The Feud Between TikTok and Meta: Instagram Reels

93% of businesses say they’ve landed a new customer thanks to a video on social media (O’Neil, M. 2018).

In 2019, when everyone remained at home, TikTok became a phenomenon with its short-form video and trendy music. In order to compete with this rapidly growing application, META implemented Reels on Instagram in 2020, following Facebook in 2021. This short-form video allows users to record 3 to 30-second video clips with effects, audio, and other creative tools to express themselves. As a competitive strategy, META is pushing Reels to larger audiences to gain traction on the internet to advertise this new feature – hoping to bring back the traffic they had lost to TikTok over the past two years.

So, how can you and your business benefit from this direct competition? Get in on the action – it’s as simple as that. Rather than sitting on the sidelines watching the two most popular applications on the internet hash it out, participate so you too can see an increase in followers, engagement, and most importantly, sales! The next step is execution. But where do I start? – great question.

Incorporate Two Reels Per Week

We know it may sound like a lot, and it can be if you’re not currently working with a social media agency or have hired a videographer or photographer to record and fill up your media bank. But, incorporating two Reels per week into your content calendar can have astronomical effects, giving you more chances to be identified by Instagram’s algorithm and have your content pushed to a larger audience.

Utilize Trending Instagram Reels Audio

You can have a great caption, video, and idea, but if you don’t utilize the appropriate audio when it’s trending at a peak time, you might as well not have posted.

In the marketing world, there is such a thing as a sweet spot. The “sweet spot” refers to the best time you should act on a trend to get the best results. As you can imagine, it isn’t easy as you have to ask yourself two things; does it have proven success? and how many people have used it? Too many, you’ll be drowned in the noise.

So, what is the lucky number? We can’t give away all of our secrets. However, when searching for audio to use, we suggest that you have a look in the lower left-hand corner where the song’s name is displayed on a reel. Does it have an arrow that is pointing towards the upper right-hand corner? If it does, this is good news. That means the audio is currently trending – act on it!

Ensure You Are Recording High-Quality Images & Video

Nothing is worse than looking back at the photo you asked your grandmother to take during your trip in Mexico, and a large thumb is covering half of your face in the frame, ugh! That is the exact reaction viewers will have if your photo or video quality isn’t up to par, or worse – darn internet trolls.

When creating a reel, ask yourself, “If I were scrolling on Instagram, would I stop to watch this?” and “Would I take the time out of my day to watch this entire video?”. If so, continue on your merry way. If not, consider re-shooting or looking into hiring a photographer or videographer – *cough* both services we offer here at Carmella. Or, hire an influencer to share and create videos of their own and share them to their profile, further growing your brand awareness.

As mentioned in our recent blog, 5 notable digital marketing trends in 2022, every day, we will continue to see new and emerging trends; make sure you keep up to date by subscribing to our Newsletter.