EPISODE 44 OF THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS PODCAST: INSTAGRAM REELS FOR DUMMIES
Sonya:
I hope no one takes offense to today's episode title. I've named it that because this episode helped push me to actually sit my butt down and learn more about Instagram Reels. You see, I've had it on my to-do list since November 2019 to start making TikToks. And, yeah, I haven't done it yet. And then Instagram Reels dropped, so now I'm like, "Okay, do I tok or do I reel?" In this episode, I go through my thoughts on each and the strategy I'm going to use moving forward. Watch this space, guys. Now, that I'm about to put it out there, you need to hold me accountable. Okay, so, what exactly is Instagram Reels? So it's quite similar to TikTok and Instagram users can record and edit together 15-second video clips set to music. They can use other people's audio, which is great if you want to jump on some sort of little trend, and then they share them to their Stories, Explore feed and there's actually a new Reels tab on a user's profile as well. Instagram Reels has its own version of the For You page.
So the For You page is something that's really popular on TikTok, a bit of a new feature that we haven't really seen on other platforms before. And the new Reel Explore feed will be something quite comparable. So probably do recommend you go and jump on TikTok and just have a little look around the platform. It'll help you understand where Instagram is coming from, from Reels. So you can find the Reels feed on the Instagram Explore page. Personally, I am finding the navigation and editing a little clunky at this point in time. And I suspect it's because Instagram has rushed into releasing this early in light of the news that TikTok has a limited amount of time to be acquired by a US company, or it will be banned.
So, let's dive into this topic for a second because it is hot. So Reels can be considered a direct response to growing popularity of TikTok, which has boomed over the last 12 months. My love, my obsession at TikTok has generated the most downloads for any app ever in a quarter in quarter one, according to Adweek and TikTok's core demographic is rapidly changing as well. So in the beginning it was adopted by all of the Gen Zers, right, and it's us millennials that have really driven the growth since COVID hit. So of course, if millennials are on a platform, that's where brands are flocking to because they want to start advertising and building their brand awareness, super attractive platform for them at the moment, because of this reason. And according to recent data from Comscore, the percentage of US-based TikTok users aged between 25 and 34 increased from 22.4% in January to 27.4% in April.
And I can only imagine that it has increased since then as well. And then the 18 to 24 age bracket fell from 41% to about 35%. So yeah, no surprises there why Instagram wants to launch a competing feature. Remember when they did the same thing with Stories back in 2016? That was a direct response to Snapchat. So I bet you're thinking, "Okay, so we've got Grid posts, we've got Stories. We've got IGTV. What more do we need?" And where does Reels actually sit in that marketing mix? Reels is more dynamic and casual. It's filling the gap of high quality content that's still informal, but has a longer shelf life of more than 24 hours, unlike Stories which disappear after that 24-hour period. Think of it as a way to show off your personality. And then when it comes to brand, remember people connect with people, not a faceless brand and logo.
There are over 1 billion active users already on Instagram. And if we've learned anything from the introduction of Instagram Stories, it's that Instagram knows how to replicate a tried and tested format with success. So if TikTok does not keep the US happy, Insta Reels is here to swoop in and take its place. I've said it before, but when Instagram and Facebook introduce a new feature, they push it hard. That is, if you jump in on Reels now, your organic reach and engagement is going to be through the roof as they look to put Reels in front of as many people as possible to really encourage that uptake in use and views. So take advantage of that while you can, guys. So while the Instagram algorithm with Reels hasn't quite been locked down yet, it does feel similar to TikTok and the For You page. It's likely influenced by who you already follow, what content you interact with and where you're located.
Instagram's new feature is going to take some time to get used to, especially for those of us who are quite perfectionist and we're used to creating high quality, really polished well-designed content. You've got to get away from that. With Reels it's just not something that works on this feature. It's not a time and place for perfect pretty content. It's raw, unfiltered, and it often includes humor as well, short and sharp, with just 15 seconds to make an impact. All right, here are some other key things that you should know that I've come across in my research. Now this goes back to what I was just saying that as a content creator, we focus our pages on being aesthetically pleasing, right? We want the Grid to be pretty, but to a viewer this often feels stiff and inauthentic. Reels solves this problem by delivering fun, quick snapshots that are imperfect, but also super relatable.
Again, without sounding like a broken record, people relate to and want to buy from people. Reels gives people an opportunity to get that behind the scenes real scoop into who you are. So similar to Stories, but a hundred times more shareable. So we've all been increasingly fed up with Instagram algorithm, right? You could sit there and complain about it. You could decide finally, to spend some money on Instagram, or you could take up this new feature, which again is being pushed heavily out to audiences at the moment as Instagram really tries to get people to start using the feature and start consuming content with this feature as well. It gives us a chance to capture more market share with a new feed that doesn't have a stiff, outdated algorithm and combines both entertainment, fun, and micro value in one. Take advantage of it.
As far as technical features go, I'm finding it super clunky right out of the gate and here are a few limitations I have come across, but I have no doubt that Instagram is going to keep continuing to improve this as they go. Like I said, they have released this feature early. And so there are some bugs to iron out, but I found a really messy text editor that doesn't always set the duration of your text. You can only do 15 seconds. Not everyone seems to have the music feature, which is weird, if you're going to have Reels, why would they not give everyone the music feature? And a lot of people aren't used to this new style of video if they haven't jumped on TikTok yet as well. So it has been a bit confusing for people to sort of understand the place that this new feature will hold.
Now for some benefits. Faster content creation. Once you get the hang of it and you have a list of ideas and things, it's going to take 20 minutes to make one of these. Super quick, you can add in some prerecorded clips as well to have some scene changes, so really, really easy to do. And you can add your own cover art similar to Instagram TV. If you do want to make your Grid still pretty, I think I'm probably not going to do this. I think I'm probably going to go for just the raw, more relatable feed moving forward for my own Instagram. And initial engagement reports, they've just been through the roof. Watch this space. I will report back on my final engagement rates for my Reels that I'm creating at the moment.
Okay. Let's talk practicalities about how you actually use this for your business. Here are three ways you can use Instagram Reels in your marketing strategy. Number one, create authentic content that resonates with your audience. So when Instagram Stories entered the scene in 2016, none of us could have predicted how successful the fun and informal format would prove to be. I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with Instagram Stories. I find myself going down the rabbit hole and all of a sudden I'm watching someone random person's dog play in a park. And I'm like, "I didn't even know I followed you, but now I'm watching your Instagram story," right? So if Instagram Stories are anything to go off, Reels could be even bigger.
They're designed to be fast and fun and packed full of special features that make creating captivating content seriously easy. So this offers a great opportunity as well for businesses to show more human, less picture-perfect side, which can be great for building genuine relationships, and strengthening your community. You don't have to save your personality now for other apps. Now you can showcase it all on Instagram. Tactic number two, share educational content through Reels. Posting educational content is a great place to start. Give your followers top five travel tips, teach them how to get the perfect photo, or show them how to style an outfit in five ways.
So again, you've only got 15 seconds. So this is really short, sharp, punchy, straight to the point kind of training and tips. Tactic number three, showcase your products. So Instagram Reels is a huge opportunity for brands and businesses looking to drive brand awareness and sales from the platform. Essentially, since Reels are pushed out on the Reels Explore page, users who don't follow you will see your content. This is huge. It's a great organic way to get in front of people. And while we aren't sure how the Instagram Reel algorithm works just yet, it's a good idea to use hashtags and descriptive captions to let Instagram know what you're talking about. I've seen bed footwear do an awesome job at Reels.
Go and check them out how they're displaying their products in Instagram Reels at the moment. Loving it guys. Well done. Okay. Here are some other ideas for your business on how to use Reels. So you could do top three or top five lists e.g. my top three books for X, Y, Z. You could focus on one micro tip as well and go a little bit more in depth. You could share a clever hack that your customers can implement quickly. If you're a dietician or a naturopath I came across this one, but you could share or swap this instead of this, kind of concept. And if you are wanting to sort of jump on board, some of the trends and things that are happening, then take a peek at some of the other videos using a certain audio. You can grab someone else's audio and put your own spin on a trend as well.
My final advice with this is just go and have a play around. Something I do is have a fake or a placeholder Instagram account, a bit of a dummy account, if you will, that is private and has no followers. So I use this dummy account to try different things before doing it on my own business accounts so it's not pushed out to my 15,000 followers. Sorry, if you are nervous, you'll accidentally start editing your Reel and post it before you're ready. Highly recommend doing this. If you go and do try and do some Reels, please tag me in them or send them to me in a DM. I would love to see what you guys are playing around with. Our Instagram handle is @kiss_marketing. Happy creating guys.