Instagram Reels allow brands to demonstrate who they are in a fun, interactive, and digestible way. Since the short video format debuted in 2020, brands and creators have leveraged it to massively boost their social media presence. The average person spends time on social media, scrolling through various videos and posts. The advancement of social media communication has taken on new forms, some of which can be harmful, but others can be useful for everyday purposes. As a more recent digital marketing tool, Instagram Reels has curated what it means to be effectively creative in a vibrant way. Veronica L. Thomas explains, "Instagram and other social platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, also offer Stories, which last up to 15 seconds and allow users to add augmented reality-based face filters, stickers, text, drawings, emojis, links, and geotags directly to photos and videos. Instead of being displayed in the Instagram user's vertical scrolling feed, they are displayed horizontally at the top of an active user's app, which the user can tap through to view." (2020, pg. 1). One of the main challenges of using stories is that they tend to disappear after 24 hours. That can be detrimental to a brand because followers who have logged into their feed miss the post. In comparison, Instagram Reels is 15 seconds more of content that reaches audiences worldwide. Start-up brands no longer need to use television advertisements; instead, they create their ads to promote products, and if the consumers like what they see, they can tap "View Shop," which will take them directly to the product link for purchase (Jain et al., 2022). The creation of the Internet has evolved all technologies, from the development of 5G mobile devices to Apple computers, and social media is no different.

Engagement

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Instagram Reels has the technology to engage people with what they want to see from brands. Nike, a highly established brand popular among teens (Smith, 2023), posts a reel advertising new sneaker launches through product sticker polling. The poll sticker will ask the brand's consumers to weigh in on what they want to see launch next or what city and area they'd like Nike to promote the new sneakers. Interactive stickers spark new engagement amongst young consumers because a youthful audience can make or break a brand's effectiveness. One Instagram Reel view can garner thousands of likes with the right strategy in just a 15-90-second video. With the application of audio, text, and eye-catching visuals, Instagram Reels is a stand-alone powerhouse. But to be creative in strategy, one must be realistic in planning. With the similarities to TikTok, active brands can be skeptical about how well their reel will perform, but now consumers can't skip over. The "Explore" page that directly connects to the main feed boosts instantly to the algorithm of Instagram-making target audiences get a glimpse of what a brand has to offer. Britny Kutuchief emphasizes the importance of knowing the algorithm, "The magic of Reels is in Instagram's not-so-secret sauce — the algorithm. This is the all-knowing matchmaker the platform uses to determine which Reels it shows to which users. Understanding how the Reels algorithm works can help you get more views from the Explore page and the Reels tab.

Adding trending sounds, using the right hashtags, and making your Reels visually appealing are all great ways to tell the algorithm, "Hey! Pay attention to me!" (2023). Potential customers and frequent consumers can visually process what a brand is trying to show with the explosion of Product Reels. Products Reels offers a strategy for brands to bring to life what they're selling. Customers can imagine what the product would feel and look like on them, especially if they're seeing their favorite influencer promote the product. This strategy can evoke positive emotions of anticipation. It's about persuasion of the eye, and brands are utilizing this practical marketing approach for more social engagement. When brainstorming effective marketing, brands must consider the visuals they are presenting. An Instagram Reel is a quick visual with added features that can sometimes be a hit or miss, but they mustn't deter from the overall goal engagement. Utilizing the element of Instagram Reels can connect with consumers on a deeper emotional level and allows brands to tell a story, no matter how short (Hellberg, 2015).

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Performance

A brand can be successful on social media if they utilize the tools that are available for use. Just as a brand uses its regular Instagram posts or stories to capture consumers' attention, if it remains consistent by adding Instagram Reels to its content planning, it can improve the performance of its media persona and the selling of its products. It's vital to consistently schedule fresh content because consumers want to see new and exciting releases that a brand can offer (Kutuchief, 2022). Kayse Morris of The CEO Teacher Podcast discussed in her episode "Creating a Reel Brand Using Instagram Reels" how digital media marketing tools such as Instagram Reels work for you and it's essential to create a brand that represents who you are. It may not be a permanent marketing strategy, but using Instagram Reels can be a great way to boost your brand performance and gain a new following (Morris, 2022). The image that a brand presents is crucial to its performance because it’s what consumers want to connect with and engage with content that they identify with. Kayse Morris dives further into her podcast episode about how Instagram Reels targets an audience beyond your target to grow and expand beyond your original market. Morris emphasizes how text, emojis, reel covers, and other elements can make a brand's Instagram Reel stand out. She also says these strategies can benefit brand performance inspiration, note-taking, video capture, texts, scripts, and audio (Morris, 2022). These steps will boost a brand's visibility on the Explore page and increase followers. A Social Media Manager of the Search Engine Journal explains, "With a bit of time scrolling through Instagram Reels, brands can easily figure out what's trending and replicate those videos to help capture their audience's attention. When making reels, it's crucial to focus on generating authentic content, so each reel doesn't feel like you're trying to sell something to your followers" (Adames, 2022).

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Influencers

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For brands to gain an understanding of what kind of Instagram Reels they want their viewers to see, they must not only be persuasive but entertaining as well. A brand never wants to come across as a full-on advertisement because that's not what potential customers want to see; if they did, they'd go straight to the brand's website. It's not a traditional ad but a creative and informational reel where the product is presented in an excitable way. The most crucial part of promotion is to be authentic. Brands can utilize this step by engaging their audiences with trustworthy, informative, visually appealing, and community-driven influencers. By incorporating user-generated content with influencers, a brand will see an increase in engagement. Consumers can personally connect with the brand, feel involved in the brand's community, and bring awareness to the brand's mission by either repost or word-of-mouth (Archive Team, 2023). Putting influencers on the frontlines of a brand's content can be an effective way to see the rise in follow-count, shares, sponsorships, and even advertisements. Using Instagram Reels, the immediate visual of a famous influencer would draw in customers/consumer curiosity and persuade them to search the website for the product the influencer has promoted.

Goswami and Bharathi explain, "Influence measures the likelihood of the user in sending an invitation to others to join by forwarding contents from the site and referred to as e-WOM (electronic Word of Mouth). Customer engagement depicts a one-way relationship with the brand website wherein the user is engaged or related to the website. The subject is the brand's customers, both prospective and detractors. The degree of this positive or negative engagement could be low or high. A higher value indicates high involvement of users in the website, which is desirable from the company point of view" (2013, p. 2, para. 2-3). For example, Rhode Beauty, founded by Hailey Bieber, tends to post Instagram Reels of their founder using their products in her daily makeup and skincare routine. With her massive following of 50.7 million, the amount of traffic that Rhode Beauty gets to their page and website shows the power of an influencer's persuasion. Rhode Beauty's determination through reels to sell a product and Bieber's overall positive relationship with her fanbase is essentially a part of Rhode Beauty's success.

Instagram Reels is an effective tool for a brand's personality, mission, goals, and overall aesthetic. Whether it be a sports or wellness brand, it is up to the brand to establish itself amongst the competitive pool of Instagram. By conducting key strategies that guarantee the brand's success, creatives and entrepreneurs can elevate their social media presence, educate their consumers on what the brand offers, collaborate with influencers for more creative content, increase followers, and promote and sell products. Reels aren't just for pushing a brand to the forefront of the Explore page; it is about positioning the brand as a go-to for people to consume. Effective engagement starts with one post, and with Instagram Reels, all it takes is a 15-second video to boost brand success.

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