The Real Truth Behind Instagram Reels

We REELy need to talk about Instagram Reels, TikTok, and the power these quick videos have over social media right now. 

It’s hard to remember a time before we could endlessly scroll through bite-sized videos whenever we wanted. Instagram first introduced its users to Reels in the fall of 2020 to compete with the TikTok boom brought about by the early days of the pandemic. Now with Reels moving to Facebook as well, it seems that videos have made a permanent space for themselves at the table.

Does this mean we should invest all of our social media efforts into videos? Not exactly. 

There is still immense value in single image and carousel posts on the platforms. Static content allows viewers to read, revisit, and re-consume quickly without being forced to sit through the entirety of the video. It allows viewers the opportunity to slowly digest the content in a way they could not do with a video. In fact, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, recently stated that the platform will be going back to its roots and focusing on images over videos in 2023. 

That is not to say that you should stay away from video-based content creation. We at MFBS are big fans of TikToks and Reels alike! However, video creation is not one size fits all, and going all in on video creation may not be the best strategy for everyone. Creating a TikTok or Reel can be a far more tedious task than posting a single image, carousel, or even infographic. However, if you want to go all in on video content creation, be sure to have an honest and realistic conversation with your social media manager or team about budget, time commitments, and what is needed and expected of you and them!

-Alexis Banda, MFBS Account Manager