Reels Ads: Making The Most of Instagram Advertising
Businesses are always on the lookout for new ways to keep their audience engaged. Because what happens when they are not doing business with you leads to whether they do business or not. In other words, “staying in touch” with your customers is a key element in ensuring that they do not go to your competitors or forget your brand until the next time, the next order. While there are many ways to do this, using engaging content types, like videos, turns out to be one of the most effective solutions.
While videos are good for engagement, how about promotions? Videos are also very effective in advertising. And one of the recent kinds of video ads that brands have been prioritizing is Instagram Reels Ads. So, what are Reels ads and how are they different from regular video ads? Is it worth focusing on Reels ads? How can you design Reels Ads to help your business grow? We’ll tackle each of these questions in this blog today.
Instagram Reels Ads – a quick run-through
When we talk about video content in the social media context, TikTok and YouTube are the two names that pop up first. And recently, Instagram Reels has joined the league. Can you believe that Instagram Reels was introduced just about 2 years ago? Today nearly 45% of Instagram users interact with Reels at least once a week. That’s a good reason to focus on Instagram Reels for your brand page.
In 2021, Instagram introduced Reels ads. It’s as simple as it sounds – ads created for the Reels section on Instagram.
“We see Reels as a great way for people to discover new content on Instagram, and so ads are a natural fit”
-Justin Osofsky, the Chief Operating Officer of Instagram
If you have been working on your brand’s Instagram marketing strategy, you must have already heard enough about the importance of creating Reels. So, now let’s talk about Reels ads. Can they really make a difference to your brand?
Do Instagram Reels Ads make good investments for businesses?
Better reach
The concept of Reels ads is very much similar to that of ads in other places on Instagram. Reels ads are displayed in between regular Reels on the Reels Feed. They appear on the Explore page as well as the regular Feed. Since they can appear in so many places, you can expect better reach with Reels ads.
Data shows that about 45.7% of the total ad reach on Instagram comes from Instagram Reels ads.
You can never have too many customers right? You constantly need to work on generating new leads. And Instagram Reels ads with their potential to reach new audiences in the desired geographical locations make a perfect choice for this.
Create viral content
Dance challenges, workout challenges – you see people connecting with other social media users in so many ways. In fact, Instagram now even has a Remix option for this. So you can always create your version of trending content. This craze for going “viral” never settles down. Brands want to go viral and reach new audiences. Creators want to go viral and expand their following or even fall on the radar of potential brands for collaborations. Reels is home to all these trends. 70% of marketers prefer adopting reels to keep up with the trends.
So, when you create Reels ads based on what’s trending, you have better chances at strengthening your brand’s popularity.
Make a striking first impression
The main purpose of an ad is to introduce your brand to new customers. Or to connect with existing customers on a particular platform and take them to the intended landing page or sale page. But for this, that first impression you make has a strong role to play. An aesthetic Reel ad that clearly communicates the message initiates contact and helps create a strong first impression.
Meet customers where they are
In the last year, Instagram Reels have become the fastest-growing feature on Instagram.
More and more people showing interest in Reels means that this space is good for placing your ads. Moreover, the vertical endless scrolling on Reels and the short-duration content make the ads seem less intrusive.
An effective way to defend your turf
Getting people to stay with your brand amidst growing competition can seem like one of the most challenging jobs for a business. Instagram Reels ads are pretty new which means that your competitors are also just starting to test the waters there. Start now and you have a good chance of staying ahead. Reels ads with engaging visuals, trending audio and entertaining content can help your brand shine amidst competition.
Well, so Reels ads are great for businesses. But how do you ensure that they actually work? Because without the right format and appealing designs creating Reels will be an unwanted addition to your workload. So, let’s talk about some tips to help you kickstart your Reels ads plan.
Instagram Reels Ads – tips for better designs and content
In terms of the overall design of your Reels ad, creating Reels ads is not very different from creating standard Reels posts. Remember that Reels reach people who might not have been exposed to your brand ever before. So, a little bit of your branding should evidently show up somewhere. This can be in the form of logo animations or a logo watermark in the video or even by adding your logo in the last frame.
Unlike traditional Reels that are randomly displayed to audiences based on their browsing history, Reels ads are displayed to a very specific set of audiences depending on the parameters you set for your campaign. So, content that introduces your brand, tells your brand story, adds a visual hook, and shows your brand authenticity is the kind that works.
With the obvious out of the way, let’s get to the tips and tricks on planning your content and designing your Reels ads.
Keep the time limit in mind
To start with, you should know that Reels ads can be about 60 seconds long. The shorter the better. So, plan your content and copy for the Reels ad in such a way that you can crisply convey the intended message within 30 seconds.
Since these are new customers, people who have probably never heard of your brand or never interacted with it on Instagram, you cannot expect them to stay on your Reels ad for a long duration. So, make the first few seconds count. Moreover, the CTA button pops up on the screen only after a brief few moments. So, if your Reel ad video is interesting and engaging from the first frame, you can impress your audience even before they realize that it’s an ad they are seeing.
Clearly define your objective
On most social media platforms you can set an objective for each campaign you schedule. This lets the platform better position your ads. Similarly, for placing ads in Reels Meta lets you choose from 6 objectives at the moment namely:
- Brand awareness
- Reach
- Traffic
- App installs
- Video views
- Conversions
So, when you plan the content for your Reels ad, identify which of these objectives to focus on. Your copy and the message in your ad should resonate with this objective. For example, if you are looking to drive traffic to your website you can create an informative video and then let viewers know that the CTA will take them to a page with more detailed information on the topic.
Or if you are creating a video for app installs, you can have simple UI animations showing how your app does the job of simplifying your work.
Want to create UI animations to introduce your app to your customers? Get a Kimp Video subscription.
Pay attention to your CTA
What’s a good ad without a CTA, right? Like most other Meta ads, for Reels ads you get a set of standard CTAs like “Book Now”, “ Learn More”, “Sign Up” and so on.
There should be a strong connection between the visuals and the content of the Reels ad and the CTA. For example, if you talk about a new product and its features in your Reels ad and add a “sign up” button to the Reel customers might not immediately get the connection. Because customers who watch a video on product demos might need detailed videos on the product or the product page to place an order.
Use transitions and other options to make the Reel engaging
Motion graphics design has evolved tremendously over the past few years. From static animations to animated typography, you have plenty of options on where to place motion in your Reels ads. Experiment with unique motion graphics styles for your Reels ads.
For example, adding creative transitions to combine a couple of static images or video clips can give you a share-worthy Reel ad.
If there is a filter that most of your target audiences are talking about, a transition that they seem to be interacting with more, incorporate that into your Reels ad.
Create value
Focus on giving your customers a compelling reason to click the CTA or visit your brand page. One way to do this is to create value. While entertainment is definitely a priority in Reels, informative content works too.
Here is an idea. Create a Reel ad with a simple and useful makeup tutorial featuring a set of products and a CTA that takes the viewer to a page where the user can shop for the products. This way you are not just promoting your product, you are creating value. Customers click the CTA and pay attention to your brand because they look at your brand as a source of information.
Pique the interest of your audience
Most brands on Instagram have started using Reels. And chances are as you scroll through your Reels section you come across many similar-looking Reels. When this happens, you perhaps just scroll past. To avoid this, create unique and entertaining content.
For example, most people use actual video recordings of the process demonstrated or talking head videos. To spice things up a bit you can use simple animated videos or illustrated demonstrations in your Reels ads. Choose a style that suits your brand.
Kimp Tip: Animated video ads can be fun and engaging. Remember to incorporate your brand colors and your logo to make them more effective.
Want to create animated video ads to use on Instagram Reels? Choose a Kimp Video subscription today.
Capitalize on Instagram Reels ads with Kimp Video subscription
Reels videos are versatile additions to your brand’s social media content reserve. Vertical videos are useful to use on Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts as well. So, if you create catchy content that can be reused, you can engage audiences on multiple platforms and streamline your advertising efforts more effectively. If creating Reels and Reels ads is stressing you out, leave it to the Kimp team. Whether you want to create simple animated video ads or static animations or animated typography or even edit your videos to help them dress the part a Kimp Video subscription can take care of it all. Ready to tap into the potential of Reels ads for your brand? Sign up for a Kimp video subscription.
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