Social Media – Dionne Design

Getting Started with Instagram Reels

Sarah Sullivan — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:01:43 +0000

As we’ve spoken before, Reels can be an important part of your business’ social media marketing strategy.

This is a step-by-step how-to guide to getting started with Reels. I will be using my Fonts of Summer Reel as a case study.

1. Start with audio

The audio you choose will determine the maximum length of your Reel. Choose an audio track that is too short for your video clip and your video will be cut off.

In my case, I was creating a video to fit the audio so I chose an audio clip which was 15 seconds long and fit my theme of summer.

Then I had to decide how long I wanted each video clip to be. I decided that I would make them equal with 5 clips, 3 seconds long. This would give the viewer enough time to read the text that I put on each slide, but not long enough for them to get bored and click away.

I also could have gone with 6 clips at 2.5 seconds long but I only wanted to feature 5 fonts.

2. Choose your audio.

You can definitely film your own video but, in this case, since the video was simply meant to evoke a mood, I chose stock video from Pexels.com . Since the audio was fun and upbeat, I looked for videos of people having fun and dancing, but still maintaining a bit of a dreamy vibe.

I downloaded the five videos I chose from Pexels and uploaded them to Canva.

A note: If you are using Canva, Pexels photos and videos are integrated and can be used directly from within Canva. However, I find that the search returns different results. For instance, searching “summer” on the Pexels website returns different results than “summer” on Canva. I’m not sure why that is but just something to be aware of. Also, if you do not have a pro version, you will be limited on which photos and videos you can use through Canva but there is no limit on Pexels.com.

3. Create your video in Canva.

There are many apps that you can use to create your videos, including editing them together right in Instagram, but I like to use Canva on my desktop.

Choose the “video” option and then “mobile video” or “Instagram Reels” and add each video to each slide.

4. Adjust the timing for each clip

When you add a video to a slide in Canva, it will automatically adjust the timing of the slide to the length of the video clip. In some cases, the video clips were 15 seconds which was way too long.

To adjust the clip, click on the slide in the bottom bar and click and drag the handles on each one to change the timing of each slide. In my case, I went for 3 seconds on each.

5. Add text

Add text to your slides, keeping in mind that text that is too far to the top and bottom will be cut off in the feed view.

If you want the text to stay in the same place on each slide and for only the video or photo to change behind them, position the text where you want it on one slide and then copy and paste the text to the following slides; the text will stay in the same position on each one.

6. Export as a video file

Preview your video using the Play arrow at the top of the screen. After you have you video as you would like it, click Share, Download, and Download again, making sure that the “MP4 Video” option is selected.

7. Create a cover for your reel

Your cover is important, especially if you are planning to share it to your grid. In this case, with the square grid format, the text would be cut off on the grid. I tested this out by creating a square and placing it in the middle of the screen. You can see that in this case “fonts of summer” would be cut off on the grid and the rest of the text would look misaligned.

From within Canva, I just duplicated the slide that I wanted to use for my cover and moved the text down so that it would look nice on the grid and not be cut off. I deleted the square that I had created as a guide and exported just that one page as an image by making sure the download file type was set to PNG.

8. Post on Instagram

Transfer the video and the cover image to your phone and then open Instagram and create a Reel, choosing the music that you selected at the beginning.

Watch your Reel through a couple times with the music to see if there is anything you would like to tweak. Some music has different beats which should synch up with your transitions so it may take a few tries to make it all work together.

Don’t forget to add a caption! This is an important space so make sure you utilize it, if possible also including a call to action.

And that’s it!

You’ve published your first Instagram Reel for business!

How to Use Reels for Business

Sarah Sullivan — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:00:09 +0000

Conceptualizing, filming, and editing Reels can be challenging, especially if you don’t feel comfortable being on video. So should your business invest time, effort or even money into producing Reels? Here are two reasons why it’s a good idea:

1. Instagram is really pushing Reels right now. That means that the algorithm is more likely to show a Reel to a new audience than an image post. So if you are looking to build your following or expand your reach, Reels is the way to do it.⁠

1. Reels have longevity! Unlike posts that stop getting attention after a day or two, Reels can gather thousands of likes in the background for months, making them a good investment. (This one was posted more than 6 months ago, has 7,000+ views and is still going strong!)

So if you want to use Reels as part of your business’s marketing strategy, here are some best practices and helpful tips.

1. Use trending audio

Using trending audio ensures that your Reel is part of the wave of people using that audio. Sometimes these are are music clips and sometimes they audio clips which you can lip synch along with.

You can find trending audio by scrolling through Reels and noticing the lower left hand icon next to the music track. If there is an up arrow, it mean that this audio is trending. To save the audio, click on the track name and you can see how many Reels have used that audio and a button to Save it for later. (But don’t wait too long or it won’t be trending!)

I also recommend visiting @reelstips where you can find a regular round-up of trending audio as well as tutorials.

2. Keep Reels Short

People’s attention spans are short so, right now, videos that are 6-8 seconds in length are having the most success.

Although, Instagram did recently announce 90 second Reels so, they seem to feel that people will stick around for longer form video. This is a great way to share educational content such as step-by-step tutorials or to show a longer behind the scenes process. If you use a 30, 60, 0r 90 second Reel format, make sure your video it is engaging all the way through.

3. Start Strong

You’ve probably noticed this yourself as you are watching Reels: if you’re not hooked in the first second or two, you swipe away. So make sure to catch attention in the first few seconds of your video.

4. Use a CTA

End with a call to action (CTA) telling your viewers what to do next. Without asking them to do something, they will just move on. But an explicit ask can almost compel a viewer to act. If you’re using Reels for business, what you ultimately want is for people to book your services. But in a Reel, the next step might be something small such as liking the video, reading the caption, following, or clicking a link. Focus on getting the viewer on the path toward being a customer, not jumping to the end of the process which might be overwhelming at the first point of contact.

5. Don’t let your captions be an afterthought

If someone enjoys your Reel and they want to learn more about your product or service, their next step will be to look at the caption accompanying the video. So don’t let your caption be an afterthought! Make sure to pack it with value and end with a CTA.

As a side point, if you have a long caption, people will be reading it while the video is playing in the background, increasing Reel views. Tricky but effective.

6. Optimize for mobile

We all know that the more views your Reel has, the more it will be shown to new viewers, exponentially expanding your reach. So start with people who are already following you by adding Reels to Stories.

Some people like to put a sticker over Reels in Stories, forcing people to click into the the video to view it but that’s just annoying. A Reel viewed in your Story counts as a view so you don’t have to force your followers to click in to see it.

Instagram can be a strong part of your marketing strategy and Reels– with proper planning– can be an effective tool in the success of that strategy!

Instagram Video for Introvert Business Owners

Sarah Sullivan — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 23:23:07 +0000

You may have heard that recently the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced that Instagram is no longer a photo sharing platform but a video platform. This statement has sent certain segments of Instagram into a tailspin because many people are not comfortable creating the sort of video content which Instagram and Tiktok seem to favor.

Especially many introvert business owners and creatives may be left wondering what this means for them.

What the switch to video means

It is a sad truth that Instagram does not show all of your followers all of your content. So if Instagram says it’s emphasizing video, that means they will prioritize showing video content to followers over photos or carousels.

If you are a recreational user of instagram, it probably doesn’t matter to you if everyone sees your content. But if you are using Instagram as a marketing tool for your business it matters because the fewer people who see your post, the less impact your business or service has on them.

Why This Could Be a Challenge for Introverts

This change to video may make introverts feel like the rug was pulled out from underneath them.

When it began, Instagram was a place to curate beautiful photos to and share thoughtful captions, which was perfect for introverts. An introvert could express themselves in a safe way to a safe audience and they received the kind of feedback that was comfortable for them to receive.

But the new focus on video it requires different set of skills.

Introversion is Not the Problem

I’ve seen a lot of Reels and Stories lately that start off with a supportive tone but then the tone changes to “but you have to show up” or “you have to force yourself outside of your comfort zone.” That is not true. Being an introvert is not a liability it’s not a problem that needs to be fixed, or something that needs to be overcome. An introvert is brings value to any community— online or not— by being introspective, thoughtful, and supportive.

Different Comfort Levels

It’s important to note that different introverts may have different levels of comfort with video. Some may feel comfortable only off camera. Another may feel comfortable being in photos, but not on videos. Others may feel comfortable being on video but not talking or having their voice on video but not their face.

How Introvert Business Owners Can Use Video

So how can an introvert business owner navigate this change?

There is nothing wrong with continuing to post images. Yes, Instagram will be value video content over images but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still post photos or carousels. Make sure to use effective, well-researched hashtags to give your posts the best chance of being discovered. And look for ways to engage with your audience such as notifying them in Stories that you have a new post on your grid and let them know what value they will get for going to see that post.
Show up on video in a way that is comfortable for you. Dip your toe into the video creation waters but in a way that is comfortable for your particular brand of introversion. These range from not showing your face at all to showing your face once in a while to fully talking to camera about things that you are especially passionate about.

Here are some ideas, no exhibitionist dancing in front of the camera required!

Make a slideshow of photos with music. I created this Display Fonts Reel using a free Pexels video with fonts layered over top.
Take a screen recording of your design process or create a tutorial. like this one of how to change a color in Photoshop.
Create a stop motion animation. I created this fun video for the Surrealist Summer tote bag using stop motion.
Film a time lapse of process packing orders, painting, etc. Because it’s sped up, you will only be on video for a fleeting moment. Or you can set up a camera to only film your hands at work.
And once in a while when you’re feeling up to it if you want to show up with your face on camera you can do that too.

Diversify Your Marketing

As we’ve learned, social media channels can disappear, become less effective, or make changes which make them less comfortable places for you. So if you haven’t already, take this opportunity to diversify your social media marketing energy to other platforms. Pinterest is especially effective marketing tool for small businesses and creatives so don’t neglect it.

And while you’re at it, make sure to keep your blog content is fresh. Your website this will be your business storefront on the internet so don’t neglect it.

Instagram’s change of focus from photo to video will require a pivot from all business owners and this may be a challenge for introverts but it’s not an insurmountable one. By being creative and maintaining focus on helping your followers, you can feel comfortable incorporating video content into your social media marketing plan.

Content Creation Tools

Sarah Sullivan — Tue, 18 May 2021 16:27:40 +0000

If you are using social media for your marketing, showing up consistently is key And you can’t do that without a plan, a strategy, and a few good tools.

Batch Scheduling Posts

First up is a scheduling tool called Later.com. It might seem a bit inauthentic to schedule posts ahead of time but for a business account it is key. You aren’t going to be able to come up with fresh content every day or three times a week or whatever your schedule is. Instead, you need to batch schedule posts. Sit down when you have some time and schedule a week’s worth of posts, or two weeks, or more!

And that doesn’t mean that these posts are set in stone. If you feel a particular inspiration one day, go ahead and post and bump that day’s post to another day.

One thing I love about Later is that it allows you to see a preview of what your Instagram feed will look like. If you are a business, this is important to give a consistent, on-brand appearance to customers. It also is a natural way to keep your content varied enough to be interesting to your audience.

Later has both a browser-based interface and an app so there’s flexibility in how you can use it. It also allows you to save frequent captions like hashtags, tag and filter content, create a link in bio, and more.

Sourcing Images

Instagram is a very image-forward social media platform; you need an image in order to post. But the other platforms also benefit from using images. Studies show that people are more likely to click on a post with an image than without.

So then where do you find images?

In some cases, you can/should take your own. But this requires a bit time investment and, without it, it can be difficult to maintain high quality content.

Pexels and Unsplash are a great source for high-quality and not-cheesy stock photography and all images are free to download. Pexels also has beautiful videos which can be used as a stand-alone social post or can be edited with music, text, and other footage to create unique video experience.

If you create an account, you can even create albums to save photos for the future. I have one for Dionne Design for images I could potentially use on my social media account, website, or blog. I have another simply called “I like it” for those images that I like for some reason but for which I can’t think of an immediate use. Then I keep folders for each client of images that I might want to use on their social accounts.

You can also find images on Pinterest or on Instagram. But a warning: If you use someone else’s photo, make sure you properly credit them! This means giving them credit in the caption (“Photo by @talentedphotographer.”) and tagging them in the image or Story.

Designing Graphics

For most of my social media graphics (and the graphics in this story) I use Illustrator but Canva is a great online alternative for non-designers. I even use it myself when I want to pull something together quickly or when I’m stuck for inspiration. Like Later, Canva also has an online and an app option, although I find the app a bit cumbersome.

Canva has templates for every social media platform as well as Etsy shop banners, business cards, fliers, and more. The templates cover every possible design style (so make sure you choose ones what fit your brand). You can upload your own images or use the Pexels integration. I also recommend uploading some essentials such as your logo and any icons or design features that you regularly use. Then just drag and drop your images into the template, change the text, adjust the colors to suit your brand and you’re set to go!

Here’s an example of how easy it is to make a Canva template your own:

from this

to this

With a few simple– but powerful– tools, you can make your life easier and your social media content better!

Why Posting Consistently to Social Media Matters

Sarah Sullivan — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 12:00:31 +0000

My number one advice to social media clients is post consistently. If this is a struggle for you, you’re not alone. And yet, inconsistent posting can be negatively impacting your marketing efforts.

Here are 6 key things you can do to improve your SEO in the design process:

1. Work with the algorithm

Like it or not, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube all use computer algorithms to pay attention to behaviors of people online. They then use these behaviors to determine which posts they show your followers and which they don’t.

Notice that point: Not all of your followers will see every one of your posts. It’s a sad fact but it’s true.

Experts will try to give you a lot of tips for how to “beat” the algorithms but I won’t get into that here. Suffice it to say, one thing that the algorithm takes into account is if you are posting consistently. Essentially, it “learns” that you are a legitimate account and that you are using their service regularly and they reward you by showing your posts to your followers.

2. Build an audience

Build audience expectation for your posts by sharing the same types of content on certain days. One blogger has a series called Sunday Duvet Reading where she shares updates from her life and content that she enjoyed during the week on Sunday mornings. Her audience looks forward to those Sunday morning updates and it builds a feeling of community.

Setting a schedule and even certain topics to share on certain days has the added benefit of keeping your accountable to create content for your social media channel.

3. Maintain your connection with your audience

Once you’ve built your audience, you want to post regularly to stay connected t0 your followers. Seeing your posts in their feed every week keeps you in the front of their mind. Then, the next time they need your services or someone asks for a recommendation for someone who does what you do or sells what you sell, they will be more likely to think of you.

3. Stay Organized

Let’s be honest, keeping up with social media is a lot of work. But by keeping a schedule you won’t struggle to find time to post or be stuck deciding at the last minute what content to share.

It also helps you to think a bit more strategically. Instead of posting all of your news in one big, long post, you might think of breaking it out into several posts over several weeks.

So even if you can only manage to post once a week, do it every week! Keep that consistency going! It will pay off in the end.

Keeping Your Social Media On Brand

Sarah Sullivan — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 14:00:49 +0000

Just as on your website and print materials need to be on brand, your social media accounts need to project a strong visual brand identity as well.

Here are five areas to pay attention to when considering the branding of your social media accounts.

1. Choosing an account name

Get off on the right foot by making sure that all of your social media platforms use the same name or a reasonable variation. It can be confusing for customers if they find you on Instagram with one name but then search on Twitter and can’t find you because you have a different name there.

Granted, competition for social media handles can be tight. If your company name is not available, consider using abbreviations like “inc” or “co” at the end. Try to eliminate unnecessary periods or underscores between words or unnecessary numbers at the end (coffeeshop_783). Keep your name simple and easy to remember.

2. Customizing your social media

Logo: Your logo or a variation of it can be used as your profile image. Here we see that drinks company Kimino uses their logo as their profile image.

Color palette: Your goal is to make your brand recognizable simply by your color palette. Kimino does this by maintaining a lot of white space to keep it clean.

Bio and boilerplate: While there is room for variation due to word count or functionality of each platform, your bio should be essentially the same across all social media platforms.

3. Aesthetic

What you choose to post should to follow a consistent aesthetic. The same colors and fonts of your brand should be woven through whatever you post on social media. The goal is that over time your customer will be able to recognize your posts, without even seeing your logo or handle.

Tip: Create graphic templates in Canva, Illustrator, or Photoshop so that the same types of posts have a consistent look.

4. Voice/tone

The tone in which you write your social media captions and posts is also important. The tone can be professional, casual, cheeky, educational, trendy, etc. Whatever voice you choose, it’s important to speak like a human being. Writing too formally can be a turn-off for many followers.

If you have several persons creating content for your social media, you should give special consideration to the tone. For instance, are they “clients” or “customers”, “team members” or “employees”? Determining this terminology in advance will keep your writing voice consistent.

Along with that, make sure that your tone is not one-sided. Rather than solely promoting your product or service, stay open and conversational in your writing. Encourage feedback from your audience by asking questions and responding to their answers.

5. Images

Whether you are using stock photos or originals, the photographs you choose should still represent your brand. They should be in the same color palette and reflect the mood of your brand.

Again Kimino does a great job with this. Their colors cheerful, poetic, and the image style has the look of vintage film.

Keeping your branding consistent across all of your social media platforms– as well as within each platform– will maintain a professional and inviting aesthetic which will draw customers to you.

How Businesses Can Use Instagram Stories

Sarah Sullivan — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 17:02:41 +0000

Instagram Stories were launched in 2016 and since then have become one of the most popular features of the social media platform.

Stories are pictures or videos that are viewed one after another in a stream at the top of the Instagram screen and they disappear after 24 hours. At first, you might think this is an unnecessary feature, best suited to a younger audience, but businesses can successfully use Instagram Stories to improve their engagement. Here are five benefits to using Stories.

1. Diversify your social media marketing

The introduction of stories changed the way some people use Instagram. Instead of scrolling through a feed, they may watch Stories one after another. So if your posts aren’t getting noticed in the feed, you have a second way of reaching your audience through Stories. You can even share your posts in your Stories to create another opportunity to capture your followers’ attention.

2. Real-time Communication

Because Stories disappear within 24 hours, they are an excellent medium for real time marketing. You can post live during an event to encourage attendance or show a behind the scenes to improve relatabilty with your audience.

3. Show behind the scenes or your fun side

Because of the casual, real-time nature of Instagram Stories, you can let loose a little more and have fun with your Instagram marketing. This is a great place to show behind-the-scenes content, company culture, or to recognize employee achievements.

A note of warning: Be judicious in your use of gifs and emojis. Too many flashing gifs or cartoons can make your company appear unprofessional.

A beautiful website is worthless if it doesn’t show up in searches to be shown to potential customers. So make these smart choices while you’re building your site to make your beautiful site effective as well.

3. Encourage Audience Participation

Stories offer features such as polls, question boxes, and multiple choice quizes which provide opportunities to interact with your followers. Who can resist clicking on a poll question? Beyond making this fun for your audience and getting them engaged, these features can be helpful feedback for client research.

Since your poll will last for 24 hours with your Story, don’t forget to share the results with your followers after it ends.

A note of warning: Be judicious in your use of gifs and emojis. Too many flashing gifs or cartoons can make your company appear unprofessional.

4. Create evergreen content

Your expired Stories can be saved to a Highlight at the top of your Instagram profile, creating evergreen content. Since this area is directly under your bio, it is prime real estate! Plan out an “About Us/Me” Story or a Services Story and then share them to your Highlights to to grab the attention of your profile visitors. Give careful thought to your Highlight cover images to keep them cohesive.

If done well, small businesses can successfully use Instagram’s Story feature to engage your audiences and create evergreen content!

How often should you post to social media?

Sarah Sullivan — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 06:00:57 +0000

[This post originally appeared as a guest post on Clockwork Design Group.]

Social media is a busy place with a lot of voices. Does that mean that to be heard you should hit it hard, publishing multiple times a day? Or if you choose a slower pace, will you be lost in the static? These are genuine concerns for a small business. So how often should you post to social media?

Expert Opinion

Experts are constantly studying social media numbers to answer this question. Those numbers are constantly changing and they differ from platform to platform, as each has it’s own “culture,” so to speak. Here is the current consensus for each platform:

Facebook: At least once a day, and no more than two posts per day.
Instagram: At least once per day but no more than 3 times per day.
Twitter: 3 to 30 times a day.
LinkedIn: No more than once each business day, and at least twice a week.

If those numbers seem high to you, that is understandable, because, let’s be honest, that pace just doesn’t work for all industries, nor is it sustainable without a full social media management staff A recognized brand or an influencer may be able to post that often but a small business should post less often. So the real answer to the question of how often to post is: Post as often as you have quality content.

Quality Content

What is quality content? Simply put, quality content is content that is is of value to your audience. If it saves your followers time or money, it is of value to them. Share your blog posts or an infographic with a quick tip. Share current projects you are working on or have completed. These are things that your followers are interested in seeing from you.

Keep in mind that not all content that you share has to be original. You can also share content from other sources as long as it is relevant to your industry. For instance, an industry news article or a blog post written by an expert in your field shared along with a brief explanation of what it means for your followers would be most appreciated.

But if you find yourself desperately drumming up any content in order to stick to some expert-determined schedule, you’re probably not posting quality content and your followers will likely disappear.

Consistent Posting

More important than frequency, is consistency. Choose a posting schedule which you will be able to maintain and stick to it. This may mean that you only post one quality post per week, and that’s fine. As long as it adds value, your audience will appreciate it.

So ignore the numbers and concentrate on sharing quality content on a consistent basis at a pace that is sustainable for you.

Social Media – Dionne Design

Getting Started with Instagram Reels

1. Start with audio

2. Choose your audio.

3. Create your video in Canva.

4. Adjust the timing for each clip

5. Add text

6. Export as a video file

7. Create a cover for your reel

8. Post on Instagram

And that’s it!

Related Posts

How to Use Reels for Business

1. Use trending audio

2. Keep Reels Short

3. Start Strong

4. Use a CTA

5. Don’t let your captions be an afterthought

6. Optimize for mobile

Related Posts

Instagram Video for Introvert Business Owners

What the switch to video means

Why This Could Be a Challenge for Introverts

Introversion is Not the Problem

Different Comfort Levels

How Introvert Business Owners Can Use Video

Diversify Your Marketing

Related Posts

Content Creation Tools

Batch Scheduling Posts

Sourcing Images

Designing Graphics

Related Posts

Why Posting Consistently to Social Media Matters

1. Work with the algorithm

2. Build an audience

3. Maintain your connection with your audience

3. Stay Organized

Related Posts

Keeping Your Social Media On Brand

1. Choosing an account name

2. Customizing your social media

3. Aesthetic

4. Voice/tone

5. Images

Related Posts

How Businesses Can Use Instagram Stories

1. Diversify your social media marketing

2. Real-time Communication

3. Show behind the scenes or your fun side

3. Encourage Audience Participation

4. Create evergreen content

Related Posts

How often should you post to social media?

Expert Opinion

Quality Content

Consistent Posting

Related Posts