A Reel is a video feature on Instagram. They are short, entertaining and creative videos made by users. You can share your reels with followers on a private account and share with a broader audience through the Explore page in the middle button of the app with a public account. Reels in Explore have a higher chance of being seen by more people, especially with trending sounds and music. Use Reels to reach new audiences on a large scale.
It is easy to like, share and comment in the Reels section, with the icons being along the right side of the screen. Some reels have a “Featured label”, which means Instagram has featured your Reel; you will receive a notification when this happens. Instagram chooses featured Reels for being wildly entertaining and engaging Reels.
Reels seem to be more popular among brands and businesses than influencers more focused on TikTok. They are connected to your profile page on Instagram, filled with still posts and stories containing your product or services and links straight to your company website. This allows people to browse your brand and company directly from a reel, unlike TikTok profiles containing videos and no static posts.
In our experience, we also agree that posting Reels has shown higher engagement rates and a slow rise in followers.
New reels on Facebook
Facebook has recently released Reels. Originally introduced in 2021 but only globally in 2022. They are found in the Facebook feed, Reels section, and your Reels profile on Facebook.
Reels on Facebook are much the same as Instagram Reels, being entertaining short videos. Facebook describes Reels as:
Reels seem to be more popular with brands and businesses, as we briefly touched on before. Reels are your gateway to your business, profile, and website; therefore, having a solid profile is essential. They are connected to your profile page on Instagram, filled with still posts and stories containing your product or services and links straight to your company website. This allows people to browse your brand and company directly from a reel, unlike TikTok profiles containing videos and no static posts.
You can do things to increase the likelihood of a video going ‘viral’ and being seen by many. First things first, using trending sounds! Then, once posted, add the Reel to your story to increase the likelihood of it being seen.
Having a person showing their face on a video seems to increase the popularity. “We see that an image of a person in the Reel helps it perform better,” says Cohen, from Hoopsuite. Users have a higher chance of feeling connected to the video by seeing a friendly face.
Reels are the place for entertaining, engaging and funny content. People like entertainment when scrolling. Therefore, the best strategy is to find a way to grab the user’s attention and then have a good CTA to draw them to your profile. Avoid low-quality videos or content taken from other apps (TikTok). They are not going to be shown, due to the watermark logo, as Instagram likes to push original content.
Conclusion
Well, it’s clear to see that Reels are indeed taking over our apps. From Instagram to Facebook, Reels are on the rise!
Utilising Reels is essential for business owners. They can increase the chances of growing followers and creating engagement. They should be short, entertaining and engaging, with something to draw users in as they are a gateway to your profile, which ultimately is where you aim for customers to be.
Reels are worth your time! Start creating today!
If you’re stuck with no inspiration, let us do the hard job! We offer social media management.
We’ve all heard of Instagram and TikTok in the online world of social media. Instagram is known for its Reels and TikTok for its short videos. But what’s the difference between the two? Which one is best to use for your business? And the big question, which is better, Reels or TikTok?
Well, let’s answer that question today! Starting with…
Reels
Reels are a video feature on Instagram. They are short, entertaining and creative videos made by users. You can share reels with your followers on the Feed and share with a broader audience through the explore page in the middle button of the app. Reels on the Explore page have a higher chance of going viral; they offer an opportunity for anyone to become a creator.
It is easy to like, share and comment in the Reels section to your friends, with the icons being along the right side of the screen. Some reels have a “Featured label”. When your video is featured a notification will be received. Instagram specifically selects featured reels for being entertaining for the audience.
TikTok’s
TikTok is a social media platform used for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. You can film various videos lip-syncing, dancing, acting out sketches, and trending videos are very popular. Videos are generally 15 seconds long, but multiple clips can be connected for up to 60 seconds of footage. Recently, TikTok expanded the time limit to 3 minutes for longer videos recorded outside the app.
TikTok also has video editing and customisation tools. For example, you have access to a library of songs, effects, filters, and sound bites to add to videos. You can also “duet” with someone by replying to a video, creating split-screen and endless reactions.
The differences/ similarities
TikTok and Reels are similar in that they are places to post short videos to broad audiences. They have similar features. For example, TikTok has a ‘Duet’ feature, and Instagram has ‘Remix’. However, they also have differences; for instance, TikTok allows you to record for longer. Reels will enable you to record for 15, 30 or 60 seconds at a time, whereas TikTok will allow you to record for 15, 60 or 3 minutes. This is a significant difference as originally, TikTok only allowed 15-second videos. They keep up with the competition by increasing their time range and exceeding the record time limit.
The editing features on TikTok and Reels have some significant differences. Effects, filters, and themes are increasingly popular to use on TikTok instead of the smaller variety of resources on Instagram. One of the main differences between the two is the music features. Business accounts using Instagram Reels cannot use music features, they become very limited; you have to record and edit your video outside of Instagram if you want to produce a video with sound on a business account.
Everyone wants to get a larger reach! But what’s best? TikTok or Instagram? On Instagram, your video is attached to your profile; this profile has material on your Feed, Instagram shop, and highlights in your stories. Similarly, TikTok has a shop feature set up for businesses. Having your Instagram Reel reach a large audience is critical for a business owner; as directly linked to the video are your brand and name. Social media creates awareness which can lead to more business! TikTok may be better if you target a younger audience as young people primarily use the app; in 2021, 43% of users were between 18 and 24. But in saying that, the older generation is getting into TikTok now, too and many businesses. And similarly to Instagram, TikTok has a shop feature set up for businesses.
Tiktok or Instagram?
Now for the Big question TikTok or Reels?
TikTok has been known to achieve greater engagement rates as opposed to Instagram. It’s a newer platform primarily video-focused, and paired with trending music and fun duets, it’s a winning app. Looking from a business perspective, TikTok is the place to try out new ideas, experiment, and try something new without ruining your reputation or ‘look’ you may have created on other platforms. So spread your wings, dont hold back and be creative! It could work out or flop. TikTok is your experiment without risk.
Instagram Reels link to your business, your account and the customers you have gathered; it’s a massive platform itself and connected to Facebook. This is your place to post content, enjoyed by your audience, linking them directly to your profile and website with the hope of gaining new sales. Tiktok also has a store feature, but as it is still relatively new, not as many people are using or going to use it for some time; you need to build trust with the customers.
Interestingly, TikTok limits its caption characters, only allowing 500 characters instead of Instagram, allowing 2,200 characters and 30 hashtags. So if you plan to add a detailed caption to your Video, Reels is your go-to platform. Whereas if you are going for a more visual approach, TikTok or Reels will suit you equally. Your target audience will influence your decision. Generally, TikTok aims toward a younger audience, whilst Reels aims toward a middle age group.
Conclusion
So! Now we have learnt all we can about TikToks and Reels, which is better? In my personal opinion, I believe that both TikTok and Reels have their advantages and strengths. But overall? Together, they are stronger. They go hand in hand; I’m sure you are already using Instagram for business; TikTok is your time to try new things! To be creative and try something you may have thought of posting and been too nervous to try on your other platforms. Utilise both, post content on both, and expand your reach! Connect the two, creating a solid social marketing bundle!
Create worthy, entertaining, engaging content to be posted on both platforms. Then, experiment with TikTok and post the successful pieces on Instagram; it’s the strongest strategy.
Are you more of a Reels or TikTok user? Let us know in the comments below!
TikTok is a social media platform known for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. Young people primarily use the app, with 43% of users aged between 18 and 24 in 2021. Tiktok allows users to create and share globally across a community.
You can film various videos lip-syncing, dancing, or acting out sketches, and trending videos are popular. Videos are generally 15 seconds long; however, multiple clips can be connected for up to 60 seconds of footage. Recently, TikTok expanded the time limit to 3 minutes for longer videos recorded outside the app. TikTok also has video editing and customisation tools, and you can access a library of songs, effects, filters, and sound bites to add to videos. You can also “duet” with someone by replying to a video, creating a split-screen.
When used for a business, TikTok has two options for advertisement; an ad platform with paid ads or the option to create a profile and produce self-made videos. TikTok ads appear between videos on the app and are often creative and look similar in format to regular TikTok videos.
The majority of social media users do not have access to expensive cameras or equipment. Instead, content is made on phone cameras, giving an authentic natural feel to the videos, which users can relate to. Using the same approach for your business will provide your brand or company personality, and something people will relate to you.
Knowing that the platform’s highest users are young people, humorous and entertaining videos are the best way to engage. Keeping engagement and interest is vital; people will scroll past quickly if the content is not engaging. Users spend, on average, around 24 hours in a month on the app. TikTok is not the place for squeaky clean first impressions and neat edges; it’s a place for authentic entertainment, humour and fun. The app revolves around community engagement and hashtags. Research, find videos and content you enjoy, then recreate them to make it your own! Have fun with it.
Why use TikTok for business?
TikTok is the new growing trend that business owners need to get ahead on and can be very beneficial if used strategically. It allows you to grow a community and promote towards a new audience differently than you may have before.
TikTok is one of the most used social media platforms, rising in league with Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. It’s a popular way of advertising for companies wanting to reach a large audience. A large audience gives a higher chance of eyes on your ads, and Tiktok has 1.2 billion active users globally.
People are downloading and actively using the app and engaging with content. The average user spends 858 minutes per month on the app giving your business a chance to see high engagement.
TikTok gives you a chance to be creative and have fun with your business! It isn’t for being professional, clean and neat. To have a higher engagement, create relatable and enjoyable content. It’s a great way to advertise to a new range of audiences.
Advertising on Tiktok
There are five types of advertisements on TikTok, including in-feed ads, brand takeover, top view, branded hashtag challenge and branded effects.
Let’s have a look…
In-feed
In-feed ads are advertisements that pop up between videos seen whilst scrolling on the for you page. They work similarly to Snapchat or Instagram ads, are played in full screen and are skippable. It is essential to stop people scrolling straight past by making them seem similar to general videos seen on feeds. You can include multiple call to actions which can be 60 seconds or less. Encourage users to shop, download or visit websites straight from TikTok. Then measure their success through tracking clicks, impressions and engagement.
Brand takeover
TikTok brand takeovers are full-screen, high impact ads being the first things you see when opening the app. They are one of the best ads available on TikTok, directing the sales straight to the customer’s face, straight to your target audience. Not only appearing as you open the app, they can also be found within the for you page, seen as images, gifs or videos. Brand takeovers allow one brand to take over the app for the day. In addition, you can create ads that appear over the top of the app, like topview ads and even add embedded links to internal and external landing pages. These ads are non-skippable. The only downfall is that they are costly, so they may not be the best choice for smaller companies. But for larger companies, they are the best option for fast growth, reaching a large audience.
TopView
TopView ads are seen at the top of the for you page. They can be up to 60 seconds long and are the largest ad that TikTok offers. It is a valuable marketing tool and quickly grabs users’ attention, being at the top, and creating considerable awareness and engagement. This ad easily captures the user’s attention without competing for content drawing attention elsewhere.
Branded Hashtag Challenge
A branded hashtag challenge is an ad style where a brand will ask users to perform a specific task and tag them using a unique hashtag. Challenges are popular on social media and tend to go viral. They are a one of a kind ad exclusive to TikTok, are best for encouraging user-generated content and building brand awareness and are just tonnes of fun! They are great for collaboration and building relationships with the TikTok culture and community. Know your objectives and what you want to achieve from your challenge before posting for a higher chance of success.
Branded effects
TikTok branded effects allows companies to design custom filter or stickers on the app, similar to Snapchat’s branded lenses. People in their videos can then use these filters or lenses. Branded effects last up to 10 days and are great for getting users to interact and engage with you and have fun. It’s an effortless advertisement style that is definitely worth your time!
Conclusion
To sum up, we know that TikTok is a growing platform that can be a great advertising opportunity for businesses if used wisely and correctly. TikTok is a unique platform heavily focused on short, snappy videos that are primarily funny and silly. When posting, find the least heavy information content from your company to advertise, and you may just be surprised at the outcome! There are many ways to promote on TikTok, ranging from expensive paid apps to free self-created ones! Anyone can advertise on TikTok, be it by themselves or with one of the inpaid ads supplied by TikTok. TikTok has a high user rate and a very high engagement rate; it would be foolish to miss the opportunity.
Any questions? We offer TikTok management. Get in touch today!
Here at The Sequence Agency, we have a motto; Create, Repurpose and Reuse. We are passionate about creating and reusing good content. Would you use a good pen just once? I think not! So why are you only using your content once?
Let us take you through our process…
Step 1
Create
Step one, produce, develop and create engaging and informative posts or videos.
This step is one of the most critical stages, creating a piece of solid content to hold its own when reproduced and reused. (Check out of 5 things to consider before creating a content blog to produce the best content!) Have fun with your content; if you’re having fun, your audience is having fun! Make sure you know your goal for the content piece, what you want people to take from it, who you are targeting, and always make it engaging!
And if you’re struggling with creating entertaining and educational content yourself, let us do the hard work whilst you focus on your business. We will create a piece designed specifically and unique to you.
Step 2
Repurpose
Next, take the content created and repurpose it. Adapt your content and make it unique, new, and different. For example, take small pieces from a video to produce smaller, snappier videos and still images to use on your social media. It doesn’t have to be just from one piece; this can be many pieces of content. Another example is repurposing a blog, just like this one! Take pieces, create posts or videos, make a carousel!
Have fun at this stage. Take your favourite edits and sections to create something new and exciting. Even include other videos, mix them up, become the DJ of marketing creations! Remix these edits. Make something even better than the original!
Step 3
Reuse
Finally comes the easy part, sharing your new content! Get your unique masterpieces out there! Share on all of your desired social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, Tiktok, Twitter, all your social media. Great content speaks for itself.
Watch and see you’re social come to life. Don’t forget to respond to any comments and always deal with any negatives quickly. Once posted, you can analyse and see which posts have done well. See what posts have the most engagement, most reach and comments. Remember these for the future and create pieces similar.
It’s the circle of creating!
Start using our process in your business for great cost-effective content on your social media. It’s an easy way to grow and develop your social media and thrive!
Create, recycle and reuse all your content. Work efficiently and achieve the most.
At The Sequence Agency we are constantly creating new and exciting social media content, but what apps do we rate and use ourselves?
Let us give you a rundown of a few of our favourite simple to use apps to use when creating social media content.
Starting with the app –
‘Canva’
Our first pick has to be Canva. It’s a free graphic design platform, and its many features allow even the most inexperienced beginner the ability to edit and create content. We have used Canva for many of our social media posts, it’s easy to use and has a wide range of templates. We also love that once we have created content, we can review and edit each other’s work.
Here’s what some of our team have to say:
“We love using Canva and feel it’s one of the best design content apps. We love that it is free to use, flexible and accessed without an adobe suite. It gives you plenty of creative freedom when making posts.”
‘Tiktok and Instagram’
We, of course, love Tiktok and Instagram! They are popular social media apps used for creating, posting and sharing content. Currently, you may be using these apps for browsing funny videos and following your favourite companies, but it is also an excellent tool for creating content! We love using these platforms for making fun and engaging videos. Tiktok is great for adding sounds to your videos and finding the trending sounds to increase engagement. Use these apps for creating and editing videos.
“TikTok opens up avenues for fun & engaging video content, that being promotional or informative. It allows every user a fair chance at becoming popular on the app, and you can follow along with different trends and use popular audio. Instagram has many options to promote and engage, such as general posts, stories, reels and live videos. We love adding the final touches on stories using GIFS, giving a more engaging presence. We also love adding music to some stories.”
‘Inshot’
Another favourite is Inshot. Inshot is a video and photo app that optimises your content ready to post onto social media. It is free to access on iPad or phone, with an option of a paid subscription for additional features. It’s easy to use and allows you to edit, add music, voiceovers, texts and emojis to your content. The app lets you pick a canvas size to work with, which is handy if you need to create TikTok content or Instagram reels content.
It is straightforward to use; once you download your content into the software, it is easy to cut and edit parts out and add any text or picture-in-picture edits. We prefer this over other apps as it is so straightforward to use, and you’re not paying for it like Premiere Pro or other editing apps. We think it’s a great addition to be used when creating!
“This app is great for video editing on your phone/iPad, it is free, and you can create a video no matter what social post you need it to go on!”
‘BIGVU’
BIGVU is also on our list. It’s a free app that allows you to read scripts, shoot videos and edit styles. It transforms photos, videos and tweets into stunning, professional video sequences to captivate your audience. It allows you to read scripts whilst enhancing your audio and lighting in the process! Download on your iPhone or android to have free script prompts.
“The feature we love most is the app that creates a teleprompter above any video to follow along with your script easily. No need to remember lines; the app takes your entered script and displays it at the top of the screen!”
‘Pro-create’
One that has to be on our list is Pro-create. Pro-create is a raster graphics editor app for digital painting. It is an artistic tool app that allows you to create one of a kind pieces with the feel of drawing on actual paper. It’s for the iPad, but its accessibility makes it stand out, as it is available on any device. In addition, the app has a one-off payment with no subscriptions or renewal fees.
A FREE alternative to Pro Create is Vectornate, it isn’t exactly the same, but close enough for you to get a similar feel!
“The sequence love to use this app, when using on the iPad, drawing directly onto the pad creates a real-life drawing feel. No restrictions as opposed to using a mouse and pad. Freestyle drawing to create unique and professional designs.”
‘Mojo’
Mojo is our next choice. It’s an excellent app for storytelling. Mojo offers a wide range of different templates to aid you in editing your stories, ready to engage and capture your audience on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat!
“Mojo is a great app for presenting your content into a video. You can set templates to add content and create an engaging story with smooth transitions and animated titles. We love that Mojo doesn’t have standardised content; it is unique. Use the app to create professional-looking content.”
‘GIPHY’
GIPHY app is a Gif maker tool. Use your images or image bursts to create eye-catching giffs to share. Gifs are a modern way to engage viewers. Above all, it’s important to know that humour is a great way to engage, and humorous gifs are very in trend at the moment, so start using some in your business!
“We believe that GIPHY is the best gif maker. People respond well to gifs; they are a modern way of engaging and exciting customers!”
‘iMovie’
iMovie is a video editing software application developed by Apple. With a streamlined design and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures, iMovie lets you create Hollywood-style trailers and beautiful movies like never before. Features include options to modify and enhance video colour settings, crop and rotate video clips, stabilise shaky videos, add video transitions, and change the speed of clips.
iMovie is great for editing longer videos; if you use YouTube, this can be an excellent tool for you. You can add your video into the programme and then cut and create whatever content you like. In addition, you can add title cards and other effects. It is similar to In-Shot, but for someone who has more experience with video editing.
“A great simple editing app, used on Apple. Simple, easy to make content! It does what it says on the tin. There are lots of YouTube tutorials on how to use iMovie, so if you’re willing to learn new software, we recommend it!”
Conclusion
To sum up, we use many apps when creating all different types of content, and these are just a few of our favourites! It’s great to learn new apps and tools to help you to create those engaging and eye-catching posts for your social media!
Keep learning, keep creating, and you’re on the right track!
Why not try some of our favourites? Or let us know in the comments some of your favourite apps and websites!
Nowadays, businesses know that social media is a great way to engage and interact with customers.
Social media is no longer an accessory; it’s a necessity for business owners. Millions of potential customers to reach, but hard to keep engaged.
Before you jump into posting content, take a moment to consider these points!
Videos
Videos get 2x engagement than photos
Studies have shown that humans have a short attention span; you need to find a way to engage your customers! Videos are a great way of doing this. Make them fun and enjoyable! Posts are great in moderation, but videos are taken better on social media.
Reels and stories are the best on Instagram. You can post short snappy videos on reels, drawing people to your profile. Stories are for keeping your current customers engaged and giving them further information.
Did you know that a whopping 85% of videos are watched without any sound at all! Can you believe that?! For this reason, we need to think before we post. Can it be understood with no sound? Does it have captions? Does it need to be more clear?
Your main goal is to make clear, easy to understand posts for everyone. I should know what your message is and what you are promoting.
Video length
Instagram users spend an average of 30 minutes on the app each day.
Knowing how long your potential customer spends on the app is valuable knowledge. We learn through research, that people scroll through quickly from post to post and what time of the day users are the most active. Your marketing strategy needs to take this into consideration.
Make your content short, snappy, eye-catching and engaging! Post at a busier time to have the chance of more engagement. Check into your analytics part of the Instagram app. Here you can discover which posts have had the most attention, the most likes and most views. Use this knowledge to your advantage, recreate the posts that have done well and learn from those that didn’t. What can you do better next time?
Standing out from the competition
95 million posts and videos are shared on Instagram each day.
You aren’t the only business looking to gain more followers and customers; there’s a wide competition. Your content needs to stand out amongst millions of others! Are you creating engaging and valuable content?
Keep an eye on your competitors, make sure you are creating unique and new content. Find out what they are doing that is working and create your version. You need to be different to stand out!
Do you know your target audience? Who do you want to promote towards? Who is your current audience? All of these things need to be considered before creating your content. Of course, you want to engage any potential customers, but your primary focus should be your target audience!
Targeting your specific audience allows you to market directly towards customers that are most likely to buy or use your service. Your target audience can be categorised by age, gender, location, interests, income, many different things.
Conclusion
Overall, we learn that our content should be eye-catching, engaging and informative. We know that videos are the best to post, but we need to make them easy to understand for everyone. You should promote towards your target audience, marketing directly to your potential customers. You should be looking at your competitors and learning from them while creating new and exciting content!
By doing this, you have a greater chance of higher engagement, bringing potential customers to your profile.
