What is a Reel?

A Reel is a short video (up to 60 seconds) that can be created right on your Instagram or Facebook account. You can record or upload videos and photos to create your Reel. During this time you can make customizations like adding music to set the tone, adding filters and effects, adjusting the speed, adding text, and so on.

All of these customizations combined can create a range of content from fun and entertaining videos to educational knowledge based videos too! There really are endless possibilities.

How Can You Best Utilize the Reel Feature?

Reels are easily accessible video content for your page and while there is no perfect formula, here are some tips that can set you up for success:

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  Use trending audio. When you use audio that is currently popular in the Reel community, your video is more likely to be found, seen, and engaged with.
• Be aware of topics that are trending online and create with this in mind.
• Provide value in the content that you create. When you create knowledge or educational Reels, make sure there is meaning behind it.
• Stay true to your brand, values, aesthetic, etc. It’s great to hop on board with a fun new trend, but keep in mind why people follow your page.
• Use high quality images and video content.
• Keep your Reel short and sweet, you don’t want to lose the attention of your audience by dragging out your content for too long.
• Use text and captions on your Reel and keep your copy and hashtags relevant. 

Tip: when you’re scrolling through Reels, look for the small arrow icon on the bottom left of the screen. That’s trending audio.

Overall, it’s important to be mindful of what’s trending and what is currently popular, while staying true to your brand and your vision. If you can combine those two components into one cohesive piece of creative content, then you are on the right track!

Watch One of Our Latest Reels ⬇️ 

Quick Facts About Reels

• Instagram has been around for over a decade, with Reels appearing only a few years ago
• Facebook has been around for over 15 years, but just released its Reel feature in February 2022
• Reels can range from 5 to 60 seconds
• Reels can be entertaining, educational, and aesthetic
• Age demographic is 18-29 with just over ⅔ being women

What is the Difference Between Reels, TikToks, and the new Pinterest Idea Pins?

Quick engaging videos have become a very popular method of sharing content on social media across the board, with new options and variations popping up! 

TikTok

TikTok is a short form video sharing social media platform. TikTok videos started with 15 seconds as the only length option, but has since grown to include a 60-second option as well a 3-minute option.

TikTok tends to have videos that are fun, entertaining and playful. There is also a lot of information sharing and education-based TikTok content. The most common demographic of TikTok is a younger audience aged 16-24 with nearly 100 million active users in the US alone. We have been exploring TikTok ad options for some of our clients and have found it to be a great way to reach your audience in a fun and engaging way.

Quick Takeaways for TikTok

• It has been around for 5+ years, but gained general popularity in early 2020
• Target demographic is people aged 16-24
• Has video lengths of 15 seconds, 60 seconds, and 3 minutes
• Its vibe is fun, playful, and entertaining
• Businesses can advertise on TikTok, boosting your digital marketing strategy

Idea Pin

Idea Pins are the new video content posts from Pinterest. They were introduced in the Fall of 2020 for beta testing and are now available to all Pinterest users. Much like TikTok and Reels, the Idea Pins are short video posts to showcase your content. These pins allow up to 20 pages of video recording and editing.

Pinterest has nearly 500 million dedicated users. The primary age group for Pinterest is those aged 18-25 and is followed by those aged 25-40, with over 60% being women. Pinterest is the social media version of a vision board. Popular topics include fashion, weddings, home decor, art, and more. Idea Pins bring a lot of potential for users and for advertising alike.

Quick Takeaways for Idea Pins

• Idea Pins are very new (end of 2020!)
• Idea Pins can incorporate up to 20 pages of content and videos
• The primary demographic is women aged 18-25, followed by women aged 25-40
• Pinterest is an organizational social media platform
• Popular topics include fashion, decor, weddings, art based posts

We always aim to share the importance of being active on social media, but it’s just as important to stay up to date on how you can best utilize what’s new to fit your brand, content, and message.

Have questions about how you can incorporate Reels, TikToks, or Idea Pins into your digital marketing strategy? Send us an email at hello@thesmallsocial.com. We would be happy to chat!