“Reels are just for teens…”
This is a common misconception many B2B brands have. They view Instagram Reels as a casual source of entertainment for millennials and teenagers that has little to offer from a business point of view.
But it couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Reels provide a unique opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level and engage them by sharing content that’s both fun and educational.
Many big B2B brands are leveraging the power of Instagram Reels to drive more engagement for their brand and build awareness about their products and services.
And guess what – they’re seeing results!
What are Instagram Reels?
(Source: Instagram)
Instagram launched their Reels feature in August 2020 and since then it has become all the rage online.
For those of you who are new to the platform or the feature, Reels is often tagged as a “knock-off” of TikTok, but it has now surpassed TikTok in popularity – some of which can be attributed to TikTok being banned in a few countries following security concerns.
In fact, in May 2021, Hootsuite reported that the phrase, ‘Instagram Reels’ was being searched 169,000 times on Google per month!
Instagram downloads in India increased by 11.4% after the launch of Reels, whereas the average time spent on Instagram in India increased by 3.5%.
With Instagram Reels, you can create short-form video content of upto 1 minute and share it on the platform. You can also add cool sounds and visual effects to really make your reel stand out.
Why should B2B businesses use Reels?
In June 2021, the head of Instagram – Adam Mosseri – tweeted that Instagram is no longer only a photo-sharing app.
Changes are coming to video on Instagram 📺
At Instagram we’re always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging. pic.twitter.com/ezFp4hfDpf
— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) June 30, 2021
He elaborated on this by saying that now the focus would be on video content among three others. As a business owner, it’s your sign to dip your toes into short-form video content if you haven’t already.
Instagram Reels are being successfully used by a lot of big brands to tremendous results.
For example, B2B brand Microsoft gets 233k views on their reels whereas Adobe gets 196k views on theirs.
Later, a social media scheduling tool, reported that their engagement went up by 280% after introducing reels to their account.
So there is no doubt that Instagram Reels are a great way of driving engagement, and more engagement ultimately leads to more leads and sales.
Now let’s talk about how exactly you can use Reels for your B2B business.
How to use Reels for B2B brands?
There are many ways to incorporate reels into your overall content marketing strategy in both fun and educational ways. Here are some of them:
1. Give your products/services the limelight
With Reels, you can create fun, digestible content around the features and benefits of your products/services and convey their value to your audience.
It’s a better way of highlighting the true impact your product/service has than posting static images which often get scrolled past.
2. Educate and empower
Short-form video content is great for educating your customers about your products/services in depth.
You can share tips & tricks, answer FAQs, and talk about all the features in small bits that your customers would love to watch.
3. Showcase your company culture
Giving your audience a glimpse into the kind of work culture you have helps in propagating your brand’s values and ideology.
You can share behind the scenes of your office and also introduce your employees to add a human touch for humanizing your brand.
4. Share testimonials
According to Kaemingk, 93% of potential buyers would read online reviews first before deciding to purchase a product or not.
Sharing customer reviews and testimonials on Reels works the same way. It helps you build trust with your audience and demonstrate your brand’s abilities while attracting new customers.
5. Tease upcoming products/features
Planning to launch a new product or releasing a new feature for your existing ones?
Then introduce it to your audience using short teaser videos to build excitement. You can later on make short but detailed videos around the features.
6. Establish thought leadership
Have unique, out-of-the-box ideas for your industry or niche? Or some insights that may be valuable to others?
Then why not create content around it? Share how-to videos or pure informational content to stand out as a thought leader. This will help you build authority in the industry as well as attract more customers.
B2B brands that are using Reels right
1. Hubspot
Hubspot majorly focuses on creating fun and relatable meme-worthy content with a sprinkle of educational content to promote their products and services. Check out their Instagram page here.
2. Shopify
Shopify is leveraging user generated content for their reels. Since they’re a platform for ecommerce businesses, a lot of their reels center around business owners sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Check out their Instagram page here.
3. Salesforce
Salesforce started using reels recently in August and till now they’ve been using it to promote their company events as well as work culture. Check out their Instagram page here.
4. Grammarly
Grammarly uses a mix of fun and educational content that is not only informational, but also entertaining. They share helpful tips & tricks, as well as relatable meme-worthy content like Hubspot. Check out their Instagram page here.
5. Semrush
Semrush’s reels are part entertainment and partly promotional. They talk about their products/tools using fun reel templates to add a hint of humour in the content. Check out their Instagram page here.
Should you use Instagram Reels for your B2B business?
Short-form content is the future and the popularity of Instagram Reels is a testament to it. Yet most B2B businesses are still overlooking it.
The key to getting ahead in the B2B race is testing out new waters that might be brimming with potential. Instagram Reels is one of them.
It’s a unique way of connecting with your audience and sharing interesting stories while also driving massive amounts of traffic to your business.
Want to uplevel your B2B marketing game but want professionals to handle it so you can focus on other aspects of your business?
At ContensifyHQ, we can help you do just that. Simply reach out to us and we can map out a winning social media strategy for your business.
