Social media platforms are constantly growing and evolving, and one part of this evolution is the introduction of new features that are available to users. One of the latest features that Instagram has introduced to both personal and business profiles is Reels, and they are proving to be extremely popular.
As with any new feature, it can be difficult to understand how it works, and how you can adapt it to suit your business’ marketing strategy. We have put together a beginner’s guide to what Instagram reels are, how to use them and how you can incorporate them into your marketing plan.
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram reels are a type of video content that consists of the ability to create, record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and other creative tools such as captions and stickers. They appear on your usual account feed, but they are also more widely available to the rest of the Instagram community that may not be following you, through the Explore feature. The Explore features offers accounts to reach a whole new audience on a global scale – in turn, growing your overall account following.
Read Instagram’s definition of their Reels feature here.
How to create a Reel
Before you start creating your reel, you should plan what video clip (or clips), music and any other creative features you want to use. Once you have these planned, go to your Instagram app and select ‘Reels’ at the bottom of your Instagram camera. You will see several creative tools for you to check, including:
- Audio: Search for a song from the Instagram music library. You can also use your own original audio by simply recording a reel with it.
- AR Effects: There are a whole array of AR effects that have been made by both Instagram themselves and other creators for you to choose from.
- Align: Line up objects from your previous clip before recording your next to help create seamless transitions.
- Speed: Choose to speed up or slow down part of the video or audio you selected – this feature is amazing for creating time lapse or slow motion videos.
What do we know about the Instagram Reels Algorithm?
The Instagram algorithm has a bit of a negative connotation because of the difficult nature of being able to be noticed by your followers, let alone any new potential audiences. However, here are some pointers to improve your chance of getting your latest reel seen by the most users possible:
- Make sure your reel is entertaining and fun
- Make sure the video clips are of high quality, HD if possible
- Your videos should inspire people, or teach people something new
- Try to use creative tools like captions, filters and camera effects
- Always use vertical video clips
- Use music clips from the Instagram music library
- Keep your reels as on-brand as possible
- Include hashtags and a Call-To-Action within the caption of your reel
Why you should incorporating Reels into your marketing strategy
Reels are designed to be fun and fast paced pieces of content which offers fantastic opportunities for businesses to show a more human and personal side – something that works well for building genuine relationships with your customers and followers. Don’t be afraid to show some personality across your content.
Sharing educational content is something that should always be including within your marketing strategy in the form of blog posts, tutorials or social media posts. Why not repurpose this content into an Instagram reel? Some of your audience may not be able to digest information written in traditional form, so working this into a fun educational video may be something that attracts new customers to you.
If your business sells physical products, you can feature these products within your reels and include a tag that will take users straight to the product within your IG Shop – this offers much easier conversions!
TIME SAVING TIP – If you are already using TikTok as a marketing too, repurposing your content works perfectly for Instagram Reels.
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