Some days it feels like there are far too many social media platforms to keep up with, especially for medical professionals and health consultants trying to market their businesses. Nothing beats word-of-mouth advertising, and buying Google search ads is certainly an easier method, but short-form video marketing on social media can have exceptional returns on investment when you hit the right flow. Though popular, TikTok is also not your only option. You can use several effective short-form video marketing strategies on Instagram using their latest in-app addition, Instagram Reels.

Why Use Reels Instead of Instagram Stories?

Instagram offers several different ways to create content that can be beneficial for your marketing strategy. Sharing images and videos to your Instagram profile is exceptionally common and an expected way to market your business to your existing clients and followers. You can also increase engagement through Instagram Stories, which disappear from your profile after a certain amount of time (in this case, 24 hours).

The limitation here is that only your followers can see content posted to your timeline. That includes your Stories. You can purchase ads to share your Stories, but you may not have the budget or resources for that.

A good alternative is to use Instagram Reels. When you create content using Instagram Reels, it’s not locked to just your followers; your reach is far more greater. Anyone can see the videos you create and share using Reels, and anyone with an Instagram account can interact with that content, similar to TikTok.

Instagram’s algorithm is heavily favoring accounts utilizing Reels. Hootsuite conducted an experiment that found follower counts and engagement increased following Reels posts. The bigger challenge from there is keeping your Reels audience hooked and engaged after they’re captivated by your business’s Reel for the first time, and convert to a follower.

Using Reels to grow your follower count is itself a strategy, but you should also consider some of the following tips to make sure you get the most out of your Reels strategy.

Not sure where to get started with Reels? Contact Madison Ave Media today for a complimentary consultation.

1. Be Mindful of Reposting TikTok Content

Keep in mind that Instagram Reels is a TikTok competitor. Instagram will intentionally avoid promoting your content if it has a TikTok watermark on it. That’s also not a rumor. TikTok confirmed this to be the case.

You can still re-use your TikTok content, however. All you need to do is remove the watermark. There are several ways to do this, but we recommend running your video through SnapTik, which is completely free to use. SnapTik allows you to download your TikTok videos and automatically removes the watermark for you, allowing you to re-upload the video to Reels.

Still, you may not want to take the “recycle” approach for each apps’ strategy. When you download videos from TikTok and upload them to Reels, the video and audio quality tends to suffer. Content can look grainy, and it may negatively impact the user experience. The sound from your repurposed TikTok may also not be fully in sync with your lips if you’re mouthing the words. Viewers don’t always expect Hollywood-quality video content on a social media platform, but you present a better case for your business when you have higher-quality video in your Reels posts.

2. Create a Cohesive Brand Aesthetic

Clear branding is an important part of the process. Multiple studies have shown that brand awareness is directly connected to the likelihood that consumers will purchase a businesses’ services or patronize businesses. The better and more clearly designed your branding, the bigger the impact your Reels content will have on driving traffic to your business.

Incorporating cover images to your Reels is a good way to add that extra branding flavor, especially if you’re worried about or want to have that cohesive feel to your videos. Canva is an excellent tool for creating branded Reel cover images. It’s completely free to use and has a wide range of tools that can help you create some gorgeous covers.

Just remember: brand consistency matters. If you plan to have different covers, make sure they all have the same colors and font styles that match the branding for your business.

3. Post Frequently to Get Better Traction

Your posting frequency will impact how well your videos rank with Instagram’s algorithm. Simply put, the more Reels you post, the better your engagement will be. Given Instagram is pushing its new Reels content pretty hard, you’ll be rewarded for posting content more frequently.

That said, don’t feel like you need to post something new every day. That can be tiring and you could lose your audience’s interest if you post too much. A good posting frequency is about 1 to 3 Reels per week. We also recommend you create some consistency with your timing by posting new content on the same days of the week, and at the same time of day.

4. Don’t Forget to Promote Your Reels

Although Reels is an excellent way to create engaging content within Instagram, the platform does not automatically push that content to your main newsfeed. If you want to get your followers’ eyes on your Reels content more quickly, share it to your Story. Any views you get from here will also add to the overall view count for your Reel.

Your followers are also predisposed to like, share, and interact with your content, so lean into the strength of your Instagram account as you work to grow your marketing presence using Reels.

How Reels Works

Once you start developing a Reels marketing strategy, you’ll find there are three areas that will impact your content: Making Reels, sharing Reels, and watching Reels

Making Reels

Image Source: Instagram.com — *Image Source:* *Instagram.com*

When you open the Instagram app and go to your Camera, you should see the Reels tab at the bottom next to “Story”. From there, you can record a new Reels videos. Reels videos can be edited in several different ways, but take note of all of the following configurations:

Audio – Like TikTok, Reels allows you to search for music to add from the music library. Alternatively, you can add your own music when you make a Reels recording.
AR Effects – Instagram has a large library of augmented reality effects offered by the company and content creators.
Timer and Countdown – This feature makes it easy to record Reels videos hands-free. Just turn on the timer and get a 3-2-1 countdown, or give your Reels video a pre-determined time to stop recording (or both!).
Speed – Reels does not restrict your video to one speed. Speed up the video or audio in the recording for added effect.

Sharing Reels

Reels you’ve created are always shareable with your followers, but the true power of Reels content is the ability to get discovered by the IG community through Explore. The Reels videos you create will only be shared publicly if your privacy settings allow it.

As such, Reels made on private accounts will have limited share options. Only your followers can see your Reels shared to your Feed, but people won’t be able to use your original audio or share your Reels with others.

Conversely, public accounts get the full benefit of what Reels offers. That includes having Reels available to anyone through Explore, as well as having your Reels categorized and discoverable based on the songs, hashtags, or effects you’ve used.

Watching Reels

As we mentioned earlier, Instagram is heavily favoring profiles that are creating Reels content. Even better, it’s also labeling “Featured” original content. If your Reels content gains a Featured status, IG will send you a notification. From there, others will see your Reels content prominently as they explore IG.

Getting Started with Reels

If you’re already marketing your business with short-form video content on TikTok, shifting to Reels is almost a no-brainer. Instagram has over 500 million active users, and capturing even a fraction of these could be incredible for medical professionals and health consultants who want to grow their business.

However, not everyone has the right time, knowledge, or experience to ramp up marketing on Reels. Madison Ave Media has broad experience working with medical professionals, health consultants, and more with multiple types of social media marketing, including short-form video marketing on TikTok and Reels. Our expert guidance has even helped several of our clients go viral within days of launching short-form video marketing content. Just check out these two success stories: Mandy Rowe: Reels & TikTok and Maggie Berghoff: Reels & TikTok.

Contact Madison Ave Media today for a complimentary consultation.

Why Use Reels Instead of Instagram Stories?

1. Be Mindful of Reposting TikTok Content

2. Create a Cohesive Brand Aesthetic

3. Post Frequently to Get Better Traction

4. Don’t Forget to Promote Your Reels