Instagram’s track record of adopting a rival’s product and ultimately outperforming it is impressive. SnapChat, right? Despite having many of the same features as Snapchat Stories, Instagram Stories was able to significantly increase its engagement, while Snapchat Stories saw its unique views drop by an estimated 40 percent in just a year.
With the rise of TikTok, Instagram (or IG in the digital lexicon) has developed a new feature called Reels.
What exactly are Instagram Reels, then? With this Instagram function, you can make engaging and informative videos to share with your friends and the Instagram community. Instagram’s Reels characteristic enables users to create short clips with audio, mixed reality (AR) effects, and speed scripting, much like TikTok. (For the technical differences between Instagram Reels and TikTok, we’ve included a comparison table in a different section.)
However, Instagram clearly covets TikTok’s ability to boost brand awareness and sales. That is to say, it is once again marketing itself as the place where your videos can go viral and increase your profile. Do you think IG Reels has what it takes to be an integral part of your social media video marketing strategy? How do you get your videos to go viral on Reels if that’s the case?
Instagram Reels and Their Professional Value
The truth is, Instagram Reels aren’t exactly groundbreaking. The same social media video content can be used for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer (B2C) outreach. Why, then, should you devote marketing resources to creating Instagram Reels?
The app can get you the answer.
Instagram, at the risk of being labelled a copycat, adapts a competitor’s strategy to fit within its own, more mature, and brand-friendly ecosystem. Instagram capitalises on its captive audience and curated posts, while TikTok encourages genuine personalities and playful content.
To introduce Reels on Instagram is merely an indication of a willingness to meet users where they already are. TikTok only had 1 billion users as of October 2021, but this app had nearly 1.4 billion active users. Using Instagram Reels for marketing purposes, you can probably reach people who aren’t on TikTok.
Here’s how incorporating Reels into your social media video promotion strategy can help:
Raise the Profile of Your Brand
The use of reels allows you to create Instagram-ready video content. When your highlight reel is featured as the featured video on Explore feeds, it reaches a wider audience and has a greater potential to influence the right people. Brands can find a new audience of users in the Explore section, and users can find new brands to try. The most popular video also plays much bigger than the rest of the page’s posts, which brings more attention to your company.
Involve Your Audience
When you open the Instagram Reels tab to create a reel with your own unique perspective, keep an eye out for emerging trends. Keep an eye on the hashtags, sounds, and effects used in Instagram Reels so you can be the first to know about the next big thing. Because users actively seek out these characteristics, they will help you attract new and existing fans to your profile.
Increase Your Profits by Improving Sales
Instagram has gained a reputation for enabling shoppable content, and now that feature can be used in Reels as well. Simply tape an episode and assign tags to the items in your online store that correspond to the plot. It’s yet another method of Instagram video optimization that can help your brand earn new customers.
Getting IG Reels to Go Viral: A Challenge for Marketers
It’s important to master content creation for your brand on Instagram Reels because the competition with TikTok isn’t going away anytime soon. It is unacceptable to upload boring or unoriginal Reels. Business social media videos need to be of high quality to keep up with the expectations of today’s tech-savvy consumers.
Basically, you should try to get them widely shared. Some suggestions to help achieve that aim:
Put Your Name Out There
IG Reels are a great addition to any Instagram marketing plan, whether you’re just getting started or have been using the platform for a while. Reels makes Instagram video optimization possible for anyone, regardless of how many Instagram followers they currently have. You can reach a large audience for no cost by using this function to generate organic content.
On the other hand, Instagram Reels are more successful with brand content (while influencer posts are more effective on TikTok). According to the study, brand content on Reels has a 12 percent higher average impression rate than on TikTok. It would be a waste not to make the most of this chance, so make sure to create Instagram Reels hashtags for your brand to help get your content in front of the right people.
Distribute B-Roll Footage
Why should all corporate social media videos be so solemn and stuffy? Give your potential customers some insight into the inner workings of your company to pique their interest. Exhibit the thought process that led to the development of your business plan. Or the process you used to create those product photos, just like the high-end handbag manufacturer Anima Iris did.