How to make a striking Instagram Reel for your business

If you want to strengthen your brand, way of doing business, culture in your company, present your employees, products, and everything you do in general - give yourself a chance and invest time in creating Instagram Reels to grab more audience via the virtual world with the emphasis on video content.

Did you know that almost 58% of global Internet traffic is made up of videos?

This blog will focus on the advantages of using Instagram Reels for IT companies for software development - so let’s dig in!

Are Instagram Reels present in “serious” businesses? 

Sure they are.

What's the big deal about using Instagram Reels, and why would you even use that in your business? Well, it depends on what you want for your business.

Let's resolve the myths first.

Reels are not made only for social media influencers. Reels are not just funny videos that last about 15 seconds and that you can watch dozens of before you fall asleep or as soon as you wake up. As a feature introduced by the popular social media platform, Instagram, Reels offers an excellent opportunity for IT companies involved in software development to connect with their community and present their products, and attract new audiences online. 

Today, Reels is a tool available to anyone who wants to fast- present their expertise in a specific area and ultimately - sell. Stories, products - depends on the person creating Reels.

Nowadays, the software is developed at the speed of light, and companies (who care about their reputation) should use this tool to show their qualities to the world, competitors, and non-competitor, while they will attract the audience to their business in general.

In business, everything has its pros and cons, including Reels

4 pros

Reach an audience you never thought you could reach 

The main advantage of Instagram Reels is the option to reach a broad audience. When publishing Reels, allow users of the platform to discover and interact with your content. Use hashtags and grab the attention of your future coworkers, potential clients, developers, designers, industry influencers, and basically anyone you want to present your company to.

Show your creativity and expertise - everyone loves to see that

Instagram Reels provides IT software development companies with an opportunity to showcase their creative processes and expertise in a visually compelling and modern format in a short time frame. Whether it's just a snippet of code, a demo of an excellent and cutting-edge software solution, or a behind-the-scenes look at your development process, Reels lets you present your work engagingly and memorably. Consequently, your company can become one of the industry leaders by consistently sharing valuable, engaging, and informative content.

Increase brand awareness and authenticity 

Reels offer an opportunity to humanize your IT software development content and connect with your audience more personally. You can build a sense of authenticity and trust by introducing the people behind the code and providing insight into your company's culture. This helps foster a loyal community of followers who appreciate your technical prowess and resonate with your values and vision on a human level. Behind every big company, there are people, and the audience likes to see excellent and exemplary personas they can relate to.

Repurpose content for efficiency

Creating content for social media platforms can be time-consuming, but Reels simplify the process. You can create high-quality Reels in the app with built-in content recording and editing features. Furthermore, Reels can be repurposed from existing videos, allowing you to increase the value of your content and reach a wider audience without investing excessive time or resources.

1 con

Inability to connect to external sources 

A limitation of Reels is the inability to include external links within the content. Unlike Instagram Stories, which allows linking after reaching 10 000 followers, Instagram Reels lacks this feature. This can be a disadvantage to IT software development companies that want to direct their audience to specific resources, such as guides, their website, or other documentation.

However, this shortcoming can be overcome by providing clear instructions for the call to action in the caption or comments section.

How we do it

We will describe our example of how our company keeps on Reeling. Peek behind the scenes and create your own along the way. I hope you find it helpful and that by the end of this blog, you have an idea for your Reels. 

We decided what we want to present to our followers and target audience, to begin with.

Since we have recently devoted our attention to writing and creating e-books on current topics such as NFT, HPC, and AI, we have attended various topic-relevant conferences, our goal was to present the work of our teams and raise brand awareness.

The idea for Reel came to us naturally and was related to the product we created as a team. You can also create Reels based on events you attended to showcase the “aftertaste” of the event. 

Including our people in the Reels was quite a logical move, since they stood behind the scenes of every product creation process and each one of them, distinctive in character, is worth getting to know. 

Equipment you need: 

• Flagship mobile phone and tripod or gimbal!
• Good lighting is essential -  the camera loves bright and open spaces, so use it!

Capturing the essence of a moment

It all depends on the goal you want to achieve, for example, promotion of an e-book, or event, or raising brand awareness -  create the strategy for your idea, and record your own Reel.

We have main characters - our own employees. The next important thing is to develop a plot, a scene, and the main and side story that will be told throughout the entire Reel. 

We have the call to action to download the e-book, with a possibility for the audience to download it from multiple devices: desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones - meaning, they could now read it from various locations. 

These are also the shots we wanted to use in our Reel. The frames should attract the audience to download and read the e-book! 

For example, the frame can consist of scenery of people downloading and reading the e/book, or their smiling faces while doing so. The next frame can include a group of friends reading the e-book.

It's crucial to evoke some emotion that your audience can identify with - which also includes a good feeling in the audience when they see a scene of a beautifully arranged and decorated office in your Reel.

Camera roll

When you have set the scene and decided on all the details you want to show in your Reel, turn on the camera before you press the record button - give yourself a minute to adjust the camera features.

Tips for adjusting camera features:

• Lock auto exposure and autofocus - so your direction and focus don't change from frame to frame. If your focus is on, for example, an e-book on the screens of various devices, lock the exposure and focus on the screen of your devices.
• Record in 4K/HD quality at between 24 and 30fps since it is considered a “modern video standard”.
• Do not use the digital zoom during recording; you can adjust it later while editing.
• Check the frame on your phone screen; adjust the lighting to suit you perfectly if it is appropriate.

Now you are ready to press the record button. Capture every moment!

We recommend shooting short videos because it will be easier for you when editing - you won't need to go through longer videos and cut them at certain parts and thus manipulate one video, for example. It's easier to watch several short videos and process them rather than cut them all frames from one video.

Your shots can be taken from any angle; zoom in, zoom out from the camera mounted on the gimbal.

The simplest thing would be to place the mobile device on a tripod and record - you can improve the details of the content in the editing phase!

Creative magic

You can use Reels publishing options or one of the free or paid editing apps you can find in your Store (Apple App, Google Play, Microsoft, Mac App, etc.).

When editing, keep in mind the following:

• If you want to achieve a dynamic Reel, your frames should be pretty short: approximately 0.5 - 0.7 spf- crop your edges.

• When changing frames, you can use transitions - frames can merge into one or any other effect you can achieve.

• Use your company's animated logo (it can be shown briefly between frames).

• You can also use filters if you are not satisfied with poor or strong lighting. Ready-made filters or manual color adjustments can help you with this.

• Add a zoom effect - if you want to focus on an object or a person in the frame, you can use the digital zoom effect and highlight what you want in the frame in more detail.

• Add the music you want! If your Reel is dynamic (quick change of short frames, camera transitions, etc.), use more dynamic music. You don't need to adjust the music to your own taste but choose the background music that fits your Reel’s vibe the best.

• Keep in mind that the maximum duration of the Reel is 90 seconds. Anything longer would be too much because nowadays, it is very challenging to keep someone's attention on social media platforms’ content, so make use of this opportunity to the best of your ability. We recommend a Reel duration of 30 to 45 seconds maximum. Remember, try keeping it under one minute, that’s important! Make the most of that time on the social media airwaves and show precisely what you want.

When you have completed all of the above, save your Reel!

Rewind it at least 10 more times before you publish it. Once it's published, there's no going back or making subsequent corrections :)

If the Reel you've created lives up to your hopes and expectations, publish it without a second thought. 

The next step is to assemble the behind-the-scenes moments and create the video. The audience loves funny, clumsy or fun moments!

Some ideas for your business Reel

Use Reel to show tips and tricks for coding in the tech stack you work with

A very effective way to engage your IT audience through Reels is to share coding tips, tricks, and shortcuts to resolve certain issues. Display complex concepts broken down into smaller, easy-to-understand snippets. Show shortcuts, debugging techniques, or good examples of time-saving coding practices.

By providing such valuable and transparent insights and helpful tips, you can position your company as the go-to resource for developers looking to improve their skills or/and learn something new and innovative.

Bring your innovative project solutions to the forefront

Highlight your company's innovative project solutions through Reels. Capture the entire development process, from idea to implementation, in a compelling way. 

You can include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with the development team, demos of project functionality, etc. 

This promotes your work, establishes the company’s credibility, and attracts potential clients interested in software development projects or partners to-be.

Be an example of good practice so other companies follow your example.

Showcase the success stories you're so proud on

Highlight your software development projects and, with your audience, share the impact they had on you, your employees, and your customers.

Record testimonials from your clients and customers and present case studies or real-life examples of how your solutions solved complex problems or improved business processes. Include before-and-after comparisons, stunning visuals, and a narrative that emotionally engages your audience. 

It humanizes your company and instills confidence in your already excellent skills.

Collaborate with influencers or industry experts 

Consider collaborating with influencers or industry experts to create an engaging Reel. Invite them to share their insights, experiences, or opinions on software development trends, tools, or best practices. This collaboration can highlight your company and attract a broader audience, in addition to credibility and authenticity to all your publishing content.

A few seconds of someone's attention is crucial to present your company, employees, work, and successes via video content.

Are you aware of the following facts? 

• Reels on Instagram showed a greater reach of users than usual posts on the platform (photos, stories, etc.). 

• Reel videos have a significant engagement rate, with a 22% increase compared to standard Instagram posts. 

• Engagement rates between 1-5% are considered good, and Instagram boasts % an engagement rate of 1.5% for videos.

Give it a chance. You might be surprised and change your thinking. Or not - that is also an option. 

If you are motivated to move on with Reeling, keep it up. We support you!

Ready or not, Reels are on!

Instagram Reels is a powerful tool in social media reality that provides IT software development companies with a wide range of options to: 

• Showcase expertise.
• Engage and communicate with their audience.
• Spread awareness of the importance of their brand and products.
• Share knowledge and expertise.

In addition to that, there are countless other options. 

Any company can create compelling and educational content that will resonate with its target audience in the following way: demonstrating the devs’ coding tips, and presenting the company’s innovative projects, and success stories along with their main characters (employees). Other educational content may include: sharing some quick tutorials, tips, and tricks, and informing the public about collaborations with influential people related to the industry and/or other industry experts. 

Just remember one thing - be authentic and yourself because, believe it or not, your audience sees and “feels” everything. The audience can recognize very quickly if you are being fake. Create visually appealing and informative content while sharing your values and achievements with your viewers. 

Maximize the full power of Reels to connect with other developers, clients, and industry enthusiasts, positioning your company as a leading force in the software development industry.

So, grab your camera and get ready.

We wish you nothing but happy Reeling!

Hey, you! What do you think?

They say knowledge has power only if you pass it on - we hope our blog post gave you valuable insight.

Feel free to contact us if you want to share your Reeling experience or want to do projects with us. We will surely Reel it on Instagram!

We'd love to hear what you have to say!