Instagram Reels: The Next Big Thing Marketers Need to Use in Their Strategy

Reel it, feel it, said Instagram and more than one billion active users took to embracing the new trend.

What started as a fun way of sharing content on the popular picture-n-video sharing platform, soon transformed into a potent marketing tool. With evolving customer expectations, especially for the Gen-Z crowd, leading and upcoming brands alike have taken to Instagram reels as a crucial strategy for promotion.

This post introduces you to three vital reasons why you shouldn’t shy away from including Instagram reels in your digital marketing kitty. Besides, we’ve also included a handful of ideas to get you started and some of the best practices.

Let’s begin!

But, First A Little Bit Of What And How

Okay, so for starters, Instagram Reels is a fairly new inclusion to the platform’s arsenal of tools that allow one to shoot and edit a video that rests anywhere between three to thirty seconds. You are free to add text, music, stickers, and other effects as you like.

The Reels are a never-ending feed that users can access from the Explore page and is a perfect pairing to the already existing 15-second videos that one can find in Stories, as well as 1-minute videos generally posted to the grid, and last but not the least, the long-form ones meant exclusively for IGTV.

One can create a reel in a couple of ways–you can either hold the record button in the app to quickly capture a video or upload a previously captured video from the camera roll.

Reels allow for both a single video or a series of captures to be included one after another. However, there are a few specifications from Dallas digital marketing agency that you need to keep in mind while shooting and uploading a reel:

• The videos you shoot should be in 9:16 full portrait mode.
• The duration should be between three to thirty seconds. So, you will need to edit accordingly to show the best parts, in case it’s a long one.
• Reels being a mobile-only feature for now cannot be uploaded from a desktop computer.

How Reels Can Turn Followers Into Brand Loyalists?

Truth be told, Instagram reels are synonymous with addiction.

With relentless scrolling that this age has been introduced to, reels have unleashed the true potential of video marketing. Originally said to have been modeled after Tiktok, which accounted for no less than 800 million users, reels blend the best of both worlds-entertainment and information in tandem. Plus, its ability to get viral easily is what makes it a thoroughly likable affair.

Furthermore, reels is a fairly new feature that Instagram has synced up with their revised algorithm to favor accounts that regularly take to publishing content. Survey reports from a digital marketing company in Dallas reveal how reels account for no less than four to five times more visibility compared to other video forms. In other words, for brands eyeing to reach a wider audience, a reel is a fail-proof strategy that can not only garner new followers but in time transform them into brand loyalists.

Here’s how Instagram reels are making a difference for brands globally:

• Educating followers–Undeniably, one of the foremost goals of marketing is educating your prospect to usher engagement, and in turn, generate a call for positive actions, like a purchase. With reels, brands now can get the message delivered across within a very short span. The commanding ability of videos to quickly connect and appeal to a myriad range of human emotions is always a plus.
• Establishing brand tone and value – If there’s one thing that you need to learn about social media, know that it’s never about hard selling but more about creating a purposeful connection. And, only those brands are meant to be successful who can devise an authentic brand voice. Which helps them to cater to their target audience. Reels are a way to invite your prospects to join the bandwagon. Reflect on the inherent brand values and set the right tone.
• A fresh take on a brand’s unique proposition – Reels is a fresh and exciting way to utilize a plethora of creative video marketing techniques to present before your products and services. As such, reels allow for effective video marketing to offer great insights into points of difference that make a brand stand out from the rest.

Time To Explore Best Practices

Now that you know a great deal about Instagram reels and why they should be on your marketing radar. Let’s take things up a notch by discussing some of the best practices. Remember, creating reels, no matter how easy it sounds, is all about the prep work behind. Once you’ve got that correct, everything else will line up nice and easy.

Know your target audience and competitors

Reels being a fairly new inclusion on Instagram. Content creators have already produced a massive number of clips that successfully manage to usher millions of views. How do you think they managed to do that? The answer is extensive research on the target audience and competitors.

According to Dallas digital marketing agencies, to know and understand the target audience persona, one needs to invest time watching reels. Popular with the same demographic, and discover ways to be different while still retaining the same flavor. Also, take a cue from your competitors. There can be a lot of things that you may find your competitor is lacking. Pick on them and try to better it out in your reel.

Objectify Things With A Storyboards

Instagram reels are quite different from Stories. They lack spontaneity for sure, but if you know how to storyboard things shot by shot, you can turn things in your favor. A good way to go about it is breaking your entire shoot to no more than three main parts. Each part accounting for 10 seconds. That way, you will always manage to stay within the stipulated time frame for reels and still come out with stellar content.

Don’t Be Sales-Y

Seriously, this is one place where several brands tend to go wrong. Reels are not where you hard-push your products and services. Save that for the oily salesman at a physical store, it’s his job any day. Instead, focus on connecting people with thoughtful content.

For instance, if you own a retail fashion shop, try creating a reel that educates one to uniquely wear a party outfit. If you run a small cafe, why don’t you show the recipe for one of your popular dishes? Similarly, if you run a delivery service, show a behind scene from a regular day at work. Such reels instantly build up your brand value, establish reliability, and help authorize a meaningful connection.

Always, Always, Always Repurpose Content

Know for sure that some of your content will get lost in the feed. While some are bound to stand out. And these are essentially the good stuff that deserves a revisiting, a.k.a., repurposing.

Run a check through your web analytics to figure out which post got the most organic reach. Come up with innovative ways to present the same content again.

Repurposing old content is a great way to steer clear of content creation blocks. It save time to come up with new ideas. If it’s already a good thing, repurposing the same might just make it classic, who can tell!

Wrap Up

Instagram reels can be a storehouse of excitement, engagement, and full of inspiration. It helps to connect seamlessly with both existing and new audiences.

It’s your job to make it as lively as you can.

A digital marketing agency in Dallas recommends one to start by simple, behind the scenes, or a sneak peek at your new work of art, teach a new skill to the world, or speak your vision behind starting your brand or maybe share the latest customer video testimonial. That way you will always leave behind a thing or two. To be picked up and harp on the right customer emotion to get your message delivered.

Have you used Reels for your brand promotion before? Do you find it useful? Let’s hang out in the comment sections below and share your views.