Why you need to add TikTok videos and Instagram reels to your marketing strategy
Millions of people spend hours on social media every day. Because of this, attention spans have generally shortened which has led to content creators and marketers having to find new ways to engage with their target audience. TikTok and Instagram have added a feature to lend a helping hand: short-form videos. Short-form videos have the potential to increase engagement and could result in the desired returns if done properly.
What are TikTok videos and Instagram reels?
TikTok videos can be up to three minutes long, but the majority of the videos are between 15 and 60 seconds long. A wide range of different content is posted on TikTok with common themes being informative content, ASMR vlogs, life hacks, impressions, and comic performances. The popularity of TikTok increased immensely during the COVID-19 pandemic where people found entertainment and even information about the virus. Today, TikTok continues to become more and more popular.
Instagram reels are similar to TikTok videos and are a maximum of 90 seconds long. Similar to TikTok videos, most reels are between 15 and 60 seconds long. They express a range of different themes as TikTok videos do.
In both these different types of short-form videos, people can compile different clips, use filters, and even add music to the video. Businesses and marketers have taken advantage of this and strive for high levels of engagement by using TikTok videos and Instagram reels.
The benefits of TikTok videos and Instagram reels
TikTok videos and Instagram reels have become content on the two platforms that reach the highest levels of engagement. According to the Social Media Marketing Report compiled by HubSpot, short-form videos like TikTok videos and Instagram reels have the highest Return on Investment among every other social media marketing strategy. Additionally, the report also found that 51% of marketers are using short-form video plans to increase their investment in 2023.
Besides these findings, marketers know that people prefer video content on social media. On average, a regular person spends 100 minutes per day watching online videos. But because many people’s lives are fast-paced and attention spans have gotten shorter, the video content needs to be attention-grabbing and compact. This is why TikTok videos and Instagram reels are so successful.
How to use TikTok videos and Instagram reels in a marketing strategy
Based on current trends, engaging with the target audience is best done by using short-form videos. But, the different platforms have different advantages and uses depending on the brand or business using short-form videos. Here is how to determine which platform would suit your marketing strategy and how to use short-form videos:
- Determine the target audience. If marketers know who their target audience is, figuring out where to post the content would be simple. For example, millennials and older audiences are more active on Instagram while Gen Z is more active on TikTok.
- Determine what type of content your target audience prefers. Marketers should do research into their target audience to find out what topics they follow, which influencers they follow, their gender, and their age. Marketers could use a social listening tool to determine this. The results would reveal what type of content should be used in the short-form videos.
- Study the competition. Doing a competitor analysis can be useful to find out where your target audience is active, what type of video content they use, and what their engagements are. Learning from other brands’ successes and mistakes can lead to a successful marketing strategy.
- Follow the impact. Once you have created a marketing strategy with short-form videos, the impact has to be measured. This will allow marketers to improve on areas that need improvement and lead to higher levels of engagement.
In Conclusion
To get fast and effective content that leads to high levels of engagement, creating short-form videos for TikTok and Instagram is the path to follow. Although both platforms have different audiences and most likely need different types of content in the short-form videos, we suggest that you post on as many social media platforms to reach as much of your target audience as possible.