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  • Writer's pictureEntrigue Consulting

Getting Reel: Instagram’s New Feature is a Must to Gain Marketing Momentum

Updated: Aug 17, 2023

Equestrian Instagram on IPhone

By now, you are probably aware of Instagram’s latest feature - Reels. For those of you that are not, Reels are short video clips that you are able to share with your viewers. You may be wondering how long Instagram Reels can be. Well, we’ve got the answer! Up to 90 seconds long. You may add audio, edit the video, and add instant effects making them much more visibly pleasing than regular videos and photos. For businesses, Reels have become a complete gold mine in helping follower growth, increasing engagements, and sales conversions! Instagram Reels have developed to be a quick and convenient way to engage your business’s audience, deliver your brand’s message, and are a serious game changer in the social media world.


Reels are beneficial because they provide easier shareability and are not disposable, meaning that unlike stories, Reels will not vanish after 24 hours and still offer creative marketing options that let you play with trending audio or current music. Reels also provide better discoverability because Instagram promotes them more to users in their feeds. Reels also appear in the explore tab which provides users outside of your followers an opportunity to view and engage with your marketing content. By using songs, hashtags, or the effects added in the video, you also are able to expand your audience!


For your business, the possibilities are endless in how Reels can be used to your

advantage. You can showcase new products with catchy captions and AR overlays, show

behind the scenes of a photo shoot because who doesn’t love to see the fun behind the camera, and answer questions. Every business gets common questions that people are dying to know the answer to or want to see new and exciting ways to use your brand’s products! You can film a FAQ video or do edit cuts to make quick montages that show your product journey – it’s a great way to answer questions visually to a large audience and create an emotional connection with customers.


If you have not made the switch to Reels, there is a huge chance you have seen a

plummet in your Instagram’s performance in the past year too! The average engagement rate for feed posts (excluding Instagram Reels) has decreased by 44% since 2019. Why is that? Instagram has redesigned its home screen to put Reels front and center. The algorithm also prioritizes Reels that check certain boxes. Reels of low quality, those published on other platforms, and blurry ones are deprioritized by Instagram. For those who have increased their Reel usage, engagement rates have seen positive growth!


Some tips to follow when creating Instagram Reels:

1. Use trending music. Doing so can make a significant difference in your Reels

strategy (and results). Instagram prioritizes Reels that use songs or sounds people

like to include in (or remix into) their own Reels. When they do so, users are

engaging with your brand and sharing your audio, increasing your chance of ​​virality.

2. Make your Reel visually appealing. It’s also important to make your Reel visually

interesting for your followers. Think about adding some fun transitions, cutting on the

music or utilizing creative camera movement that can catch a viewer’s attention.

3. Use the highest quality photos and videos possible. Instagram typically favors

Reels that are easy on the eyes. You want to avoid using low-res photos and videos

whenever possible and SHOOT VERTICLE to utilize the entire screen of your

viewer’s phone. Adding lots of filters—can also degrade the quality so be selective

when you distort your images or use beauty filters! Reels that are made with the

different camera effects and filters offered by Instagram typically get an extra boost

as long as the original video was high enough quality that the overall picture is

friendly to the eye!

4. Keep your videos short. Short videos are a great way to maximize impact because you can customize them according to your brand’s goals and really target your

audience. They are also easy for following to quickly engage with when they are on

the go!


Instagram Reels are BOOMING and when used correctly can really benefit business

growth, awareness, and sales. They are an essential component to successful online social media marketing in 2022. Trends are always changing with social media marketing, and it is important to ride engagement waves to capitalize on opportunities for growth before platforms like Facebook and Instagram move on to their next upgrade to excite users. Right now, integrating this new feature is a no-brainer for any small business social media marketing. Gathering the content and spending time designing Instagram Reels at first can seem a bit daunting but once you start you won’t be able to stop. Reels make social media marketing playful but effective so your small business can continue to see digital growth.

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