Did you know that 85% of internet users in the US watch video content monthly on their devices? Clearly, if video isn’t part of your spa or salon social media strategy, you’re missing out on a lot of client exposure and engagement.
Fortunately, Instagram has added yet another tool to its platform to appeal to this growing appetite for video content: Instagram Reels. This in-app rival to the popular TikTok platform has been gradually making its way across different regions over the past year — and there’s plenty of opportunity for salons and spas to take advantage of its creative toolkit.
So what exactly are Instagram Reels, and how can you use them to foster stronger relationships with clients? This in-depth guide is at your disposal to teach you all about how to use Reels on Instagram to attract new business and keep loyal clients coming back.
Let’s get started!
Reels are a recently-added feature within the Instagram app that allows users to create, edit, and share short videos that are set to popular music. First unveiled in Brazil in 2019, Instagram Reels was rolled out in the United States in August 2020. Since then, Reels on Instagram has been eagerly taken up by influencers and brands alike.
At first glance, Reels may appear similar to the existing Instagram stories tool. After all, they both involve creating and sharing video content.
However, there are some distinct differences between the two features that make Reels a really important addition to your salon or spa’s Instagram marketing strategy:
Reels have an audio focus. The ability to add custom or popular music to your videos is the main appeal of the Instagram Reels feature and marks a shift in focus for the visual-oriented platform. For hair and beauty businesses, it opens up opportunities for all kinds of creative content, especially when 54% of consumers want to see more video content from the brands they support.
Reels behave more like feed posts. Unlike Stories, users can add full captions and up to 30 hashtags on their Reels (rather than just 10). People can also publicly comment on Reels, which makes them a great tool for generating engagement and interacting directly with potential clients.
Reels have greater editing capabilities. Reels give users expanded abilities to customize their content, including speeding up or slowing down clips, adjusting the length of videos, and alignment tools for smooth transitions between multiple Reels that are posted back-to-back.
Reels have a longer lifespan. Rather than disappearing within 24 hours, Reels are permanently housed in a dedicated tab on your profile. This means that they continue to offer value and support your marketing strategy long after their initial creation — a major advantage for busy salons.
If you’ve made videos using Instagram before, much of the interface will already be familiar to you. However, Reels do come with some new features that are key to getting the most out of this feature.
You can find the Reels icon in the main navigation bar within the Instagram App. You can also reach Reels by going into the Instagram Stories camera and selecting “Reels” in the bottom navigation menu.
Length. Determine the length of your Instagram Reel. You can choose to record either a 15 or 30-second Reel.
Audio. Before you get into shooting a Reel, you need to decide what audio is going to accompany it. When you opened the Reels tab, tap the audio icon to select a song from the Instagram music library. Alternatively, you can record your own audio through the app.
Next, choose exactly which section of the song you want to use in your video (depending on whether the clip is 15 or 30 seconds in duration).
Speed. Select the speed that you want the video to play at. You choose from 0.3x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, or 4x speeds.
Effects and Touch ups. Apply fun filters to your video in a similar manner as Instagram Stories.
Timer. Choose how long you want your video clip to be, and set a countdown of either 3 or 10 seconds before the video starts.
For Reels, you can either use a video that’s already on your camera roll, or film one natively using the app.
When you’re set up and ready to go, simply tap the record button to begin filming and tap again to finish the clip. You can do this multiple times to record several reels in one go if you wish. Between each clip, Reels will prompt the “align” button to make sure that your clips are consistent.
Once you’ve filmed your Reel, you have the option to go back through to trim or delete each clip. You can also add drawings, stickers, or text onto your videos if you desire, and also specify in which section of the video you would like these to appear.
Once you’re ready, tap “next” to share your Reel. You’ll be prompted to write a caption and choose a video thumbnail as the cover image. You can also save your Reel as a draft if you’re not ready to post it right now.
And that’s all there is to creating and sharing Reels on Instagram!
So you know how to create Reels on Instagram, but what exactly should you be filming? This anxiety is felt by every content creator, so don’t panic. Fortunately, there are plenty of ideas out there for hair and beauty businesses to stay inspired:
Showcasing hair and beauty products
If you’re a salon or spa, product recommendations are a big part of your business. Products make a great add-on to service appointments and show that you are in the loop with the latest trends in your industry.
Sephora uses Reels to market new products as they come into the store, such as the Reel above which advertises Glow Recipe’s new body cream. The video clip lists the benefits of the product as well as the key ingredients, making it informative as well as promotional. This is a marketing tactic that you can use to upsell your product inventory!
Hair and beauty tutorials
Tutorials have long been one of the strongest content categories for hair and beauty businesses. Why? Because compared with outright marketing efforts, tutorials impart genuine value to your viewers.
Instagram’s search function allows users to search for specific content using hashtags, which is excellent for brand exposure. For example, if someone were to search #balayagevideos or #balayagetutorial and you’ve made an effort to include those hashtags on your balayage Reel, this puts your business right in front of a prospective client.
Behind-the-scenes content
Behind-the-scenes (BTS) videos hold unique value for service-based businesses. When much of your business proposition rests upon the in-salon or in-spa experience, bringing in your smartphone to document it helps to give prospective clients confidence, not to mention begin building a rapport with your staff before they’ve even set foot inside.
The trick to a great BTS video is to focus on communicating authenticity and your unique personality; this is what will help to differentiate your establishment from competitors, rather than perfectly edited photos in your feed.
Joel Torres uses upbeat music, showing some BTS but also adding hair tutorials. The perfect mix
Before and after transformations
The “Before and After” content is inseparable from the hair and beauty genre, and for good reason. There’s no better way to communicate your value proposition to potential clients, especially with the infamously short attention spans that dominate social media.
Instagram Reels allow salons and spas to put a new twist on the standard two-photo or split photo format, as shown in this narrative-style transformation by Alfredo Lewis and Philip Wolff using a soundtrack to complement its message of client empowerment makes for a meaningful brand story:
Sales and promotions
When it comes to marketing limited-time promotions, adding an extra content channel into the mix will help to expand your reach. Because Reels are receiving a big push from the platform right now, this helps to amplify your promotion to new audiences outside of your follower base.
Since these video clips are short, you need to think about the best way to grab users’ attention. Check out this creative Reel from Color Pop Cosmetics. The brand is leveraging Reels to publicize a 30% off discount promo while using “satisfying” ASMR sounds to engage viewers:
Community engagement
One of the biggest pros of Instagram marketing is the ability to engage followers and generate a conversation around your establishment and its service offerings. This helps to build stronger relationships with both current and prospective clients and can be the push that people need to take action and book appointments.
Check out this example from Wella which has used Reels on Instagram to inspire a discussion about its Color Fresh Masks:
Put a spotlight on certain services
As a hair and beauty business, there are times when it’s advantageous to give a specific service a bit of push through your marketing channels. It could be a new addition to your menu, because of a change in season, or due to service seeing a decline in bookings.
A dedicated Instagram Reel that showcases a particular service is a great way to promote the breadth of your offerings, as well as your expertise as an establishment. Buoy Salon and Spa provide a great example of this with its blow wave Reel promotion:
1. Take the time to plan your content
When it comes to content creation, it’s tempting to just pick up your smartphone and begin filming. While spontaneity is great for behind-the-scenes or “meet the team” styles of content, other types require more planning and coordination.
For example, if you’re planning on shooting a video tutorial within your salon or spa, you’ll need to find an off-peak time or else arrange to be in the salon after-hours. You also need to think about how you’re going to achieve your content objective within Reels’ 30-second limit. This may require you to plan out your Reels shot by shot.
2. Share your content via the Explore tab
Your sharing abilities depend on whether you have a private or a public Instagram account. If you have a private account, you’re limited to sharing Reels on your main feed, and followers will not be able to share it with other users who don’t follow you. Naturally, this is disadvantageous for businesses. You want to use a public account so you can also share your Reels on the “Explore” tab.
3. Reuse your content wherever you can
As illustrated above, creating good videos can take considerable time and effort. To really make that investment go the extra mile, think about how you can repurpose your content both within Instagram and on other platforms. For example, you can reshare Reels as Stories, or use screenshots from your reel as standalone feed posts.
If it’s a particularly evergreen content topic, consider using your Reel as inspiration for a blog post that you can host on your salon website to attract more traffic. Also, never underestimate the value of “throwback” content!
4. Stay up to date with the latest trends
Just like its rival TikTok, Instagram Reels is full of ever-changing trends that take over the feature. It could be a dance to a particular song, or a certain filter that’s making the rounds. Making the effort to participate (and maybe put an industry twist on it) shows that you’re a fun and dynamic establishment.
5. Avoid using music that’s not in the Reels database
This is more of a disclaimer, but it’s really important that your establishment doesn’t end up falling foul of copyright law. Songs that are not in the Reels’ music database have not been cleared for use in your content unless you seek permission first. For the sake of convenience, it’s better to use songs that are provided directly through the app.
As a new feature to the Instagram platform, it’s still difficult to know whether Reels are going to reach the same level of popularity as Instagram Stories. But as video content continues to grow in popularity, there’s no doubt that clever video marketing is the key to long-term success as a hair or beauty establishment. Adding another content stream to your marketing strategy helps to increase your reach and gain exposure to new audiences. So, why not give it a try?
