If you follow us on Instagram, you may have noticed that we recently added a new service: real estate Reels! Creating good social media content can be time-consuming and overwhelming...so, we're here to help! We're answering some FAQs about Reels below.
What are Reels?
Reels are simply short, entertaining, vertical videos that are meant to be watched on your phone (hence the vertical orientation), as opposed to traditional video that is shot horizontally (made for a TV/computer screen). With people spending more and more time on their phones, the majority of digital content is getting consumed vertically these days, and so it makes sense that vertical video content is exploding in popularity.
Why are Reels effective?
Reels are currently THE best way to grow your audience and reach new leads on Instagram. Why? Because Reels are Instagram's way of competing with TikTok.
Instagram wants to draw attention away from TikTok and bring it over to Instagram, so they are currently incentivizing users to create Instagram Reels by prioritizing Reels in the algorithm and showing them to a wide audience (not just your followers). This means Reels are currently getting a massive amount of organic traffic and views, significantly more than normal posts.
This is similar to how Instagram rolled out Stories to compete with Snapchat, and prioritized Stories for awhile.
We don't know if Reels will always get the algorithm boost that they are currently getting, but right now there is an awesome opportunity for real estate agents and small businesses to take advantage of that extra reach and market to a large audience for free.
The ROI on Reels is definitely there, especially if you post quality Reels with consistency. This is currently the best way to grow your following and build your brand on Instagram, and an effective way to reach buyers and sellers in Spokane.
What kind of Reels are we offering?
We have three options!
Highlights Reel - $65 add-on
Walkthrough Reel - $150
Recap Reel - $75
Our Highlights Reel is a remix of the photos and listing video, professionally edited and set to music. They can include both video and photos, or just photos, or just video (only available as an add-on to a listing video). Here are a couple examples.
Our Walkthrough Reel is a a sped-up walkthrough tour of the home, shot on an iPhone with a gimbal and professionally edited so it's ready to post. The agent can be in the video or not (same price either wa). Here are a couple examples:
Recap Reels are a compilation of photos and video footage from previous listings. If you send us phone photos and videos, we can even include those along with the professional clips. Some ideas for this type of Reel include: a recap of your listings so far this year, a blooper reel from your agent intros, behind-the-scenes, or a round up of your favorite details (light fixtures, front doors, etc.). Here are a couple examples:
Who are these Reels for?
These will work best for agents who are already active on Instagram/TikTok and put effort into consistently creating and posting content on these platforms. We recommend creating entertaining and educational Reels on your own, and supplementing them with these Reels for your listings.
Do these take the place of a regular listing video?
You can order a walkthrough Reel on its own. However, we do not think Reels should replace listing videos in your marketing strategy.
Listing videos are more longer, more polished & professional, high quality house tours that can be included in your MLS listing, property website, and on Zillow, as well as on social media. Listing videos can include drone footage, neighborhood b-roll, or an agent intro/voiceover to highlight the home’s selling points. The primary audience for these videos is active buyers.
Reels are short, vertical, and just for social media. They are less polished and made to be posted on social media only. While it’s possible a Reel could help you find your buyer, the primary goal is social media engagement and building your brand with an audience that may not be currently shopping for a home, but will eventually in the future.
With video content being so important in marketing right now, we believe BOTH listing videos and Reels are important!
What are some best practices & advice for successful Reels?
We've been consistently posting Reels for our own business and testing out what works well. Here are some observations:
- Vertical videos that take up the full screen perform better than horizontal videos (which will have a black bar at the top and bottom, wasting a lot of the "reel estate" on your screen - see example).
- Shorter is better. Reels can be up to 60 seconds, but the sweet spot seems to be 10-30 seconds.
- You need to "hook" people's attention in the first 2-3 seconds. This can be done with an intriguing question, an eye-catching transition, or some dynamic motion.
- Use trending music/audio when you can. If you can't access any popular music, switch to a "creator" profile or select your business category as "entrepreneur."
- Add short text to your Reel within the Instagram app
- Reels with your face in them tend to perform well, plus they help you build your brand! However...
- You don't have to dance or point at text if it doesn't feel true to you. The goal is to connect with people in a genuine way, so be yourself.
- Follow other real estate agents and small businesses that are creating Reels to get inspiration and find trending audio. The best way to get ideas for content is to consume lots of content. We like to follow accounts in lots of different cities and industries, to get a wide range of ideas. You can also check out our Reels for some ideas: https://www.instagram.com/insidespokane/reels/
For example, here is a Reel we did that could work really well for a real estate agent to show your service area:
Any other questions about Reels or Instagram in general? Don't hesitate to reach out! We think of ourselves as your marketing partner and are here to help in any way we can.