How to Use Short Videos and Reels on Social Media and Websites?

Learn why short videos are the hottest growth hack and how to use them on your social media and website effectively!

 

It is no secret that short videos and reels are a gold mine for businesses. These short but entertaining videos have a unique way of catching users’ attention, which means lots of followers and traffic to your websites. According to stats, more than 8 billion videos or over 100 million hours of short videos and reels are watched on Instagram and Facebook.

In the latest Instagram Live, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, revealed that reels drive a mammoth amount of growth online for major social media platforms. He further stated that short videos and reels had become a key focus area for Instagram.

The point here is that if you want to promote your brand or gain more followers, it’s the perfect time to start creating and using short videos on your social media and websites.

Want proof? Here are why short videos and reels are the hottest growth hack and why you should use them on your social media and websites.

 

Why Use Short Videos and Reels on Social Media and Websites?

 

1.      Get More Exposure and Engagement

 

If you log in to any social media platform, chances are you will encounter a lot of video content within the first few seconds. This is because short videos and reels perform best when capturing a viewer’s attention for longer.

Unlike long paragraphs, videos are straightforward to consume and are an effective tool to hook your audience. In addition, social media platforms also offer an extra boost to new features, many of which are video-related.

For instance, Instagram is a trendy platform that heavily promotes reels. In contrast, Pinterest showcases its Video Pins in a scrollable banner at the top to hook new audiences and hold their attention for longer.

 

2.      Videos and Reels are Popular Across All Channels

 

It is no surprise that social media users love video content. A 2018 study suggested that more than 54% of social media users wanted to see more video content from businesses and brands they follow. Since then, videos and reels have stormed to popularity across different platforms, including LinkedIn and Facebook.

Similarly, according to a 2019 study, users spent 6 hours and 40 minutes weekly watching video content, a 59% increase from 2016. In other words, users expect brands and businesses to create more entertaining and engaging video content on social media than ever before.

 

3.      Video Content Usually Sticks Around for Longer

 

In addition to catching users’ attention and keeping them engaged for longer periods, short videos and reels generally have a longer shelf life. TikTok videos, for instance, can be surfaced in a user’s “For You Pages” for months after they are first published.

The reason behind this is that video content typically has the ability to generate more interactions and share, making videos stay for longer.

 

4.      Video Content is More Appealing to Gen Z Audience

 

The Internet is much more prevalent among Gen Z (the 1990s to 2010s generation) than any other generation. They are also more connected to video content, as they have grown up with YouTube as their primary source of entertainment. In fact, a recent YouTube survey suggests that more than 50% of millennials and Gen Z stated that video content is their preferred source of entertainment and education.

Moreover, that’s why TikTok and Instagram as short-video platforms are incredibly successful and popular among Gen Z. It is worth noting that more than 40% of TikTok users fall into this demographic.

There are many more reasons why video content is an effective tool for businesses and brands. Let’s discuss using short videos and reels on social media and websites.

 

How to Use Short Videos and Reels on Your Website?

 

New start-ups, established brands, and even general users look for out-of-the-box ways to create compelling, actionable content that can keep their audience engaged. Keeping this in mind, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram launched a fun, enthralling, and everyone’s favorite feature – short videos and reels.

Nowadays, short videos and reels have become powerful marketing hacks for brands and businesses. Embedding reels and videos into your website is an excellent way to target your ideal audience and gain more followers and brand awareness. Here are the best practices for using video content on your websites and social media:

 

• Create Quality Videos

Adding poor video content to your website will not get you anything. So, ensuring that your videos are high-quality, compelling, and add value is essential. In addition, quality means more than just using fancy equipment to create great content. In fact, you can create awesome short videos just about anywhere. Moreover, while creating a video, keep a few basic things like lighting and sound in mind.

 

• Place Your Videos Cautiously

While adding short videos at the top of your website is the most obvious approach, there are other ways. Before adding videos, think strategically to determine where you can add videos to your website. Think about your video’s context and association with your website’s content.

 

Moreover, adorning your social media and website with video content means drawing your audience in and letting them know what they need. So, make your videos the focal point while also ensuring that the rest of the content is videos’ supportive.

 

• Create Easily Accessible Videos

Your video content should be easily accessible so everyone can enjoy it. In addition, easily accessible content is beneficial for creating engagement, boosting conversion rates, and ranking high in search results.

So, how can you make accessible videos?

Your video content should contain captions, audio descriptions, and transcripts. In addition, they should also be playable on any video player.

 

• Create Short but Sweet Content

On average, 52% of people will watch your videos, no matter how long. However, if you create short videos, the numbers can be as high as 70%. It means short videos and reels have higher chances that your audience will see the entire video.

For your website’s homepage, we recommend creating 30 to 60-second videos. However, the length of your video content depends on what page you want to display it on and its purpose.

 

• Use Seducing Thumbnails

Movies use enthralling posters to grab people’s attention and get them interested in watching the movie. Similarly, short videos and reels on your website and social media should have eye-catching thumbnails. Moreover, ensure that the thumbnails you choose should clear that it’s a video.

 

• Create Responsive Content

Responsive content means your videos are playable, no matter what device your audience uses. Responsive pages are also an effective way to provide an excellent user experience on different devices.

If you are hosting your video content, remember to convert it to incorporate versions in different sizes. However, if you are using a video hosting platform, it should automatically do this for you.

 

• Keep Load-Time Fast

According to studies, people expect websites to load videos in less than five seconds. While page load speeds may not be an exemplary aspect of video marketing, it is critical. So, optimize your video content to ensure the load time is manageable.

 

How to Embed Reels on Your Website?

 

There are two ways to embed Instagram reels on your website:

Manually: Manually injecting reels into your website requires you to gather the HTML embed code of your Instagram reel and then inject it into your website.

Automatically: Alternatively, you will need to use a WordPress Plugin to embed reels on your website.

 

• Embedding Reels Manually

 

Moreover, embedding reels on your website manually is a bit lengthy process. So, if you want to embed all your Instagram reels on your website, you must deal with many custom HTML codes. In addition, you will also need to customize codes manually to make the content look better on your website. However, you will have to spend a few bucks on hiring a developer if you are not tech-savvy.

 

• Embedding Reels Automatically

 

On the other hand, the automatic process of embedding reels on your website is straightforward and more convenient. All you need is to use a WordPress Plugin, “Instagram Feed Pro,” and you are all set to embed all your Instagram content in no time.

 

On top of that, it also lets you create and customize video content on your website. Moreover, you can also show photos, Instagram stories, hashtags, and more.

 

Here is how you can embed Instagram reels on your website:

 

1. First of all, you need to Install Instagram Feed Pro Plugin. After installation, activate the plugin.
2. Once the plugin is ready, you must create an Instagram feed to display reels on your website. In this regard, go to the “Instagram Feed,” “All Feeds,” and then hit the “Add New” option.
3. You will have three options: User Timeline, Public Hashtags, and Tagged Posts. You can also select more than one option and hit “Next.”
4. Connect your feed to your Instagram, and you are all set to display reels and photos from your Instagram.
5. Now, click the “Add Source” option, which will allow you to select between your personal or business account. Remember that with the personal Instagram account option, you can only embed content from your Instagram. In contrast, the business account option lets you embed a variety of content, including hashtags and photos.
6. Once you have selected an account type, hit the “Login with Instagram” option, redirecting you to your web browser.
7. Click “Allow” to complete connecting your Instagram account.
8. Now, you are redirected to your website. Click “Next” to confirm the source for your Instagram.
9. After connecting your account, you will land on the live feed editor. On the left, you will see many options that you can use to customize your content.
10. Now, go to “Settings” and hit the “Filters and Moderation” option.
11. In order to display reels, Go to the “Specific Types of Posts” option and uncheck the “Photos” box.
12. Finally, hit the “Save” button.

How to Embed Videos on Your Website?

 

Embedding short videos on your website doesn’t need any coding. You only need to inject the source URL for the videos you want to embed. In addition to adding Instagram reels, WordPress supports auto-embedding so that you can add short videos from other platforms like Facebook.

 

Here is how you can embed Facebook videos on your WordPress website:

 

1. Firstly, install the Custom Facebook Feed Pro plugin and then activate it.
2. Now, you will have the plugin on your website where you can create a Facebook Video Feed. Navigate to the “Facebook Feed” and “All Feeds” and then hit the “Add New” button.
3. Choose the account type, select the “Videos” option, and then hit “Next.”
4. Now, you will have two options “Embed all videos from Facebook” and “Embed a specific list from Facebook.”
5. If you wish to display all the videos, click the “Show All Videos” option and then hit “Next.”
6. Select the “Show from a Specific List” option if you plan to show a specific playlist.
7. Go to your Facebook playlist and copy the video URL.
8. Now, paste it into the “Add Playlist URL” box and click “Next.”
9. The next step is to connect your Facebook Feed to your Facebook account.
10. Click “Add New,” select a Facebook page for your source, and then hit “Connect.”
11. Click “Read-Only” and then press “Done.”
12. You will be redirected to your website, where you can hit the “Add” option.
13. Click “Next.”
14. Now, you will see your Facebook Feed in the Live Feed Editor.
15. Click “Feed Layout” to start customization.
16. Choose between “Add your Facebook video feed to your page” and “Add your video feed to the sidebar or footer.”
17. Click the “Embed” option, then hit the “Add” option.
18. Inside the editor, hit the “+” sign to create a new WordPress block.
19. Type “Facebook” in the search box and then hit the “Custom Facebook Feed” option.
20. Finally, finish the process by clicking the “Publish” button.

 

Wrapping Up

 

Video content is an excellent way to promote your brand, gain followers, and rank better. Businesses and brands use short videos and reels to educate, inform, and entertain their audiences. Moreover, creating high-quality video content helps you improve engagement, rank well, and boost conversions. We hope you will find this guide helpful.

 

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