As a business, you’re always being pulled in several different directions (and that’s just in the marketing department). You’re always being told to adjust your advertising strategy from one place to another, and we’re here to suggest another shift today. Unfortunately, the pace of the market means that you need to constantly adjust to keep up with the evolving needs of the audience.
However, we’re here to tell you that Instagram Reels isn’t a chore and shouldn’t be seen as one. Compared to other marketing channels, Reels is more enjoyable because you can show a different side to the business. Almost like Reddit, you create content that educates and informs people as you become a thought leader. Eventually, people look to you for answers, and this is the sort of reputation that can keep you on top of the competition.
What are Instagram Reels?
If you’ve missed the excitement recently, Reels is a new feature on Instagram that was first introduced to compete with TikTok. Therefore, you can probably guess that the name of the game is short video clips. You can produce anything up to 60 seconds while adding effects, music, text, interactive backgrounds, captions, stickers, filters, and more.
With Reels forming an important part of the service, Instagram added a new Reels tab where users can explore trending videos and channels; those who use TikTok will recognize this as the For You page. As time goes on, Reels are also featured across other areas of the platform. With more Reels making their way online, the experiment seems to have gone well for Instagram.
How do Reels differ from Stories? Reels generally have more creative tools such as speed controls and AR effects. Also, you can splice different clips together to form one longer video. When sharing a Reel, you can post it to your Feed, and it can appear in Stories and the Explore section. If you use your own audio, other creators can use this audio clip and create their own Reel (this helps with user-generated content).
Creating a Reel
With this, we’re now onto the main topic of the article - how to use Reels for marketers. If you’ve created content online, Reels will feel familiar as you play around with the different effects and features. We find that the easiest way to get started is through the Instagram camera - from here, select Reels in the bottom menu.
Depending on your strategy, you can either record a video using the camera or upload a file from your device. Also, we should note that you don’t have to do the recording all in one because you can record a series of clips.
When preparing for the recording, feel free to search for audio, test effects, and change the speed. At this stage, you can also set a timer. If you’re planning to record multiple clips, tap the record button to end a clip. When you’re ready, tap the record button again and this will start a new clip. Rather than replacing the previous one, it will add to it - you can then align and transition between the different clips.
In our experience, it doesn’t take long to master everything, and this is partly because Instagram makes all the pertinent features so accessible. Everything is self-explanatory and you’ll soon trim, edit, delete, and record clips with very little effort. Once all the recording is done (hooray!), you can then take advantage of the many creative tools. This includes text, stickers, drawings, and more.
If you’re happy with your wacky creation, you’re ready to share the video with the world. On the Cover section, you can add a picture from your device or choose a video thumbnail. When on this screen, you can also write a caption for the video and save it (just in case you’re not ready to upload just yet). When you want to share, you can choose to put it on the Reels tab alone or on the Feed too.
Tracking Your Reels
It has probably been ingrained into you by now, but every good marketer goes back over their work to review performance. Don’t worry, Instagram accommodates you with the Insights tab. As well as checking the performance of individual posts, you can also see how Reels have contributed or deducted to your overall Instagram strategy. The main metrics available include:
Though these are standard metrics, they tell important stories. For example, you may find that your content is reaching lots of users and getting lots of plays without likes, comments, and shares. Ultimately, this suggests that the content isn’t engaging or resonating with your audience. If a high percentage of your plays are engaging, this is great news for the business.
How to Use Instagram Reels - Tips
We’ve addressed the topic of using Instagram Reels on a basic level, but how do you use it to your advantage? These are two very different questions. Well, we’re about to answer the second as we take you through some advanced tips for this new platform. Just as Instagram Stories surpassed and replaced Snapchat, we fully expect Reels to match TikTok even if it doesn’t surpass or replace it.
Show Off Your Products
Firstly, don’t forget to show off your products. Often, businesses get so caught up in producing entertaining content that they forget why they started creating Reels in the first place. As with any platform, you don’t just want to constantly push your products because this soon gets frustrating for your audience. Yet, you can keep this in the back of your mind while implementing the strategy.
Why focus on your products? Because Reels have shoppable features, this means that viewers can buy your products without leaving the Instagram app. When showcasing products, remember to include hashtags and text overlay so that Instagram knows where to position the post.
A great way to use Reels is to get your customers involved with trends because they can use your products in the videos to generate interest for the brand.
Educate Your Audience
Another of the important pillars of Instagram Reels is education - as a business, you’re in a prime position to show off your knowledge. Not only will your audience appreciate the information, but Instagram will love the value that you provide to the community.
But what does your audience want to know? This is an easy question to answer because you can review the most common questions of your audience. What are they asking on other content? What are the questions on your FAQs page? What questions does your sales team answer most frequently? We’re sure they’ll tell you because they probably hear the questions every day (maybe it’s time to invest in a chatbot too!).
Whether you sell car insurance or children’s bicycles, we’re sure you can find ways to educate the audience. In each video, ask people to leave comments on the other topics they want you to cover. Suddenly, you have an endless supply of content ideas.
Share Special Offers
Another good way to generate excitement around the brand is to share special offers and discounts. If you’re to do this, keep the content genuine rather than a desperate attempt to make money. Through the pandemic, people connected with personable brands, and this trend is still present today. Be authentic in everything you post and show the world that your business is a humble group of people that consumers should love.
If you have an upcoming sale, tell people about it with a simple Reel. Keep the tone calm and make people feel invited to this special event rather than making them want to click away in record time.
Post Behind-the-Scenes Content
We just mentioned the personable nature of brands, and there’s no better way to make your brand more relatable than through behind-the-scenes content. Often, brands spend weeks trying to craft the perfect video when consumers generally engage with organic behind-the-scenes content more than anything else. Show viewers how your business packages products,, designs new products, has a ping pong competition at lunch, designs the office layout, or anything else.
In truth, even things that might seem mundane initially have the potential to thrive on Reels. You wouldn’t believe some of the things that people stay up all night watching on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. With this in mind, you could post about the process of making your products or working in the office.
Use Paid Ads
Finally, we won’t say too much on this topic because everybody these days knows about paid ads. Back in June 2021, Instagram announced that ads were heading to Reels. This means that you can create campaigns in search of traffic, brand awareness, reach, conversions, app installs, and video views. With paid ads, you’ll target a specific audience with sponsored posts on a platform in which most users are highly engaged.
