. Simply document and share real snapshots of your brand experience – the good, bad, and funny.
Reels made from this candid BTS footage provide lasting value beyond a quick trend or single campaign. Put a face on your brand through the lens of authentic, unplanned moments.
5. Run contests and challenges, encourage participation
Contests and giveaways can spur a flurry of user-generated reels while engaging your audience. Come up with a fun contest prompt or creative challenge, and encourage people to participate using a branded hashtag.
For example, you could challenge followers to post reels showing themselves using your product inventively. Or have them post testimonials, reviews, or their own versions of your branded content.
To incentivize it, offer a prize for the best submissions or choose winners to receive your products for free. Promote the contest through a series of teaser reels, building up excitement.
This user-generated content from the contest entrants provides you with branded reels to re-share afterward. And the contest participation gets people actively engaging with your brand in a fun way.
So, launch challenges periodically to spark viral user content and give you a content boost. Make the call to action clear, the barriers to entry low, and the prizes enticing. Contests keep your audience invested in your Reels channel.
6. Use reel ads to reach new target audiences
With the potential to reach over 675 million Instagram users, Reel ads present a huge opportunity for brands to extend their reach. These ads allow you to promote your best-branded content to target new audiences at scale.
Start by identifying your ideal customer demographics and browsing behaviors. Use this data to create customized Reels ad campaigns that strategically showcase your products and offers to the people most likely to convert.
Also, don’t just rely on your current followers seeing your organic reels. Use Instagram tools to analyze performance data and refine exactly which new users engage with your paid reels.
Investing in amplified reel ads lets you get your content in front of high-intent users, driving real conversions rather than just free views. Put budget behind your best-branded Reels to maximize their reach and impact on your business.
7. Repost TikTok content
TikTok is a hotbed of viral trends and engaging video formats. Reposting popular TikTok content as reels can help expose your brand to new audiences already invested in that content.
Start by finding viral TikTok videos aligned with your brand, products, or services. For example, someone is reviewing or interacting with products similar to yours.
Repost these videos as reels with credit to the original TikTok creator. Add your own captions and hashtags to tie it back to your offerings.
This allows you to tap into the creativity and following of TikTok creators essentially. Their engaging content gets new life on Instagram through your branded reel channel.
The key is finding TikTok material highly relevant to your niche so that your audience sees continuity between the content and your brand. Add value through captions, but don’t hijack or misrepresent the original video.
8. Feature user-generated content of real customers
As I mentioned above, user-generated content can make for authentic and engaging reels. Ask your customers to tag you in videos showcasing their experience with your product or service.
Or, actively source relevant user-generated content by searching brand hashtags or checking your other social platforms. Look for videos and photos of real customers enjoying your offerings that you can repurpose.
When you find good user-generated content, reach out to the creator and ask permission to reuse their video for your branded reels. Give them credit via tags.
This third-party advocacy and real customer perspective provides social proof for your products in an authentic way.
The content directly from customers carries more weight than anything created by your brand. So, compile some of this user-generated gold and turn it into shoppable reels.
9. Feature enthusiastic reviews
Positive customer reviews can go a long way in convincing potential buyers to purchase from your brand. So, when it’s possible, feature enthusiastic testimonials in your reels to showcase real people who love your product.
You can film satisfied customers sharing their positive experiences or reacting to receiving your product as a surprise gift. Their genuine reactions come across as authentic social proof.
Also, add text overlays, pulling out meaningful quotes from their reviews to highlight key benefits and value propositions.
User-generated testimonials resonate far more than scripted promotional language. So leverage reels to organically showcase advocates raving about your brand.
10. FAQ reels to address objections
Answering common customer questions directly is a great way to drive sales. Don’t shy away from objections – tackle them head-on!
You can film a relatable, informal reel straight up responding to those frequently asked questions about your product. Show, don’t just tell – provide visual examples that clearly address concerns.
For instance, if customers often worry about skin irritation, a skincare brand could create a reel demonstrating their product being gently used on different skin types.
By being upfront and transparent when responding to objections, you reassure audiences and build trust. This shows you truly care about customers having a good experience with your brand.
The conversational, visual format of reels is perfect for addressing concerns without being overly polished or promotional.
11. Highlight special offers
Reels are clutch for highlighting your limited-time deals in a flash. So make those promos pop!
Film yourself flipping through racks overflowing with clothes on mega-sale and add some text graphics calling out the major markdowns and savings.
To really create urgency, you can also throw in a countdown sticker showing how little time is left before the sale ends. Keep it fun and relatable as you showcase exactly why your deal is so sweet.
The interactive video format lets you demonstrate the value proposition way better than a boring text post ever could. So take advantage of reels to turn more window shoppers into buyers who just can’t resist an awesome limited-time offer.
Conclusion
Instagram reels offer an awesome new way for brands to connect through fun, engaging video content.
You can showcase products, give behind-the-scenes looks at your business, collaborate with relevant influencers, and promote to specific target audiences. Experiment with videos that grab attention and drive conversations.
Pay attention to the reels that perform best with your audience and build on those styles and topics. The more you refine your approach over time, the more it will resonate with viewers.
Leaning into trending short-form video is a smart move. Use reels to spotlight your brand personality and make deeper connections with customers through entertaining content. The possibilities are wide open!
