We know that when it comes to managing your dental practice’s social media accounts, staying up to date with the latest features, posting regularly, creating quality content, interacting with your audience AND staying on top of your follower engagement is not an easy task.
Reels are the latest addition to instagram’s feature repertoire that you might have noticed popping up on your feed. Whilst not only original and entertaining, they’re a fantastic way to showcase more aspects of your dental practice, whilst also helping to expand your reach.
Expanding your reach ultimately means growing your follower list and increasing your engagement – which of course we always hope will lead to new patients enquiring about who you are and what you do.
So, where to begin with this new feature? We have answered your top 5 most asked questions about Instagram Reels:
Reels are the latest video feature on Instagram that allow you to create 15-30 second video clips, which can be edited to include music, text overlays and visual effects, helping you to create fun and engaging video content. Think Insta’s own version of TikTok but not quite so advanced.
Reels have been given their own tab on your profile. These short-form videos can then be shared to this tab as well as having the choice to share the Reel to Instagram Stories and to your main feed.
You can see the Reels Tab on your Instagram by clicking the icon shown below:
Instagram Reels are a highly effective feature for you to share quick video content that gives your patients behind-the-scenes insight into who you really are as a team and a business.
According to a study conducted by Billion Dollar Boy, Reels have a higher average engagement rate compared to videos that are shared directly to the main feed, stating “Reels see an average engagement rate of 2.7%, vs 2.2% for main feed videos.”.
Reel’s content is also much shorter and more digestible compared to main feed videos and IGTV’s (which can tend to be long replays of live broadcasts). This is especially important as we know that a user’s average attention span is around 8 seconds, giving you a very short window to grab a user’s attention and keep them fully engaged.
Reels are a great way for your account to become more visible on Instagram too – as when planned and posted with a bit of thought behind them, they can easily become featured on the explore page and hashtag feeds. This ultimately generates more organic traffic to the video clip and to your account!
To access the Reels screen, simply tap on the ‘+’ icon situated on the top right-hand corner of Instagram and then select ‘Reel’ from the pop-up menu.
You can then choose from the following options:
How about turning your before and after pictures into a catchy Reel? Utilising existing content you already have in your smile gallery is a great way to start creating! Or why not showcase behind the scenes at your practice and get the team involved?
We also love the idea of creating a Reel series on your Oral Top Tips, recording and sharing a different piece of advice each week. You can also use Reels as a way of introducing your team members or shouting about your treatments and their benefits. The more creative you are, the better!
Try to portray as much of your practice’s, team’s and business’s personality as possible in your social media content. Consider your tone of voice, brand colours and personality and include these when creating your Reels!
Of course! Getting to grips with the capabilities of Reels and generating creative ideas is the most important bit, but it can be helpful to take note of the following top tips:
We hope the above has inspired you to give Reels a go for your practice’s instagram page. Why not start by sharing 1-2 Reels per month and see how this impacts your overall engagement rate and follower growth? We’re sure it’ll give it a much needed boost.
Keeping up to date with new features on social media can be overwhelming, but when properly utilised and added into your digital marketing strategy, they can be a great way to increase your engagement, grow your follower list and build genuine relationships with your patients.
Think outside the box and try to be as creative as possible when creating Reels. Good luck and if you follow any of our top tips, don’t forget to let us know and tag us in your creations:
@DominateDental
Or, why not Get in touch with us today and we can show you how to make sure that not only your social media is the best it can be, but all aspects of your digital marketing are working to deliver great results for your practice.