Instagram Reels have become a marketing tool for businesses.
It's critical for businesses to meet their customers where they are, not where we want them to be. With one billion monthly active users, you can expect that many of your consumers are on Instagram.
When you consider that video content increases engagement, connection, and trust, it's easy to see why Instagram Reels has become a marketing tool for businesses.
What are Instagram Reels?
Reels is an Instagram tool that is available on iOS and Android that allows you to shoot, edit, and share 15 or 30-second movies. Reels, unlike Stories, but similar to TikTok, provide comprehensive editing and video processing features. You can add music, speed up or slow things down, add special effects, and more.
Reels display on both the Reels and Explore tabs of your profile, but you may also share Reels in your feed, Story, or directly with another user.
Your Reels will also be found when people search for the music or hashtag you used.
Why Instagram Reels?
Social media has contributed to the transformation of the purchasing "funnel" into more of a "web" of many locations your customers go to obtain items and services. With one billion monthly active users and 500 million daily users, Instagram is still one of the fastest-growing social platforms. That is a large number of potential clients!
Aside from the fact that it's video content, most content creators discovered that when they uploaded Instagram Reels, they observed an increase in overall engagement.
Feed posts were the hip kids on the block in 2019. But it's all about Instagram Reels these days. In fact, since 2019, the average engagement rate for feed articles (excluding Reels and IGTV) has plummeted by 44%.
The average engagement rate for feed posts in 2019 was 5.16%, according to recent research of 81M Instagram posts. By the end of 2021, this figure had dropped to 2.88%.
The falling tendency also applies to standard feed posts (images, carousels, and videos):
The graph depicts the drop in Instagram feed postings from 2019 to 2022.
Traditional video feed posts experienced the biggest year-over-year average loss, whereas carousel postings consistently fared the best in terms of interaction.
Why Has the Performance of Instagram Feed Posts Dropped?
Since the feature's debut in August of 2020, it is common knowledge that Reels have been the top priority for the app, and as a result, other types of posts have been sidelined to the background.
Those who have switched over to using Reels have seen either no change in their engagement rates or, what's even better, growth in positive numbers.
As an example, since incorporating Reels as a component of our Instagram marketing strategy, we have seen an increase in our engagement rate that is greater than or equal to 500%.
Although the Instagram strategy that Digital Habitus implements contains more than just Reels, it is clearly evident that these clips have been a significant driving force behind our clients' increased reach and engagement.
For Your 2022 Instagram Plan, What Does This Mean?
The data don't lie, as they say. It is time to jump on board with Reels if you want to achieve an increase in engagement on Instagram in the year 2022.
Although normal posts to feeds will always have a place on Instagram, Reels have quickly become the platform's most effective method for reaching new audiences.
The good news is that there are a variety of methods to express your creativity with Reels, and you do not need to be an expert in video editing or a skilled dancer to do so.
They can be as simple as utilising Reels Templates to combine a number of still images or clips with a rhythm, or as straightforward as adding an inspirational remark to some ambient b-roll footage.
All that's required is a dose of experimentation and a healthy amount of creative thinking.
If your engagement rates have dropped in recent years, realise that you're not alone. Many accounts have had the same drop.
What's the good news? There are still numerous ways to change your approach and get benefits.
In fact, some businesses and creators are experiencing better levels of reach and engagement than ever before. Instagram isn't "dead," it's just evolving - and with change comes opportunity.
