Connect with Instagram Reels – your customers are watching!

With the Instagram Reels feature now being available to users across the GCC, we have another perfect opportunity to showcase our salons and services to your ideal, social savvy client or potential new ones. A ‘video strategy’ for marketing your beauty and wellness business is a non-negotiable in 2021, but with these fun, ‘snackable’ options we have an easy way in, that is super successful for your industry and showing off everything you are brilliant at!

 

Very similar to TikTok, in-app ‘reels’ utilises short videos, mostly set to music. As we know, the majority of Instagram users enjoy looking and feeling good. Just like TikTok, Instagram Reels give an opportunity for salons and beauty service providers to show their brand personalities, services and ‘looks’ online in a fun way. If you haven’t tackled TikTok yet, you’ll surely have an Instagram presence and this newly available to the UAE feature is your opportunity to show content that reflects your audience. Users can record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with a range of creative tools, such as video effects and audio. Reels can be shared on your followers’ Feeds and can be shared to anyone through the ‘explore’ page if you have a public account.

 

Globally, reels have shown itself as a more immediate and creative way of connecting with the hair, beauty and salon industry. With editing tools such as a timer, countdown, aligner and speed editor, you can make your reels more customised. You can also browse the Instagram music library to use for your reel, or share original audio from your own or others’ reels. 

 

The benefits of using Instagram Reels for your salon or service:

 

• New products and offers – increase engagement with your target audience – slow motion and speed up tools are great for showcasing offers and before/after shots or ‘work in motion’
• Showcase brand personality - Talking about your brand story, and showing your salons, space, and any aspect of your business to your audience, it lets you connect with your followers creatively. You can highlight your brand and it is great for make-up, brow or lash transformations.
• You can educate your followers and give quick tutorials. The beauty audience love a tutorial!

Instagram has ‘Featured’ reels you can check out to see some original content from other users and businesses like you. If your reel ends up being featured, you will be notified in the app. As with all new features, it’s a good idea to strike while the iron is hot — the Instagram algorithm helps to promote new features, and competition is still relatively low. Plus, the new Instagram Reels tab is full of suggested content, which is a great way to reach new audiences and boost your organic discovery.

 

Create and have fun with reels for your business and brand – with beauty and hair services, the content opportunities are endless, and by adopting ‘early’ in the UAE you have a much-needed advantage to reach more potential clients and engage better with existing ones.

  

Natasha Hatherall, CEO and Founder of TishTash Marketing and Public Relations