It's farewell to the Instagram app you once knew and loved because changes are coming in thick and fast and brands worldwide need to keep up. There's been a huge move in the latest round of Instagram versus Tiktok. It's no secret that social video dominates social media and photos are becoming a thing of the past. Tiktok has been the leader in this change, with viral videos emerging from the app every second day.
So, Instagram needed to keep up and with this move, it might just stand a chance. Meta, the company that owns Instagram, has just announced that from the 21st of July, virtually all videos uploaded onto the app by users will now be Instagram Reels. This might not be surprising for some but for others, it's time to consider whether your social media presence needs a pivot - because photos won't get you where you want to be anymore. In this latest blog by avails, we'll look at why Meta felt the need to make everything into a Reel and what it means for your business.
Why Does Instagram Promote Social Video?
Video goes viral. There's no doubt about that, but if you have doubts, here's something to ease your mind: 97.8 per cent of US internet users aged between 18 and 24 consider themselves digital video viewers.
TikTok is the leader in video-first content. The social media app is so popular that it's recently landed its billionth user in just four years since its inception. In contrast, it took Facebook, Instagram and YouTube eight years to achieve the same feat. While Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, it still needs to keep up. Trends show that people lean away from the original social media platforms and heavily into TikTok and social video.
Here's where Instagram Reels comes in. It's the direct competition to TikTok and it's a fun way for users to see videos, campaigns and more while on Instagram. With this change, Instagram Reels will now dominate most users' main feed - a change that might challenge the more traditional, photo-first brands and companies.
(Side note - if you're one of these companies that might be reluctant to the video change, we hear you. We're really good at reels and video content, and you can work with us instead of sweating it out at your next marketing meeting).
What Other Changes Will Meta and Instagram Reels Bring to the App?
Anyone who works in social media marketing will tell you that the app updates and algorithm changes on Instagram are the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully, we eat, breathe and sleep this stuff, so we've gone ahead and laid the new changes all out for you.
Remember - this new dawn of social video means that brands should focus on video-first content and Instagram reels. Get to grips with the new changes, measure your stats and see what the new tools can do for your business. It'll be worth it, we promise.
First things first - any video over 15-seconds and under 15-minutes will now be an Instagram Reel. This means it'll feature in the Reels feed and will likely bring more attention and focus to your video - which is fantastic if you're promoting online.
These Reels are on full-screen, so ensure your content is optimised. It'll be a huge difference from the previously-loved square images, but we're sure it'll be worthwhile.
Get ready to Remix! Instagram reels will now come with Remix options to aid collaborations for different media types within a video. These will be:
- Remix for photos: Create your own unique reel and remix your already pre-loved photos. This change to the app gives users the chance to remix public photos into a new format they love.
- Expanded Remix layouts: these layouts will dramatically enhance your video-creating experience. Add your own commentary to existing Reels with one of these new Remix layouts - from horizontal or vertical split-screen, green screen, or picture-in-picture reaction view.
- Add your clip: the perfect solution for quick hot takes; this new addition means you can add a new clip to the end of an already-existing reel. It's the perfect way to follow up with your viewers!
As with everything in life, Instagram is undergoing somewhat of a transformation. It's no longer the photo-heavy app we used to share pictures with friends. Instead, it is social video first, with Instagram Reels being the shining star in its offerings to users. Brands need to adapt quickly to these changes, as the algorithm will adapt and favour the more video-heavy content.
Make sure your brand stands out from the crowd with video-first content. Are you ready to make the most of your Instagram presence with mind-blowing new content? Book in for one of our affordable content creation packages today.
