REELS by Instagram

It’s been over three weeks since the release of Reels, Instagram’s feature to compete with TikTok. Since it's still going through testing, now is the time to start thinking about how it might fit into your marketing strategy.

Integrating REELS

Trying to figure out how your brand should get involved in TikTok? GOOD NEWS - Facebook is making it easy by essentially carbon copying the platform into their new Instagram offering, Reels.

While some brands have been able to successfully navigate TikTok, many have hesitated to bring an additional platform into the mix. For these brands, Facebook’s almost identical iteration serves as an approachable way to explore a new format of content dissemination on a platform they are already familiar with.

"Facebook is the giant that no longer needs to innovate - it's now just a matter of 
being a fast follower. Question is - will the audience follow?"

Stretching your brand’s voice and approach to content

In recent years we've started moving away from social's origins and simple formulas: make it intriguing, quick to consume, entertaining, relevant and replicable. 

As people continue to lose taste for the overly aspirational, curated, aesthetic Instagram has become known for, the TikTok format provides a refreshing alternative reminiscent of the consumable, bite-sized pieces of entertainment social media started with.

If Instagram is about aspiration, and presenting the illusion of “effortless” perfection, TikTok is about showing your work, and creating content that delivers actual value: be it education or entertainment.

This can be a great place for brands to play, bringing further relevance to their product or service while becoming a little more "real" in Reels.

Expanding reach, and encouraging discovery

Reels is audio first, which means the content you’re creating is based on and started off on audio files. This allows your content & brand to be found by new people through the songs or custom sounds used.

Posting your Reels in feed allows them to show up in the explore page, potentially leading to greater organic reach since people who don’t follow you will see it. This is especially appealing considering Reels now makes up more than half of Instagram’s Explore page real estate

Treat Reels like you would subreddits

In addition to being a new content stream, Reels and TikTok can be a great tool for researching what’s trending in your industry, brand mentions, consumer behaviours and so on. The key, as always, is identifying which of these opportunities are suitable to jump on. In other words, just because you can jump on the latest dance challenge, doesn’t mean you should.

If you're interested in chatting further - don't hesitate to reach out