YouTube’s New ‘Story’ Feature – Reels
YouTube has launched a new feature that you need to explore when planning your video marketing strategy. The new visual storytelling tool that they have introduced is called ‘Reels.’ It is similar to ‘stories’, the popular feature on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.
Reels brings a new video format to YouTube, allowing creators to express themselves and engage with fans without posting a full video. Users shoot 30-second long mobile videos, and they can add filters, music, text and even YouTube stickers. Unlike stories on Instagram and Snapchat, creators can make multiple reels which don’t expire. This feature will be found in a new tab on the creator’s channel.
Here are 5 reasons why your business should use stories for video marketing:
1) Build your brand
Stories are a good way to build a brand persona. Stories allow you to bring the energy and animation of what is happening in your company to users. You could create a chronological narrative to show what happens at your company in 24 hours.
2) Deliver your message in a concise way
Creating a story means that you can summarise everything you want to say in one video for users, rather than creating separate content. Stories can create a sense of urgency, grab attention and compel people to take action.
3) Make engaging content
Image-based messaging is increasing in popularity. It’s no longer enough to simply create social media pages, you have to adapt your marketing strategy to make a memorable impression.
4) Less production time
Stories don’t demand a lot of time and execution. The spontaneous and ‘raw’ nature of the videos can be a fun way to deliver content.
5) Focus on user experience
Music, filters and stickers create a more interesting experience for everyday users, and also brands. Telling a story through video content, rather than a written post, is more engaging and requires less effort from the user to consume.
An example of a company that utilises stories with great success is Google. Brand storytelling is their strong point, and they use imagery with narrative captions to tell inspiring stories about users of their products. They share key parts of the story to draw you in, build anticipation and encourage you to follow the link and watch more. This use of stories builds their brand persona and also demonstrates how their services help people across the world.
If you want us to help you shape your story, get in touch.