Real Reels

There’s a new trend … or maybe not so new … making its way through social media. That trend is Instagram Reels. An answer to TikTok’s short-form video format, reels are all the rage for those utilizing Instagram for marketing purposes.

Reels are short, entertaining videos on Instagram where you can express your creativity and bring your brand to life. People come to reels to participate in cultural trends, collaborate with the community, and discover new ideas.

In real estate, reels cover all three areas listed above. As the national market fluctuates, trends and ideas in individual markets react accordingly based on demographics and location. Knowing what those local cultural trends are and knowing the particular demographic of the area you are trying to reach is paramount to making reels work for you as a realtor.

What about as a photographer? I think shooters need to do likewise, but since we are constantly reaching out as vendors offering our services to realtors and other clientele, we need to be aware of not only the trends we see and notice every day but also make an effort to understand what realtors are seeking in their outreach to buyers and sellers alike.

It’s easy to add a new feature to your list of add-ons to stay trendy. But what is the customer after? What does your market demand? It’s a little like putting the technology ahead of the story: Is the focus on the cool visuals or on the property to be sold? Or is it on the realtor, as “video sells the agent”? I think there has to be a balance between what our goal is and how we go about presenting it. What is the purpose? Just because you could doesn’t always mean you should.

To be fair, the market drives the technology, and the culture sets the trends. If an agent wants it, do it. Try it and see what works for them. Not all reels are alike, and some work better than others depending on many factors. The concept and marketing potential of them, though, are exploding and should be tried by agent and photographer alike.

I hope to offer reels in the coming weeks in my service lineup. The market is cool at the moment, and some jobs are waiting in the wings for all elements to come together. I plan to present the idea to the agents I’m currently working with and see what they think. So far, not many are utilizing it with their listings.

New ideas, new “toys,” new ways of doing things seem to spring out of the ground these days. Here’s to grasping a hold of them, but with a critical mind. Doing so benefits and betters all involved and the market as a whole.