Instagram’s answer to TikTok, the new Instagram reels feature is live! Social media tools like these can provide an easy and accessible way to create and edit your footage, take advantage of current trends and reach a wider audience by making funny and relatable content in a matter of minutes. In this blog, we will explore the new Instagram reels feature and how you can use it in your marketing.
Where is it?
You can find reels from the menu option at the bottom of your Instagram camera. Reels can be used in your feed or as stories – if you choose to use them as stories, they will not appear in your feed and disappear in 24 hours as normal. If your profile is public, your video can also be accessed via ‘Explore’ section.
What can I do with it?
If you’re already familiar with TikTok, Instagram reels feature offers very similar editing options. You can create a video using the following features:
- Timer and countdown – perfect if you’re filming by yourself, this feature lets you start a countdown for hands-free recording
- Align – you can record your videos clip by clip, lining them up as you go and adding more scenes to your project
- Speed – you can easily speed up and slow down parts of audio and video for slow-motion and time-lapse effects
- Audio – you can choose to upload your own music or search Instagram’s extensive audio library
- AR Effects – there is a wide selection of effects to choose from, created by Instagram and users from around the world. You can apply a different effect to each clip
How can I use Instagram reels for marketing?
During lockdown, it seems that everyone got involved with making short-form videos on TikTok, so it shows just how popular and effective the new Instagram reels feature could be.
While TikTok’s largest demographic is 18-24 year olds, Instagram has a target demographic of 25-34 year olds, therefore, this allows you to reach a wider audience with the short-form video model that seems to be so popular right now.
The video editing features are straightforward and easy to use, so such updates give everyone a chance to be a creator, even if they have no previous experience in being one.
Instagram have created a new space in ‘Explore’ for reels, where your video has a chance to be seen by a wider audience, outside of the people following your feed. If you’ve used the same effect, song or hashtag as someone else, your reel could also appear on related pages to that particular song, hashtag or effect, so this could be an opportunity to jump on certain trends.
The reels section in ‘Explore’ is similar to the ‘For You Page’ on TikTok and some videos get featured here by Instagram – if this happens to you, you will get a notification.
There are plenty of ways you can use Instagram reels for marketing your business. This feature could be perfect for creating trailers, teasers and snippets of larger projects. You can get involved with trends, make funny videos and memes that your audience will relate to. Or it can be a great way to add variation to your content and easily create videos to promote your business in a way that doesn’t feel too polished and stays authentic.
If you’re running competitions or wish to get your audience involved in another way, you can also encourage them to create a reel, for example, performing a challenge or using audio or effects that you have uploaded etc. Short-form video content is great for your marketing strategy, as it quickly captures the audience’s attention, therefore, opening up the potential for them to check out more of your content.
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