Team AdfluenceThe boost in the popularity of video content on social media has been in the making for quite some time. But when YouTube introduced us to long videos, hardly anyone could have imagined that even five, ten or twenty-second video content would be enough to make someone laugh, giggle, think or simply care.
Today, on trains, in the office or at the gym, you can always spot people who are endlessly scrolling through Reels on their phones. They are reaching more and more people everyday, and, with a host of inbuilt features and animations, they are helping creators produce better content and expand their follower base.
Brands too have taken the initiative and are actively working on making Reels. With influencer marketing, brands can harness the creativity of an influencer and leverage the popularity of Reels to convey their message. Check out Pass Pass Mouth Freshener’s Reel wherein they creatively advertise their products using a fun, trending concept. With content like this, all the audience has to do is find a place to rest their backs and scroll through the Reels tab for hours on end and, in the process, form a stronger bond with brands.
While brands are certainly advised to post Reels, it is seen that influencer handles are always able to amass more reach and engagement than brand pages. Case in point: this reel for Nutrova by influencer Ishwari Patil. It was viewed 4780 times and liked 441 times. The same Reel posted from the brand’s account garnered only 2040 views and 40 likes (stats at the time of writing this blog). That’s less than half the views and almost 10% of the likes that the influencer received.
Creators are utilising the effectiveness of Reels to expand their follower base and also help brands in promoting their offerings. It is interesting to see how five or ten second Reels can have lasting impact on people. Click To Tweet
Influencers are a clear favourite among lovers of short content, and therefore indispensable for product promotions. But in what ways can a brand utilize the power of influencer marketing through Reels? Read on to find out more!
Starting Contests
For as long as we can remember, contests have been a tried and tested method to boost audience interaction with the brand. On social media, they also help drive significant engagement and user generated Content (UGC). While most mainstream contests and giveaways by bigger companies are inundated with entries, smaller brands with limited traction can find it difficult to gather participation, let alone engagement. For them, Reels posted by influencers can be a life saver, bringing in participation by widening the visibility of the contest.With influencers backing their campaign, a smaller brand can make everyone from the gym goer to the student to the daily worker pause for a moment and consider entering the competition.
Influencer Reels can be very effective in starting contests with the idea of driving engagement or sharing user generated content. No matter how busy a user can always be convinced by influencer Reels to participate in contests. Click To Tweet
In this Reel, Anu Karagada starts a hashtag based dialogue delivery contest for Qwyer, a local delivery service provider, and receives 163 entries. A very effective way of promotion, indeed!
Also watch out for this Reel by Prakhar Narayan Dubey and how he starts a contest for Paytm. His soft speech and dancing skills gathered 128 entries in the comments and helped widen the reach and visibility of the activity.
Announcing Sales & Discounts and Introducing Live Shopping
With the many creative sound and video effects that Instagram supports, an influencer can create superlative original content that is relatable, easy to understand and highly memorable. Social Media users looking for a quick fix of entertainment through Reels are more likely to be disarmed by an influencer’s humour than by a brand’s attempt at product promotion.
In this Reel, actor and influencer Varun Sood promotes Myntra’s discount season by giving a quick glimpse of the garments on offer. The influencer can be lauded for his Reel timing and the ‘knocking’ gesture that surely captured many hearts.
Influencers can also be useful in introducing Live Shopping. While the love for live shopping rages in countries like China, India still has a long way to go. However, Live Shopping events are becoming increasingly popular. Influencer Ranveer Allahabadia, who is better known as BeerBiceps, was enrolled by Samsung to host their Live pre-book and he promoted the event through Reels.
Promoting Products
Instead of going for long, tedious and expensive traditional marketing means, brands are now opting for the cost-effectiveness and higher measurability of influencer marketing and Reels to make their campaigns click. With Reels, brands can also tap into the loyalty sentiment an influencer holds, making the brand appear more endearing. This becomes extremely important when brands make new launches. Reels have a wide scope that can help the product get great reach. Watch this Reel in which L’oreal Paris partnered with Sakshi Sindhwani to promote their Paris Fashion Week Collection. You have to admit that seeing a relatable person’s attempt to recreate an international model’s runway look using L’oreal products is a much better sell than the brand’s sales post. The audience seems to have agreed because this Reel received more than 10k likes!
Brands can also revive any long standing iconic campaigns they may have with influencer marketing. While creative campaigns of the yesteryears won the hearts of people back then, influencer’s reels may infuse the same ideas with a pertinent vitality. Old Spice India’s campaign ‘Smell like a man’ was reborn with influencers’ Reels. Watch all of them here.
Old Spice India’s iconic ‘Smell Like a Man’ campaign was given a new life through Influencers’ Reels. Creators did not hold back from giving their unique touch and the results were amazing. Click To Tweet
New Brands Leveraging Reels
Brands with early focus on Reels can ensure that they reach users who have a liking for the short content on Reels. Influencers are experts in understanding the sentiments of their followers. Their Reels are often the epitome of that understanding and expertise, as can be seen in this Reel by influencer Komal Pandey. She gives Sleepycat.in’s products an aesthetic feel and encourages the audience to try and click their own photos.
Gone are the days of overwrought marketing campaigns that were rife with inefficiency and inaccuracy. Influencer marketing gives you instant results, and immediate feedback on campaign ideas. Click To Tweet
Influencer Reels are a big boon for smaller brands. Peesafe has regularly leveraged influencer marketing and Reels to promote their wide range of offerings, which in turn has catapulted them into prominence. They have been able to create the need for their products by using influencer’s modern style and taste.
The best part is that Instagram has allowed accounts to promote their Reels as of June 2021. Via promotions, brands can now target their Reels in line with their goals for better results.
With ever-changing Instagram algorithms and social media trends, brands can rely on influencer marketing and influencer’s reels to communicate effectively with their audience. The world is leveraging reels, are you?
