We’re just over 40 days into the new year and things just got REEL interesting. Why may you ask? Meta’s most recent quarterly earnings call on Feb. 2nd revealed two things. First, Facebook’s total number of Daily Active Users (DAUs) declined in Q4 – a first since its inception 17 years ago. Second, Mark Zuckerberg publicly announced Facebook’s shift in focus to short-form video – specifically Reels.
These two points alone warrant separate articles, but for the sake of this blog, I want to focus on the latter point – the shift in focus to short-form video. This is such a hot topic that we’re hosting a video-specific webinar next month. You may view more details and register here.
For the longest time, Facebook was hyper-focused on improving the News Feed and creating long-form video content like Watch. Then came TikTok, which quickly garnered the undivided attention of young adults and completely revolutionized content consumption as we know it. Following the earnings call, Zuckerberg shared his perspective in a long Facebook post, openly naming TikTok as a reason why they are focusing on Reels for the long-term.
Zuckerberg went on to state, “It’s clear short-form video will be an increasing part of how people consume content moving forward, and Reels is now our fastest growing content format by far. It’s already the biggest contributor to engagement growth on Instagram and it’s growing very quickly on FB too.”
This isn’t entirely surprising being that Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri has publicly announced Instagram’s intent to focus on video content in various posts. But the fact that Zuckerberg is hedging his bets on the long-term play of short-form video for Facebook is huge.
So, what does this mean for brands in 2022? Look for the following to occur on both Facebook and Instagram in the coming months:
Considering this shift, crafting Reels content should be an important component of a brand’s social strategy. This doesn’t mean repurposing commercial spots or converting overly promotional content into a Reel. This means creating authentic and purposeful content that should do one of the following – educate, entertain, invoke an emotion or feeling, or tap into a real-time trend. Why? This will drive engagement and increase awareness for your brand.
We’d love to help you with short-form video content because things are about to get REEL. Contact us at [email protected] and don’t forget to register for our upcoming webinar!
Written By: Scott Clark, Director, Accounts & Strategy
