The TikTok app has come under increased scrutiny in the past year, with threats of bans at both the state and federal levels of the U.S. While many B2B brands have not yet delved into the world of TikTok, the brands that have are rightfully seeking ways to diversify their social media presence, weighing what to do if the app disappears. If the ban does happen, Meta Reels could be a great alternative for brands to utilize for their short-form video content (and, I’d add, should be used by brands regardless if a ban happens). Ads seem to be more expensive on Meta at the moment, but it might be worth the shift so that brands aren’t hit as hard from a potential TikTok ban.
The benefits of using Meta Reels in your B2B social media mix extend beyond just diversifying your presence in the wake of a potential TikTok ban.
Visibility: Facebook Reels have the potential to reach a wider audience compared to regular posts. Reels are shown in a dedicated tab on a user's profile, and they can also appear on the Facebook News Feed, Instagram Feed, and Explore page. Explore five additional ways that video content can improve your social media visibility .
Engagement: Reels on Facebook have a higher engagement rate compared to regular posts. This is because they are short, snappy, and visually appealing, making them more likely to grab a user's attention and encourage them to engage with the content.
Trending content: Facebook Reels are a great way to showcase trending content and capitalize on viral challenges. While it can be hard for B2B brands to take advantage of music trends on social media due to copyright, they can still hop onto audio trends created by users on the platform. Shopify does a great job creating entertaining B2B content around audio trends on TikTok .
Cross-promotion: Reels on Facebook can be shared on Instagram, which can help creators reach a wider audience on both platforms. This cross-promotion can help creators grow their following and increase their visibility.
New features have just been announced for Meta Reels that could make it more appealing for brands to make the switch, including longer lengths, Memories integrations, and new templates.
Reels length: Meta Reels can now be up to 90 seconds long, an additional 30 seconds on the previous limit. Perhaps the app is working its way up to the 10 minute video length currently offered on TikTok.
Memories integration: Creators and brands can now share ready-made reels, straight from Memories. Memories pulls in posts you have created around the same time during previous years. For B2B brands, this could be Memories of product launches from previous years, or events you celebrated.
Grooves: One of the better features of TikTok is the option to align your video automatically to the beat of a song you select. Meta Reels has now adopted its own version of this feature called ‘Grooves’.
New templates: Reels templates have always been available on Instagram, but this is now offered on Facebook, too. Templates allow you to stylize your video with different trending formats such as a slideshow format.
With the variety of new features offered by Meta Reels, this social media tool could be the next big platform if TikTok faces a ban in the U.S. My recommendation to brands nervous about the TikTok news is to post video content to both TikTok and Meta for the time being. That way you can build up an audience on the Meta platform in case the app does go down. Here are a few additional tips to maximize your B2B video content across your social platforms .
As we all know from past experience, the world of social media changes every day, so Meta could be a smart move for B2B brands to diversify their presence either way.
Do you think Meta Reels will take off? Let us know in the comments below!