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Instagram Reels: Get the Most Out of Your Marketing Strategy in 2021

By | Raunak Pandey

Social networks have been innovating, presenting you with a new alternative: Instagram Reels. These networks have managed to position themselves as one of the most effective channels to be able to achieve a large audience and interact with it.

We can say that they (Social media channels) are already part of the different digital marketing strategies for many brands. In them, they have found the perfect space for you to attract potential customers and promote your services or products.

One of the most prominent networks at the moment is Instagram. A decade after its creation, it already has one billion active accounts. It is a platform that constantly offers its users new tools, and one of them is Instagram Reels.

New features to combat competition

Instagram has announced this new feature, with which it intends to sideline Tik Tok. Thanks to this new format, users will be able to have the same strategies that they follow in Tik Tok since short videos with audio tracks are created to be shared with your community.

Now, for example, you can record short videos of 15 seconds. A function that was created with the purpose of minimizing the famous social network of short clips.

Reels were first tested in Brazil, in November 2019. At the beginning of the summer of 2020, it was launched in Germany and France.

What are Instagram Reels?

Instagram Reels is a new format that is available to all Instagram users. This indicates that it is not an independent app, but that it is a new functionality that Stories have integrated. Thanks to it you can:

  • Create videos that are short, lasting 15 seconds.
  • Add effects and creative filters that are already predesigned.
  • Use music created by you or that already exists.
  • Publish your clip in the Feed or in the Stories section. In turn, you can send it to another user as a direct message.
  • In the Top Reels, the section observes the most popular videos.

This is a short video format that you can add different audio tracks and songs from your favorite artists. It is inspired by the Tik Tok platform, so it is designed for people to make their own “playback” versions of their favorite content.

The main difference is that the Instagram option is limited to just 15 seconds, while on Tik Tok it can go up to 60 seconds.

How to create Instagram Reels

Although this is a new functionality that Instagram is implementing, its operation is a bit intuitive.

If you want to create a reel, the first thing you have to do is open the Instagram app, open the camera, and select the Reels option on the screen that is next to the stories.

Explore all the creative tools it has to offer. You can find them displayed on the left side of your screen. Once you are inside you are ready for the following steps:

  • Audio and music: They allow you to add an audio track to your videos. You can choose from all the songs that are available on Reels. You can also choose the extract of the piece, which will last 15 seconds.
  • Speed: It is the option with which you can speed up or slow down the clip or the audio, either for the entire piece or for a specific extract.
  • Effects and filters: You will find them in different options that are designed by the company, as well as filters that are created by users. Instagram has classic filters and augmented reality.
  • Timer: With this option, you will set a limit to the duration of your video. You can also start a countdown, so you can record hands-free.
  • Alignment: You can align all the clips so that the transition between them is much more fluid.

What to do to finish?

Finally, what you have to do is record your videos according to the creative options you have chosen, as well as observe what the result was and share it with your entire community.

If your account is public, the reel will be shared in the “Explore” section. There anyone can locate it depending on the hashtags you have placed, the effects used, or the songs. On the contrary, if the configuration that your profile has is private, it will only be shared with your followers.

How to save and upload your drafts on Instagram Reels

You don’t always need to share the reel once you’ve finished recording it. You can also leave your recording halfway and finish it another time. For this, the draft option is available.

If you want to save a reel in drafts, just click the “Save as draft” button, instead of selecting the share. When you want to continue working with your draft, or finally share it, you can perform the following steps:

  • Enter your Instagram profile.
  • Select the Reels option, so you can see what you have published and your drafts.
  • Enter the draft that you want to continue editing.
  • Choose if you only want to modify the screen or edit the video completely.
  • When you have it ready, press share. After this, the reel will no longer be part of the drafts and will proceed to appear as published.

Tricks that you can use in Reels

Now that you are clear about the process to create your Instagram Reels, it is time for you to become a professional in this new option that the application offers you. Practice will always make perfect, so put your creativity to work to be the best. Here are some tricks to make your reels:

1.- Look for inspiration in other people who handle this tool

In order for you to become a good content creator in Reels, it is necessary that you always be up to date with daily trends, as well as with the challenges that other creators perform in the app.

A good application to inspire you is Tik Tok. You just have to see which are the dances that are repeated the most and the challenges that are currently in fashion. Over time, you will be the one who ends up creating your own reel to become a viral video.

2.- Put the filters into practice

The effects and the gallery of filters that Instagram Reels have are totally extensive and are constantly being updated. The best thing is that you are always up to date with everyone out there so that you get the most out of your clips.

You can improve the image of the video or highlight the feelings you want to convey with the different filters. A good recommendation here can be the “Chromatic delay” or “Motion Blur”.

But if you are looking for an effect that is funnier, you can use “Infinite Zoom”. Here the image you are using will be reflected infinity.

Another option is to explore all the augmented reality effects, which will add some smart objects in real-time to the image you are presenting. With this function, all effects and filters can be used for each clip.

3.- Speed ​​is not something that cannot be modified

Slowing down time for a few seconds can help you get a lot more attention in your best dance moves. On the contrary, if you speed up the time of your clip, it can work for you to add a touch of humor.

The speed of this Instagram function is not something fixed, so you can speed it up and slow it down whenever you want.

4.- Use the alignment tool

It can be tricky to make smooth transitions in your videos. This is common when you want to join different clips. To be able to do this, Instagram Reels has at your disposal the “ghost” tool, which allows you to align the videos.

With this, you can create a semi-transparent layer that has the position of all the objects you want to join. In this way, you can place them in the same position and make a new recording of a video.

This will allow you to avoid any jump in the transition when all clips are mounted on the same reel.

5.- With the use of hashtags the impact will be greater

Finally, if you are looking for your videos to have a greater diffusion, it is necessary that your profile remains public. You can also use tricks to make your reel appear in the “Explore” tab.

As with Stories or photos in the Feed, using hashtags will be key. You can use tags that are descriptive, without forgetting to use those that are in trend or that are challenges, as long as your clip is part of them.

Thanks to all these tips, you should feel prepared to work with Instagram Reels. You just have to put them into practice to be the best!


Author Bio:

Raunak is a Mechanical Engineer by qualification & Marketer by passion. He is the founder of Maiden Stride, a leading digital marketing company that provides world-class search engine marketing services and website & application development.

 

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