Ep 17: How to use Reels and stories for your brand

Authentic Online Marketing with Ruthie Gray

Ever wonder how to use reels and stories for your brand? Today we'll cover Instagram reels, stories, live video, & what to share in each. Click below for full show notes https://ruthiegray.mom/how-to-use-reels-and-stories/ Links: 7-Day Instagram Story Challenge https://ruthiegray.mom/7-day-instagram-story-challenge/ If you’re new to stories and want to start reaching your target followers, then you'll want to take my seven day story challenge. How to Explode Engagement on Instagram Episode #11 https://ruthiegray.mom/explode-engagement-on-instagram/ How to maintain consistent story posting Q: Having trouble with consistency, losing momentum when I doubt, pushing through and starting again. A. Here's the thing about how to use reels and stories - you don't have to be rigid or have a certain kind of strategy at the beginning, especially. Start sharing your life. Think of a few things that you can share in stories: morning coffee ground coffee beans every morning morning walk Flowers and foliage porch swing Your life Nothing uncomfortable or too private See Episode #11 on Exploding Engagement in stories Use Engagement Stickers, quizzes, questions, etc. 2-3 stories per day; 1-3 frames (beginning, middle, and end) So just get in the habit of sharing your life, not tons and not anything that you wouldn't be comfortable with sharing, but share your life and then start using what I advised in podcast 11 about exploding engagement in stories is to use stickers three times a week, like poll stickers, like polls or questions or quizzes, ask questions, make it about them. Start sharing even if it's only one clip a day, just do one clip a day. Wow. And people start to really relate to you. My best advice is to do two to three stories a day. How long should a story be? Really a story is one to three frames. Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end, and don't forget that you can share your feed posts to stories as well. And then expand on it. So if your feed post is a quote, then talk more about the quote, like show your face for a minute or have your camera turned around on your subject. Flowers or something while you talk or whatever, maybe it's a book. So it really doesn't have to be hard. We just need to start being consistent. And Pat from breakthrough homeschooling. She said, consistency is tough. There's a life thing that gets in the way. So, life does get in the way, but y'all. Think about it, you know, that I just lost my dad in July for six weeks. I was in and out of hospitals, but sharing stories; pictures of my needle point, pictures of the hospital. And actually talking sometimes about what was going on and people were invested in that story because I was sharing my life. So many people thanked me for being transparent. They said, "thank you for sharing with your Insta fam", . And so those are just practical, easy ways. If life gets in the way, share the life, that's in the way. That's the way to do it. Just start making it a priority. And, everybody has to start at ground zero. Everybody has to start somewhere. So you just start, you know, you just start and then you be consistent. Just take off in stories and just start sharing your life sharing everyday stuff. How to use reels and stories (and why) Q: What’s the point of 15 second reels? More discoverability More relatability Use to entertain, educate, or encourage Use as an announcement Reels are only 15 seconds. 3 components in stories: 1) Story, which is taped video or it can just be as stale, stagnant picture If you video in that story, it can only be 15 seconds. 2) Live video lives in stories if you go on live, make it 15 to 30 minutes Turn into an IGTV and make a preview in feed, which I highly recommend. 3) Reels.