Facebook Reels and How to Market Services and Products
Facebook reels is a powerful marketing tool for business owners.
Facebook Reels are short-form, full-screen vertical videos that Facebook has introduced after the popularity of vertical video formats across different social media apps. Facebook initially launched Reels back in 2021 in the U.S. but later expanded to 150 countries in 2022.
Even though Facebook Reels are available in select countries, it still has a lot of potential to grow and compete with TikTok. Since Facebook is the top-tier social media platform and Reels is a Facebook feature, there is a massive opportunity for creators to cash in on the vertical video format.
Facebook Reels are structured very similarly to TikTok videos, with a handful of differences. The short videos on Reels are often paired with catchy songs and include a little bit of everything: outfit checks, heartfelt rants, and cringeworthy memes. On TikTok, you can react to other people’s videos with a Duet or Stitch. Even though Facebook plans to release something comparable called a Remix, the option was not functional at the time of testing.
The creation tools inside Facebook Reels feel akin to TikTok's but are executed like a student squinting and copying from a high-performing classmate’s test with a 75 percent accuracy. TikTok has encountered numerous moderation issues, and if Facebook Reels stick around, Meta will encounter many similar problems unique to short-form video content.
Facebook’s identity crisis is driven, in part, by teenage users abandoning it for the endless supply of short videos on TikTok. Responding to this trend, the social media platform tested out a video feature for select US users called Facebook Reels last year and launched the feature globally in February.
Once you know how to run a Facebook Ads campaign, it’s time to go one step further and introduce Instagram Reels and its Ads. Launched as a new way to present content, allowing users to create and publish short videos. Unlike Instagram Stories that remain visible for 24 hours, Reels are a permanent content source.
Using this interactive video format, you can create your content right within the app—no extra software or equipment needed. You can make use of the filters and effects to transform a simple idea into a killer visual. Reels work much like making a TikTok marketing video.
You may not be a news anchor, but the Green Screen on Facebook Reels is a great tool for creating engaging videos. Under Change Background, choose the photo or video you want to spotlight. Your floating head will appear on top of the selected image. Use a two-finger pinch to adjust the size, angle, and position of the inlaid video. If you are filming multiple clips, the green screen can be switched out each time.
Videos on Facebook Reels are under 30 seconds and presented in a vertically scrolling feed. Facebook parent company Meta already attempted to build a TikTok-esque experience into Instagram (also called Reels,) so the emphasis on short videos is no surprise.
Start by clicking Create reel under the Reels tab in your Facebook feed. If you are already watching reels and want to start making one, tap on the camera button in the upper-right corner. Do you have a recorded video ready? Choose the camera roll on the bottom left to upload the footage.
Facebook reels can help you understand your customers.
One of the metrics that many companies seek is more “likes” and “followers.” While the numbers are important, they should not be your primary goal. Rather, your focus should be on reaching your best customers, who are more likely to buy—and even buy repeatedly—your products or services.
If you’re still having trouble, another option is to research your competitors. Go to your competitors’ profiles and click on their “Followers.” You’ll be able to see the whole list of users who follow them. (Note: we don’t recommend simply going through this list and following each one. Instead, use this information to build a strategy to capture their attention organically).
Give shoppers a look into who you are and who your brand is by creating a behind-the-scenes Reel. Use the video to show how you came up with specific designs or products, the inspiration behind them, and even how they are made. These behind the scenes can also include peeks into how your team collaborates or the culture among your team members.
Pro tip #1: Here’s a trick I use for my ecommerce businesses. For every product and product category in my stores, I’ve researched the most popular related Instagram hashtags. I came up with 15 to 20 popular hashtags for each category of products I sell, and the ones that are easy to rank on, as well as a base of five to 10 popular tags that describe my brand and product offering. Finally, I also created a list of popular local specific hashtags that relate to my brand.
Try experimenting with different video lengths to find one that works best for your audience. If you notice better metrics on your videos that are under 30 seconds, focus on creating shorter video content. If your longer videos outperform your shorter ones, stick to those.
From here, you can then compare all product shots against, say, lifestyle content to determine which your audience prefers. If you find that your audience is more interested in product content, you may decide to invest more heavily in product photoshoots and scale back on the lifestyle photoshoots.
For example, if you’re using Instagram to promote your online store, you’ll want to keep track of how your different product photos perform. Do photos with a light or dark background perform better? Does your audience prefer cityscape photos or photos taken in nature?
It goes without saying that you should be aligning your business with influencers who have “pull” with your target audience. For example, if you’re a fitness brand, it makes sense to partner with influencers who share a similar audience to your ideal customers, such as yoga instructors or powerlifters.
One of the best ways to find and attract a new following is by seeking out your closest competitors’ Instagram accounts and engaging with their audiences. These people have already shown some level of interest in the products you carry simply by following your competitors.
Metrics like these are invaluable when deciding what changes (if any) to make to your IGTV strategy. For example, if viewers are dropping off at the 20-minute mark, you can take that as a sign that creating videos that are longer than 20 minutes might not be the best strategy.
Facebook reels can help you market your services and products.
Facebook also offers advanced options where you can upload your list of existing prospects and customers, and Facebook will create a similar audience of people who are most likely to do business with you. After you've targeted your audience, you should create engaging copy and compelling offers that generate interest and possibly sales.
Facebook serves as a useful channel to generate leads and boost sales of products and services in just about any niche or industry. With so many people on the site, you have an audience regardless of your market or niche. Also, if you’re in business today, especially online, you can’t avoid marketing on Facebook in some way.
For those who still post on Facebook, the following tips will help you understand the new option and experiment with creating videos. If you’ve already migrated to another platform, Facebook Reels is unlikely to become your new obsession, but it could be a decent secondary location for the content you create.
1. Use your Reels to show how people’s lives would be without your products, or show how your products add to your shoppers’ life. For instance, if you sell coffee, you could create a Reel on how people experience their day without coffee, and then show how life is with coffee.
2. You don’t need to create content from scratch to make your Reels. Tap into user-generated content, showing how other customers are using your products. Such content is sure to build credibility, since it won’t be pushing any polished and marketed content.
3. With a solid Facebook marketing strategy, you can reach your audience at a time when they’re primed to buy; or at least raise awareness of your company, product, and services so you're top of mind when they are ready to buy. This simple marketing strategy will help you get started.
4. As an ecommerce store, Reels are a great asset to help you with your customer acquisition and amplify your social media growth. Let’s dive into why Instagram Reels are worth investing in and how you can create Reels for your Shopify store’s Instagram profile.
5. Facebook is focused on maximizing the time users spend on their site. Therefore, if you're active and building a community of engaged people, the site will help you optimize your free posted content, as well as the paid ads you may be running. In turn, you will reach more users, drive more traffic, and get more leads and sales.
Do you have a new campaign or new product coming up?
Use Reels to give a 15-second peek into the new release. You can create a teaser of the design, some planning or preparation clips, or even give clues and ask your viewers to guess what you’re launching.
Who, exactly, will enjoy creating these videos?
That’s hard to pin down. Active Facebook users might like experimenting with the feature and consuming the quick clips but may feel more comfortable posting status updates and photo dumps. Most TikTok creators will be underwhelmed by the video editing power. If you’re dedicated to Instagram and dabble in Reels over there, you could get the most out of Facebook’s new feature, with the available integrations.
Watch out for my next article. Have an absolutely awesome day ❤️