| By Anwesha Pandain Digital Marketing Guides|Reader DisclosureDisclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means we may earn a commission if you click on some of our links.
Usually, businesses spend a lot of money running ads to promote their brand on different platforms. And although that is effective, there are better ways to get your brand’s reach and engagement today. For instance, you can use engaging mediums such as Reels on Instagram.
Instagram is the third-most used social networking site, with over 1 billion users across the globe. With over 500 million monthly active users, Instagram Reels is a powerful tool for your brand to gain new customers and reach your target customer base.
It is an effective tool to increase your brand awareness and reach your potential customers.
Reels are short, engaging videos on Instagram that usually last from 15 seconds to one minute. You can create Reels with audio, effects, and new creative editing tools.
These short videos make use of the psychology of micro-moments — brief moments of intention that spur immediate action. That is, they are designed to capture your attention quickly and then hold it.
This is perfect for busy users who scroll through their feed quickly and don’t have time to watch long videos. And since Reels are so short, they’re also more likely to be watched all the way through than longer videos.
Moreover, Instagram’s algorithm uses AI and machine learning to track your interests and suggest only the most relevant content for you. This makes Reels more engaging and addictive, fulfilling Instagram’s goal of keeping users on the app for as long as possible.
So, imagine the potential of using Reels to reach your target audience if you’re a marketer. All you need is a creative idea, some good editing skills, and voila! You’ve got yourself a Reel that could go viral.
Instagram’s business model is based on two things: user engagement and advertising. The more time users spend on the app, the more money Instagram makes from advertisers.
This is why Reels was introduced in the first place – to keep users engaged on the app for longer.
And as a marketer, you can use this to your advantage by creating Reels that are not only entertaining but also informative and useful for your target audience.
Here are some tips on how to use Instagram Reels as a marketing tool:
Identify Your Target Audience
Before you create a Reel, you need to identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your Reel? What kind of content will they be interested in?
You need to answer these questions before you can start creating content that resonates with your audience.
Usually, your target audiences on Instagram are the people who will either buy your offering or be interested in what you’re selling.
You can identify your target audience in the following ways:
Establishing the industrial authority of your brand.
Increasing traffic for your website.
So, if your Reels fit Instagram’s algorithm, they can be discovered even by people who do not follow you. This increases your brand’s exposure by attracting your potential customer’s attention.
For example, let’s say your business is a fashion brand. Then you want your Reel to showcase your best and latest designs. In that case, your marketing goal would be to get customers into your physical store or make your potential clients purchase your clothes from your online store.
In this scenario, you must create an Instagram Reel showcasing your best work. It is meant to build awareness of your brand, which will help you reach your marketing goals.
After you know your goals, you need to figure out what your competition is doing to maintain your brand value.
Competitor Analysis
Your competitors can be a great source of inspiration for your content strategy. By understanding what type of content is resonating with their audience, you can produce similar content that appeals to your own target market.
To do a competitor analysis, start by creating a list of your main competitors. Then, visit their website and social media channels to see what type of content they’re producing. Make note of any content that performs well, informative reels, creative Reels, etc.
The most important thing you need to notice in your competitor’s Reels is how they increase their reach and engage their viewers.
Once you have a good understanding of your competitor’s content strategy, you can start to develop your own ideas for Instagram Reels.
Develop A Reel Campaign
Sephora shows us why they’re one of the best brands on Instagram to use Reels for marketing, with over 1.3 million views on Reels alone.
If you still think that Instagram Reels aren’t something for you, then let me tell you why you should give them a shot.
To build a strong brand, you must develop a strong message to help you stand out from the crowd. It will let your target audience know who you are and help you define your brand identity and position in the market.
Hence, here are the steps you can use to develop your reel campaign.
Develop your Reel Content
This is the fun part! Reels can usually be broken down into four types of content:
Educational: These are videos that teach your audience something new. This could be a tutorial on how to get more views to your blog, a listicle of tips for social media success, or even a quick how-to guide.
Entertaining: These Reels are all about providing value to your audience through entertainment. This could be a funny video, a celebrity interview, or anything else that you think will make your audience laugh or engage with you.
Emotional: They are designed to evoke an emotional response from your audience. This could be a heartwarming story, an inspirational video, or something that makes your audience think about your brand in a new light.
Product-Focused: Such Reels are designed to promote your brand, product, or service. This could be a video showcasing a new product or a coupon code for your online store. Usually, these reels receive the least amount of engagement because they’re perceived as being “sales-y.”
No matter what type of Reel you create, ensure to divide the same into three parts –
Hook
The first two-to-five seconds of the video are vital to keep your audience engaged. You need to grab their attention immediately and make them want to see more. You do the same using voiceovers, text overlays, or using aesthetic filters. Here is an example of an engaging hook in the form of aesthetics –
This is where you deliver on the promise made in the hook. The content should be interesting, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. If you’re selling a product, make sure to showcase it in the best light possible. Use creative angles, interesting visuals, and helpful tips to keep viewers engaged.
If you’re creating an educational Reel, make sure the information is presented in an engaging and easy-to-understand way. Use graphics, screenshots, or short videos to break up the text and make the information more digestible.
Here’s an interesting reel from a travel company Tripoto aiming to increase its brand exposure.
Here’s an educational video by Indiahikes, one of the largest trekking companies in India. The reel helps people understand how to prevent blisters on a trek. The reel got around 130k views and was very well received by the audience.
While not always necessary, a strong call-to-action (CTA) can be very effective in getting people to take the desired action. Your CTA could be anything from asking people to comment on the reel, to follow your brand on Instagram, or even visit your website.
Here’s an example of an educational reel by Finance With Sharan with an interesting CTA of following them on Instagram.
While Instagram provides its own editing tool within the app, many marketers prefer to use other software to create their Instagram Reels. This is because these other tools often provide more features and flexibility when it comes to editing and creating content.
Some of the most popular software used to create Instagram Reels include:
Wave.video: Online video editor with built-in video templates for reels.
InVideo: Online video editor with a wide range of editing features for reels.
Canva: Online design platform with built-in video editing capabilities.
Wevideo: An online video editor with over 1 million stock assets.
Features
InVideo
WaveVideo
WeVideo
Canva
Adobe Premiere Pro
Audio Tools
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Media Library
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Social Sharing
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Speed Adjustments
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Split/Merge Video
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You can even edit videos on your phone using apps like –
VN
Power director
Quik
Kinemaster
Post The Reel
Creating the Reel is only half the battle, you also need to ensure that it reaches your target audience.
Captions, hashtags, time of posting, location, tags, collaboration, etc. all play a role in increasing the reach of your reel. Here’s how to do this:
Hashtags: Use relevant and popular hashtags so that your reel can be discovered by users who are searching for those hashtags. You can use up to 30 hashtags on a reel. Find relevant hashtags on hashtag research tools like Hashtagify.
Time of Posting: The best time to post your reel is when your target audience is most active on Instagram. Find out when this is by looking at your Instagram Insights or using a tool like Sprout Social.
Location: You can include a location in your reel to make it discoverable to people who are searching for content from that location.
Audio: Choose an audio track that fits the mood and theme of your reel. It is usually preferred to use a trending song so that your reel is more discoverable.
Video length: The ideal video length for a reel is 15 seconds. This is because people generally have a short attention span when scrolling through their feed.
Add Text and Effects: Text work great as a hook to grab people’s attention. Add text at the beginning or end of your reel, or use it throughout the video to highlight important points. You can also add effects like filters, slow motion, and speed up to make your reel more visually appealing.
Captions: Use captions to tell people what your reel is about and to encourage them to watch it. Keep your caption short and to the point.
Promote Your Reels
Promoting your reels is as important as creating them. Here are a few ways you can promote your Instagram reels:
Use Instagram’s Story feature to promote it.
Engage with your audience in the Comment section.
Share your Reel on other social platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube etc., to increase your reach.
Finally, to increase the reach and engagement of your Reel, you can also use paid advertising tools like Promote Your Page and Instagram Ads.
Now that you have put all your efforts into making the perfect Reel for marketing your product, it is time to analyse your work.
Analyse Your Work
After you have done everything to market your product using reels, take a step back and evaluate the engagement you received. Was it as per your expectations, or was it above or below your expectation?
Carefully gather all the information and re-evaluate your marketing strategy accordingly.
Bottom-Line?
Instagram Reels offers a robust platform for businesses to share tips, educate, entertain, inspire, and engage with their audiences organically. With Instagram Reels, you can strengthen your relationship with your viewers while increasing your brand’s visibility.
And you don’t have to be a well-known company with thousands of followers to go viral, which makes it even more appealing.
So it’s time to put the advice above into action, include reels into your overall marketing approach, and let your brand take off.
Go On, Tell Us What You Think!
Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on using Instagram Reels as a marketing tool in the comments section.
A lawyer and an avid reader with a keen interest in company laws. Anwesha has good experience of writing in the legal and startup industries for well over 10 companies. In her free time, you can find her reading fiction and stargazing.
