Why Your Business Should Start Using Instagram Reels Now

Social media is vital for the marketing strategies of businesses now more than ever. Using these various forms of media allows businesses to stay engaged and interact with consumers. But with the way technology is constantly changing, it is of the utmost importance to stay on top of current trends. The latest movement to take social media by storm is Instagram Reels. This new feature allows you to create and share fun 30-second videos. Although you might question how Reels would benefit your business, quick, entertaining content is just how social media users desire to consume their media. Read below to see the top reasons your business should start using Instagram Reels now!

1. It's new and not oversaturated with content

Instagram Reels was released in the U.S. this past year, making it a fairly new trend on social media. This gives your company the benefit of being able to jump in on the movement in its early stages. There is currently less content clogging up the feed, allowing your business’ posts to be seen by more people. And we all know that the more people who see your post will in turn lead to more people liking and sharing your content. Along with this, the less competition will allow your business to establish strong brand recognition with greater ease.

2. Instagram is invested in your success

When social media platforms create and release new features like Instagram Reels, they reward early adaptors in order to ensure the success of it. An example of how Instagram has done that with its latest feature, has been by designating a landing spot at the top of the explore page specifically for Reels. The explore page showcases accounts and content that the algorithm thinks that user will be interested in. Therefore, when your Reels appear on top of the Explore page, your company increases its reach by receiving more organic impressions.

3.  It’s a fun way to be creative

Instagram Reels provides your company with a fun and creative way to catch consumer’s attention. The new feature has several easy to use editing tools. These include but are not limited to: adding filters, hashtags, stickers, tagged locations, and popular songs or sounds in your Reels. The videos are only 30 seconds long though, so you must do your best to stand out in a short timeframe.

4.  It helps your audience understand you better

Video content allows your audience to take a deeper look inside who your brand is. They not only see what you are selling on a more complete level, but you can further showcase what your company does and how it’s valuable to them. Therefore the consumers are able to get to know who your business is and what they stand for easier. Along with this, Reels will help create a tone for your brand and further differentiate it from similar competitors, showing why you are the better option. Overall your videos will build a relationship and establish trust with your audience.

5. Stay on top of trends

Social media is in a constant state of change. As new trends emerge, new forms of opportunity are created. By using Instagram Reels, your business will show that it knows what it takes to reach and provide its target audience with an online experience that offers value. This helps to further establish a professional online brand for your company. Keeping on top of current trends shows that your business is at the top of the game and willing to adapt.

6. It stays on the same platform

A major benefit of using Reels is that it is already built into Instagram. There is no need to establish a new audience on a new app. Instead you can build off the current following that you have created on an already hugely popular social media app, Instagram.

7.  Unleash the power of short & informal videos

Instagram Reels are quick and to the point. This seems to be exactly what the young people are interested in nowadays. A recent study by IPG Labs found that a majority of users believed shorter ads were more effective. Usually advertisements of around 15 seconds performed the best. The demographic shown to enjoy quicker content the most was millennials. The reason that matters so much for Reels, is because such a large portion of Instagram’s users are young people. 

Pew Research statistics from 2018 showed that nearly ⅔ of Instagram users were 18-to-29 years old at the time. With the way people enjoy consuming information so quickly, businesses must create entertaining content that catches peoples’ eyes easily. These videos are only 15 seconds long, giving you the ability to deliver a message in a very short span of time. Although the time limit might seem intimidating, in reality, it will lead to your videos being viewed at a much higher rate.

8. It’s here to stay

The similarities between Instagram Reels and TikTok videos are clear. But something that is not so certain is the future of TikTok. According to a top executive at TikTok even a temporary ban on the app could cause up to 90% of users to stop using the platform. President Trump’s fight to ban TikTok has already cost the company millions, and who's to say how much more damage they can take. 

Whereas Instagram has never had a possibility of being banned. A study by Sprout Social reported that out of the companies surveyed, 89% indicated that Instagram was the best channel for social media marketing. And that makes sense when over 200 million Instagram users visit businesses’ profiles daily. So why not invest in and get involved with what's here to stay for sure?

9.  Instagram has a history of improving current trends

This is not the first time that Instagram has directly taken material from other trending apps. The Instagram stories feature is basically the same thing as Snapchat, and that doesn’t seem to matter. The number of daily users for Instagram stories quickly outgrew the number of daily users for Snapchat. Instagram stories gave marketers a whole new way to interact with consumers, unlike Snapchat, which is strictly used between friends. It is likely that the same thing will happen with Instagram Reels and TikTok, especially with the looming ban around the corner.

Instagram Reels is the latest in social media trends. Although fads come and go, Reels seem like they are here to stay. Instagram provides a great foundation for businesses to incorporate marketing strategies, so why not join the movement? Get a leg up on reaching consumers in your industry by utilizing videos that are quick, and to the point!

As always, if you are looking for a team to add some strategy to your content - we are always happy to talk! Send us an email at Brielle@letsbsocialtogether.com and let us take your social media to the next level!