Intro
GIFs have taken the world by storm. You’re aware of it. They are everywhere, and not just on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. GIFs are regarded as excellent illustrative media. They are also used as analytical materials in serious, hard-core scientific publications. So, get rid of the notion that GIFs are only for entertainment and generally ineffective staff. That is far from the case these days. GIF can be an effective marketing asset and a great tool for marketeers. Let’s take a look at some of the real-world applications for GIF.
When you need GIF marketing
So GIFs are useful for more than just showing you cute funny kittens.
- No more videos
In general, when using social media, you do not watch video full-screen and, in many cases, no sound is required. As a result, video quality can be quite poor. GIFs are a natural choice because they are much smaller in size and upload much faster. Furthermore, the majority of websites can play them automatically. Another advantage is that you can loop them, which makes it even more enjoyable.
- No videos but another way
GIFs are ideal for video placement on websites with technical constraints. Like Kickstarter, which requires only one, preferably short video. Or if you believe your project will be viewed in areas where there is no fast Internet connection. In such cases, GIFs are used for additional explanations while retaining all of the benefits of visual aids. Consider the Powerup Dart or Ti EDS V2 projects, for example.
- No need for long explanations
GIFs are excellent for replacing long sequences of images and multi-word guides. They are essential when demonstrating how your service or equipment works. A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words.
- Infographics
It turns out to serve an important purpose. It was discovered that 40% of people prefer images to text. As a result, animated infographics in GIF format appear more concise and neat than regular images.
- No screenshots/images
GIFs can now be found in a variety of electronic publications. These animated illustrations complement analytical and research articles.
- Promotional materials
Starbucks, L’Oréal Paris, and Samsung are among the companies that use GIF markerting tools to promote their products and services.
- Teasers
If you want your audience to watch a long video, show them a short and light-weight GIF teaser or even several of them highlighting the most important, crucial moments. Various brands and magazines draw attention to their publications on social networks and increase audience interaction with GIF as marketing media.
- Emotions with emojis
GIFs are far superior at conveying emotions. You have a lot more options and freedom, as well as more illustrative capabilities.
How to make your own GIF
GIF Maker – services and apps was published last week. Check it out; it has a useful list of existing GIF Makers. Or undertake your own search; I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other options.
Searching for ready GIFs
It might happen that you would like to work on marketing objectives and don’t feel prepared or experienced to create your own GIFs. Fortunately, there are websites where you can find GIFs that meet your requirements.
- Reddit – Thousands of different GIFs have been uploaded by users. It also has several sections dedicated to GIFs:
GIFS – GIFs of any kind and type
Reactiongifs – GIFs to express your emotions
Analogygifs – GIFs for comparison
Dancegifs – GIFs about dancing
Animalgifs – GIFs with and about animals
- 9GAG – Great GIF source claiming to be “the largest meme community on the internet”
- Pinterest – Really huge collection of GIFs. To find the one you need, just type your keyword followed by “gif”.
- Tumblr – Similar with the previous collection. To find the GIF, you need a keyword and “gif” combination
- GIPHY – One of the largest GIF collections. You can search for GIFs with keywords and names.
- Tenor – Another large collection with convenient search.
- Imgur – Actually, it’s a big photo hosting site. The link if pressed leads to a page with search for GIFs.
- Replygif – Emotional GIFs. Small but funny collection with tag-based search.
- GIFs.net – Stylish GIFs.
- GifCities – Old-school GIFs.
- Google – Here you can search for GIFs also. And the results might make you wonder
GIFs marketing mauvais ton
GIF is a solid marketing technology, but some practices are not so nice and are best avoided.
Animated avatars/userpics may drive you insane. They demand a lot of attention, divert your focus away from the text, and provide no useful information.
Animated images and emojis – it means any pictures with moving elements but nothing worth you to focus on them happens.
Animated banners should be avoided at all costs. It is not okay to use animation solely to draw your attention. However, it is perfectly acceptable when new information is presented with dynamic, motion elements.
Animated interface elements – a large number of animated elements and components can be found on modern websites. They are currently created with JavaScript. Using such old technology for that purpose implies that you must update your approach to creating web pages.
GIFs and marketing
GIFs are certainly visually appealing and entertaining. But how can marketers use GIFs for marketing purposes? What are some potential ways of GIF marketing?
#1: Showing brand personality
Animated images that demonstrate brand personality can be an excellent GIF marketing tool for any company. And some folks already use them.
#2: Introduce your company and team
Seeing a nice group photo or a list of employees is far from thrilling experience. However, when it’s a vibrant animated GIF, your presentation of yourself and your business becomes much more appealing.
#3: Show your product
First and foremost, GIFs are interesting and funny. In comparison to traditional advertisements, GIFs can show your product in an unusual and humorous manner, rendering it more appealing to your audience. Automatic looping for GIFs, which is available in many browsers and social media platforms, can make that even far more effective.
#4: How-to’s, tutorials, guides
It is always preferable to see once rather than listen 100 times. In other words, GIFs are ideal when you want to avoid lengthy descriptions but still demonstrate how to do things correctly. It could be anything from a technical tutorial to a cooking recipe or an explanation of a process.
#5: GIFs and customer relations
We all want to be valued, appreciated, and respected. GIFs can be an extremely effective tool for improving customer relations. Sales, discounts, or announcing your award-winner all add to the excitement of such good news. Making a personalized birthday greeting, for example, is simple and easy with the dedicated free online Aspose Text-to-GIF app. However, it can be a good strategy for developing strong relationships with your valued customers. Don’t forget that there are numerous other reasons to contact your customers where the Aspose Text-to-GIF app can be useful because it provides several pages with relevant quotes and messages.
#6: GIF collection
Taking it a step further with GIFs can result in a great deal of new customers visiting your site. Certainly, it would be a great idea to create a collection of GIFs with business information that your customers can use and add to.
#7: GIFs instead of presentations
GIFs can be used to convey information, such as news stories. It can be a good place to start by inviting your audience to share their thoughts and debate the case.
#8: Storytelling GIFs
GIFs rely heavily on animation. Please don’t be fooled because they appear too simple, even primitive. GIFs can convey very serious ideas and deep thoughts. It also does, however, necessitate that you be a highly creative individual.
Almost done
GIFs can help you capture the attention of your customers or expand your marketing campaign. Making eye-catching GIFs may not be as simple as it appears. Obviously, some ideas and imagination is required. And the Aspose app family can assist you boosting your creativity.
