The launch of Instagram reels in 2020 was undoubtedly a boom: a new volatile, dynamic, and entertaining short video format that is here to stay. In this article, I share steps and tips to create an effective reel strategy, so you can start seeing results immediately.
It is true that all roads lead to the Reels section on Instagram. It is the favorite format of both users and creators. However, you already know that the popularity of this new way of consuming content on social networks does not come from the platform mentioned above. TikTok has been, without a doubt, a before and after in how users seek to entertain themselves on social networks.
TikTok is a social network with more than 500 million active users that serves as an infinite timeline for videos between 15 seconds and 3 minutes. When it started to become popular, it was a novelty: it did not compete directly with other platforms that included a video (YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, or Facebook) and neither with Instagram. These platforms offered other types of multimedia content: stories, direct, long, and horizontal videos.
What are reels?
The reels, we can deduce, are born as a result of the global success of TikTok: a platform that has broken the mold and has imposed its own nature over what has been seen on other social networks. Spontaneous, free content, without too much editing, accessible to anyone. No excessive preparation. What made this social network unique was its fresher and more natural perspective.
Quickly, interest in this new proposal began to spread outside China (TikTok’s country of origin) and reached the whole world. Of course, this alarmed Instagram.
The need to innovate and avoid losing users and platform usage time (an aspect in which TikTok was gaining ground) led to the launch of Instagram Reels.
Reels are short vertical videos with a maximum duration of 60 seconds, to which effects, transitions, music, stickers, and other resources offered by the social network can be added. Just for your reference, you can make reels with tools like Canva, FlexClip, or Magisto.
Remember that you cannot think of this video format as a regular publication in the feed. Reels are designed to reach users who do not follow you and be shown to more and more people with similar interests to your content if it performs well. They allow you to reach more people, not only your followers but also position you on the radar of potential customers without having to pay anything for advertising.
One advantage of Instagram Reels over TikTok is that, if you enjoy consuming content in other formats, you have everything in one app: feed, stories, live streams, Reels, and horizontal videos to stay there longer.
Create an effective reel strategy step by step
Creating reels is more than recording yourself doing a dance or a challenge and uploading it if you want to use it to grow your business or be more visible on social networks. In this sense, designing an effective strategy is going to be the fundamental element in achieving your goals.
A strategy is a plan of action designed to gain more visibility, reach a new audience, or expand new market lines to attract new clients or keep our already potential clients.
Define goals
If you want to jump on the reel trend just because others do, chances are you won’t see the results you want. For the content on social networks to contribute to the general strategy of a business, it has to be planned based on specific objectives. That is, it is not the same if you are starting a business and need visibility as if you need to make more sales or conversions.
At this point, the reels have a difference. Being shown mainly to an audience that does not follow your account, you must have a strategic and different view regarding the content plan: you must capture the attention of users who probably do not know you.
If you want to know more about how to set marketing objectives, I recommend you read this article where I delve into it.
Identify your key audience
According to Socialbakers, 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services, so every business has great opportunities to increase sales and conversions on social media.
However, this is not achieved by making Reels in which you offer a product or service. Users look for entertainment on social networks, and they are just one step away from skipping your content if they are not interested.
That is why you must be clear about who you are targeting, identify your buyer persona and create content that covers your audience’s wishes, needs, and problems, to offer a solution with your services.
Establish lines of communication
Before starting to record, I suggest you create some axes that will define your future strategy, think:
What do you want to communicate?
How do you want a user who does not follow you and perhaps does not know you to perceive you?
What are the most relevant topics for your sector?
How can you offer valuable content to your audience?
In what subject would you like to be a reference?
You can define 3 to 5 axes that guide the rest of your content by answering these questions. Of course, these axes can be maintained and also updated if, for example, you are launching a product or service and need to communicate something related to it.
Research your competition
Knowing what is happening in the market is essential for the growth of your brand: this will help you not only to know what is fashionable in a certain field but also to know what the public wants and does not want to consume.
Of course, it is not an item that will determine what content you will create: your competitors have their own content strategy and different objectives from yours, and perhaps they are targeting a different audience. Therefore, this point will only serve as a reference.
What should you observe about your competition
- Content with greater interaction.
- Audience feedback.
- Frequency of publications.
- Themes.
- Formats.
- Trends.
Plan your content
A large part of the success of an Instagram account (and any social network in general) is planning, that is, avoiding random posts but ensuring that each post has coherence and strategy.
This will allow you to organize yourself, create content with time and avoid the famous “I don’t have time” to make reels. However, you must be flexible in adding or removing content that is last minute: remember that digital marketing is a very volatile, dynamic world. You must be ready to adapt to new changes.
I suggest you have a content calendar to guide you with the date, content type, and publication status.
Tips for creating successful Reels
- Connect emotionally. For example, tell the story of your brand or business.
- Have creative ideas.
- Learning. Create reels so that users can learn something from you.
- Trend. Keep your reels updated with what’s in trend but always give it your personal touch.
- Value content. Remember that the information you will give through the reels has to be related to your brand, business, or company.
- Hashtags. With which you will be more visible and viral in the Instagram community, as long as we use them correctly. For example, putting many hashtags which are in trend in a reel that has nothing to do with our brand or business will prevent us from reaching the audience we really want.
- Speed. Playing with the reels’ rhythm, duration, and speed will make the content more dynamic and fun.
- Filters. To make the reels more attractive and original.
