How to create captivating reels with La Basketry

clock imageOctober 20, 2022

For entrepreneurs everywhere, Instagram can be a place where your business’ story can come to life in front of your audience in real time. This is certainly the case for @labasketry founder Tabara N'Diaye, who credits Reels for helping her build her loyal community of more than 29,000 followers on Instagram. The UK-based basket-weaver and entrepreneur started her business in 2017 with one core mission in mind.

“I wanted to combine my love of interiors with Senegalese basket-weaving,” says Tabara. “It's a craft I've forever loved, and one that is passed down from generation to generation between women in rural villages of Senegal, where I am originally from.”

While visiting Senegal, Tabara and her sister connected with a group of local female artisans and noticed a lack of online stores selling Sengalese baskets. Tabara saw an opportunity to bring Sengalese basket weaving to the world stage while creating economic opportunity for Sengalese craftspeople who may not have gotten the visibility otherwise. It was there La Basketry was born.

“I was keen to start a project that brought more meaning into my life and the lives of others,” says Tabara. “Creating products is my favorite thing. It's so special to see something going from an idea to a physical product.”

In just 5 years, La Basketry has grown into a vibrant, international brand that includes homeware, fashion accessories, and DIY kits where customers can learn the art of basket weaving through workshops, online content and a best-selling craft book. Read on as Tabara shares how she consistently tells her brand story and connects with her customers with Reels.

How do reels fit into your holistic social media strategy for La Basketry? Is there anything you use Reels specifically for?

La Basketry is a visual brand. I'm personally inspired by all visual formats, from video and illustration to photography. Reels nicely compliment the vision I have for the brand. Imagery has always played a key part in our marketing strategy, but moving images just bring another layer. I love being able to communicate my brand story as a small business, and it's such a powerful storytelling tool that helps you build a connection with your audience.

How did La Basketry’s social media creation process evolve over time?

It has organically evolved as the audience has grown and as new features have become available. It's very much “consumer led,” looking at Insights and analyzing what content resonates with them.

How do you come up with fresh ideas for reels?

I tend to rely on a few staples:

  1. Taking people behind the scenes: packing orders, getting ready for an event, etc.
  2. Getting their feedback on potential products. The poll sticker in Stories is great for that.
  3. Showing them how to use our products, such as making videos or user-generated content using tagged photos.

Our brand is all about being colorful and playful so I keep this in mind, too. I spend a good amount of time looking at the Reels tab getting some fresh inspiration from other creatives or sometimes it can be the other way around and a sound or a song will inspire me. I'll think, “Oh, this would work well to show people my daily routine in the office or this more fast-paced sound would work well showing a creative project I've been working on!”

What kind of work goes into making a reel before you ever start filming?

To me the beauty of Reels is to try to not overdo it. I try to be as spontaneous as possible—my tripod is always close by [me]. My best-performing reels tend to be the ones I've done in an hour, from shooting them to editing them. The longest part is always choosing the music! I also try to take random live photos and videos with my phone every other day, as that content can always be transformed into a video.

How has your audience responded to your reels? Have you seen increased engagement or interest in your products?

They've allowed me to show a bit more of my personality and my playful side. A couple of my best-performing reels are me making fun of myself and the things I do as a small business owner. It's definitely something I wouldn't have been able to do via a static image, and it's a great asset to be able to make my brand more personable to my audience. Being able to show the care and the craftsmanship behind the products has also been really helpful for people to understand price points and the value of our products.

What’s the most fun or rewarding part of making reels for you?

Definitely to see people engaging with content you are creating. The crafty reels always do well, and I love that. I love being able to show people how to make a product, something they can utilize in their everyday life (without divulging all my secrets) and to see people embracing crafting—using their hands to make something!

Ready to level up your content? Here’s everything you need to know to create great reels.