This summer, users gained access to the Reels format – Instagram’s response to Tik Tok and other platforms that host video content and allow for the promotion of reels through targeting and for free. Currently, this format is underestimated by advertisers and IT specialists.
Why launch advertising?
Reels is a short entertainment video content created by users of the social network Instagram. Ads launched here will appear between the videos. Since the format is new, the audience has not learned to automatically recognize ads – “banner blindness” has not been developed. This means that the user’s video will be evaluated as classic video, more engaging, commented on, saved, and reposted by friends and acquaintances.
Talking about the unprecedented effectiveness of banner ads in the editor is not worth it: too many components need to be taken into account. People who have tested the format evaluate it positively and express a desire to promote reels on Instagram through their phone.
This is an effective tool for increasing the recognition of the product/service or expanding the customer base of their own brand, as there is a great chance of getting the maximum possible coverage.
Why Rils cannot be promoted
Reels is characterized by low engagement rates, but also low clickability: people scroll through the published content without much thought, resulting in minimal clicks. Advertising can be expensive for services without a strong visual component.
Ideally, the Reels section should be part of a comprehensive strategy. The next step would be to launch an advertising campaign in Stories and in the feed. Here, people who are familiar with the manufacturer’s products are more likely to react to creative presentation and respond with targeted actions.
It is advisable to launch the campaign separately. If done together, the advertising will be cheaper and will take up the allocated budget. The competition here is not high, and if the layout has a positive effect, the user will get the lowest possible cost per application.
As practice shows, promotion works great for personal blogs. The conversion rate to subscription is higher in this situation than for advertising in posts and stories. However, in situations where targeted action is required from the buyer, advertising is more expensive than in stories and the feed.
Who has access to Reels advertising?
Not everyone can set up targeted advertising in the ADS Manager app with the placement option. Some have access in different accounts: some have access to reels and placement, while others do not. This is not affected by the place of registration of the profile: there are profiles of Russians and Ukrainians with access to placement in the advertising account, and there are foreign accounts without access.
Attention! The choice of resolution location is configured in the ad group.
The placement is called “Video reels on Instagram” and access to it is provided in the renamed menu “Stories and video reels”.
There is another nuance – it is not possible to target residents of a large number of countries when choosing a placement. The list of available countries can be found in Facebook’s help section.
The list includes the Russian Federation, but the situation has not changed. It is assumed that the launch of targeting has started testing in the country.
So, if advertising is targeted at residents of countries on the list, it is possible to create advertising now.
Ways to promote video
To get good coverage and attract an audience, you need to strive to appear in two sections – the endless Reels feed and Instagram’s standard recommendations. The remaining two sections are designed to increase the number of views and interactions with subscribers.
Not all users understand what recommendations are and why they should strive to be there.
A way to attract new subscribers for free
Everyone likes when their publications are noticed. But if a user’s profile is created to earn money, then in this case, it is worth paying attention to ways to attract subscribers for free. Of course, this should only be done when the profile is fully completed and valuable information is published on it.
Through the target
The first choice that a user of a profile makes is whether to launch targeted advertising from the profile or from the Facebook Ads Manager. The first option is a bit simpler, but it limits the functional capabilities.
It is recommended to use the Ads Manager: it allows for the preparation of a target audience and the launch of an advertising campaign to attract subscribers.
In the Instagram profile, it is possible to increase posting to created audiences.
Free
Before starting to promote Rails on Instagram for free, you need to do a lot of preparatory work. This includes creating a profile, username, and content, and only then can you use promotion life hacks in Russia.
Free ways to attract subscribers:
- Asking users to tell others about you.
- This requires placing a button with a link to your profile on your official website.
- Add your account to additional contacts in your profile on other social networks.
- Add a username for search on business cards or create an Instagram business card.
- If you own an offline business project, you can offer customers a discount for subscribing and mentioning your profile.
- Sending emails or messages.
Asking others to tell about you is a proven method of free PR. You should look at your friends’ lists and find those who have a significant number of followers. You should ask them to recommend your page, but not just share a link, but tell about the advantages and subscribing to your profile.
- Subscription. Who doesn’t like it when their posts are read, liked, and commented on? This can be used when promoting your profile. This method is recommended to be used in conjunction with other activity on the page.
- Geolocation. Users often search for information and pages using geodata.
- Engaging content. Nothing attracts more than colorful and meaningful content. Creating content is painstaking work that takes into account a number of nuances.
- Creating a clear content plan.
- Posting personal content.
- Uniqueness of the strategy.
- Using Stories.
- Posting videos.
- Going live.
- Running contests.
- Current ad line.
- Text information under the photo.
- Hashtags.
How to promote your business through Rails
Reels for business is a great tool if you need to increase views on your Instagram reels. However, if you’re looking for sales, it’s better to choose a different format.
There is a positive aspect to advertising on Reels, but not many people use it, so competition in auction bids is low and the cost is significantly lower than other placements.
To make advertising effective when using this tool, you need to track and use popular music and editing trends. Sometimes this results in good profit rather than a significant budget.
How to set up targeted advertising on Reels
To set up an advertising campaign on Instagram, you need to link your account to a business account on Facebook. To create one, log in to your personal account and click the “Create” button in the top menu. Then select “Page” – “Company/Brand” and fill in the necessary information.
Advantages and disadvantages of placement
Direct advertising is becoming less popular and effective. Aggressive calls to action and “banner blindness” lead to brands using more subtle forms of advertising campaigns. Product placement is one of the varieties of native advertising, with a long history of development and rapid popularity. Instead of a call to action, the viewer sees how the characters in the movie use the advertised product, creating a positive image and favorable associations for companies.
Advantages
- Non-intrusiveness. The viewer is not directly offered to purchase, and is given the opportunity to perceive the plot.
- Presence of pauses between demonstrations. Information replacement with the main content occurs, which leads to a better perception of what is seen.
- High degree of recognizability. The product demonstrated in everyday life is better remembered if the integration is done correctly.
Disadvantages
- High cost of integrations. This is not a cheap pleasure. The price varies depending on the scale of the image and is suitable for large companies. Integration in a music video will be cheaper, but still expensive.
- Does not encourage action. This is hidden in the specific features of native advertising. And, as a disadvantage, the inability to build structural components of the selling model.
- Difficulties in calculating effectiveness. Indirect information is used for this.
Placement constantly affects the user’s worldview. There is no point in arguing that hidden advertising is effective. In the opposite situation, there would not be so many orders for it.