It is no surprise that vertical video is all the rage when it comes to social media. With a current audience that is glued to their mobile devices, vertical video gives you the opportunity to capture their full, undivided attention (for a few seconds at least)—and take over their entire phone screen.
Instagram Reels, the platform’s response to Tik Tok, allows users to record and edit 15-second multi-clip vertical videos, add background music or audio, AR effects, and other new creative tools. Users can share videos with their followers, or if they have a public Instagram account, Reels can be made available to the wider platform via the Explore page. Reels gives people the option to really express themselves, dive deeper into the world of content creation, and create more unique and shareable video content in minutes.
Influencers embraced Reels from the jump, since being able to quickly and easily create video content in this format has proven a great tool to engage with their communities. Brands are now hopping on the trend as well and really taking to this entertaining and fun approach to video content.
That being said, the Tik Tok and Reels space is oversaturated with snackable content, so the bar is even higher for making video content that is more engaging than the last. User-generated content is nothing new, but we have seen a major uptick in content “remixing” with Tik Tok and Reels. “Remixing” refers to the art of taking an existing video and bringing it to life in a way that is unique to the creator and their personal style. Safe to say, “remixing” is a trend that isn’t going away in 2021, so brands and individual creatives alike need to find new and exciting ways for their content to make a splash within the vertical video landscape.
The audience is craving authenticity more than ever before going into 2021, and fans are looking to brands for content that is fun, engaging, and value-added. Brands have the opportunity to step outside of the remixing space and create custom Reels content that tells a more compelling story and has the ability to truly make waves with new and existing fans. The most creative vertical video content has the potential to be seen by millions of eyes.
If you aren’t familiar with Reels yet, you will be very soon. Instagram is now testing an update that puts the Reels button front and center on the home screen navigation bar to further prioritize this content. For better or worse, vertical video is here to stay, so you better get creating!
Check out these examples of custom Reels video content below that we have recently produced for Socialfly clients.
