Social Update – It’s got us reeling
As you may have seen, Instagram has recently released a new feature called Reels, their answer to the lockdown popular app, TikTok, and so we wanted to give you the rundown on this new addition as well as some old faithfuls that may help you boost you profile and you business’ reach online.
Instagram Reels is here! Allowing in-app short form edited videos, you no longer have to leave Instagram to edit, add filters or audio, it’s all there ready for you to use. Located in your Instagram camera alongside normal story and live options, it is easy to find and set up. There are a variety of editing tools, from music, filters, timers and speed and the ability to align objects from previous clips in the one you are currently shooting. Reels allows you to shoot videos all in one go or in a series of clips, similarly to TikTok. Having Reels on Instagram makes life easier for those of you that may be a bit cautious when entering a new social media setting, Instagram are taking note of what businesses want and reels is their answer.
Instagram TV, or more commonly known as IGTV, the long form video of Instagram is also an important tool to utilise to get your brand noticed. Tutorials and handy tips and tricks can be easily uploaded using IGTV, and there is no small time restriction, like main posts have, no one-minute limit to stop you from getting your information and brand out there! IGTV is popular on explore pages, and Reels is soon to be the same, video content always gets more than 3x times the engagement. Make sure you use relevant hashtags to appear on everyone’s explore pages.
Instagram Stories, originally Instagram’s answer to Snapchat Stories, is something that we have had for a while, but their updates over the years that are extremely useful for you branding and promoting your products.
This was touched on in a previous blog, stickers that link to your website to purchase items, hashtags to promote, geotagging, polls, Q&As, all these add-ons to your stories can help boost your reach and shine a light on the things that are important to you, and what you are wanting people to see. Instagram stories are also short form content like Reels, but they are more organic, and spontaneous in nature, making them a perfect way to humanise your brand. Make your followers feel like they are following a friend when they are going through their new story updates. Stories are the largest market for viewership and is on par with Facebook’s version of stories with around 500 million global viewers every single day. Another thing to note about Stories is that you are also able to “highlight” them and leave them to be viewed on your profile in the future, this is great when you start having themed highlights.
Shoppable posts, over the last year or so Instagram has also created the ability to shop straight from Instagram with it’s shopping option. It allows brands and e-comm businesses the option to allow their followers to buy directly without having to link out to find where to purchase the product. All you have to do to activate this feature is have a business Instagram account, be connected to a Facebook page and mainly sell goods and products, you will also need a Facebook Catalog to store all your product information, and will help if you want to place ads on Facebook and Instagram with your products linked, this can be done directly or through a third-party service. Shopping and promoting in the digital era has never been easier.
With more than 100 million active Instagram accounts and counting, and an ever-expanding array of formats to take advantage of both personally and professionally, Instagram is the place to be when it comes to brand promotion. It’s fun, creative and a place that always has something happening. If you start to utilise the many tools Instagram has placed in your hands, you and your brand will be unstoppable and we can’t wait to watch.