What's New On Instagram : Instagram Reels
Post on July 02, 2021
If you’ve updated your Instagram application in the past week, you would realize that there are some significant changes to the platform, but the most crucial one being the brand-new feature called Instagram Reels. This feature has actually been around from mid last year in the US and 50 other countries as their trial period, and last week it finally made its way to Indonesia!
If you’re not sure what it is, why you should use it, or how to use it as a brand/business owner, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we would explore the basic things you need to know before jumping into this new feature.
What’s Instagram Reels?
Often being called as a TikTok copycat, Instagram Reels allows people to record and edit together 15-30 seconds video clips with audio, text, stickers, and special effects to make a fun and engaging video for people to share. Just like TikTok’s “For You” page, Reels won’t only show you the content from people you follow as you scroll through, but also Reels with similar contents to the one you’ve been watching as well as other popular and trending videos in the platform.
Right now, Reels is seriously taking the center stage in Instagram. Not only does it have a prime location at the top of the Explore page, but it is also positioned in the center of Instagram’s main navigation bar at the bottom. According to Instagram, the Reels tab would provide an immersive experience with auto-play videos that is directly connected to Reels’ camera to encourage the content-creating process. This is a significant change to the platform which is indicating Instagram’s deliberate attempt to push people into watching and uploading Reels more often.
Why use Reels?
If you’ve used social media at all these past few years, then you would know just how big TikTok has become with its short video format. Its growth and popularity are rising so fast that it continuously holds the position as the world’s most downloaded app from Q1 2020 until Q1 2021. Additionally, TikTok’s core demography has started to shift from Gen Z to Millennials, which makes is more appealing to advertisers.
Looking at the success that TikTok has been getting, it’s no wonder Instagram finally decided to replicate TikTok’s popular short video format through Reels. And if history is any indicator, we know that Instagram have successfully replicate other formats before as we’ve seen with Instagram Stories. Moreover, seeing how much Instagram is pushing this new feature with its positioning, the familiarity that comes with the app, and the massive amount of user data they already have to make sure the Reels content being shown to users would appeal to them, it’s hard to see Reels disappearing anytime soon. So, if you’re still wondering whether Reels is just a passing trend or here to stay, you can probably guess what the answer will be.
Ways to use Reels for your business
1. Sharing educational content
Creating short videos with educational or informational content is a great way to start creating content for your Reels. Find something that is related to your business which would provide knowledge that people outside your line of business might not know or be curious about. For example, if you have a clothing line, then you can try suggesting tips for styling certain types of blouse or jackets. Make sure to keep your videos easy to follow, simple, and also fun to keep your followers entertained even when they’re learning something new.
2. Showcasing your products
As we’ve mentioned before, with Reels appearing at the top of users’ Explore page and its algorithm that can also show your content to people who aren’t following you, Reels is a great place to start showing your products to people who aren’t aware of you. Hashtags, text, and captions can be used to further explain your products. However, make sure to keep your videos entertaining and not just there to shove your products in people’s faces as it would have impacted how users react to your content. If people that saw your content reacted negatively to it, then there’s a good chance that your content won’t be shown to that person again. So yes, you should definitely show off your products but remember do it wisely and always keep it fun for others to watch!
3. Sharing behind-the-scenes
Unlike IGTV, Reels’ format allows for an informal way of communicating with your followers. This is why, sharing a roughly edited and less professionally shot behind-the-scenes would make for a perfect content on Reels. It would also help your customers know who you are and how it works on the inside, which is great for building relationship and trust with your followers. Some behind-the-scenes ideas can revolve around: how your product is made, a day in the life of your team, and how your brand got started in the first place.
All of this can seem overwhelming at first but once you get to try it out for yourself, as time goes on, it’s going to get easier, especially if you’re used to making contents for TikTok already. But, as with any new features, it’ll take some time to adjust to all these new things and if you don’t have the time to do all of that anymore, that’s where we at CitraNusa Advertsing can help! With our experienced team as content creators, we can help you manage not only your Reels but also your Instagram as a whole to make sure you get the maximum performance out of your Instagram account. So, if you have any further questions or just would like to have a chat, feel free to contact us through our contact form or through our various social media handles.