How to Adapt Your Social Media to Changing Platforms: Using Instagram Reels and TikTok
Did you know 90% of internet users watch a video on social media at least once a month? Also, videos are now the most engaged with form of social media above photos or text. It’s no secret that social media is constantly adapting to today’s changing world. As such, technology and businesses are adapting with it to keep up. Instagram Reels and TikTok both use short and to the point video content to engage audiences who may have a shorter attention span.
What are Instagram Reels?
Introduced this August, Instagram Reels is a new feature that allows users to post to the Instagram grid with a short 15- or 30-second video that feels like an Instagram Story, yet appears in your followers’ main feed. The same filters and tools available with Instagram Stories are also available to edit reels. Users also have the option to let the reel sit on the main profile grid or sit on its own separate grid exclusively for reels. This is an opportunity to show content that is short in length but might need more context than the content used in Instagram stories. Or you could upload a short-edited video that reaches an audience that might not have the attention span to watch a longer IGTV video. Reels also provides a new way for brand and social influencers to interact. Rather than the don’t-see-it-and-you-miss-it Stories, brands and influencers who partner on Reels likely can make a bigger impact.
Photo courtesy of Instagram
TikTok Is Not Only for Dancing!
With 500 million monthly users worldwide, the takeover of this new app among younger audiences has completely changed the way businesses are viewing their social media marketing strategies. TikTok uses videos as short as 5 seconds or up to one minute in length in order to convey a short message to audiences. Videos can be anywhere from professionally made to a quick one take selfie-shot.
When getting started with creating TikToks, think about your brand and what personality you want to convey. Should you talk casually like you’re speaking to a friend? Or do you want to show that your business is highly professional? Somewhere in the middle? Regardless of your approach, businesses need to nail down a strategy and adjust the quality of their videos accordingly. Large brands from Netflix to The Washington Post, The Seattle Seahawks and small businesses local to the Seattle area are increasing brand trust and awareness and getting eyes on their business or product.
Staying Ahead of the Social Media Curve
To keep an eye on the fast-paced market and informed on how to keep your audience entertained, be sure to follow the news regarding social media and how the press and public is reacting to different platforms or tools. Podcasts are another way to get opinions on what’s new in technology and how to best use it (or not use it at all). Digital users come to social media for a variety of reasons, including shopping, entertainment, news, and connecting with friends. Businesses can waste time and energy trying to be everything to everyone and hopping on social media platforms or strategies that don’t fit their identity, but choosing a few key elements to keep outreach up to date goes a long way.
Engaging with every new feature that a social media platform releases is not necessary to reach your audience. However, understanding who is engaging with these new tools and seeing if you want to explore how your current following might react to these short videos is still important. These two areas have already been seen to have a lot of overlap, and many users have been posting the same content in both locations. Regardless of how you use them, creating a unique message that relates to your customers in a fun way will allow them to get to know you and your brand better.