GIFs center on creating a connection with your audience. Who doesn’t love puppies (and gifts – but mostly puppies)?
GIFs make an impression on your audience
According to HubSpot, when people hear information they’re likely to remember just 10% of that information three days later. When this information is paired with a visual, this number rises to 65%. Now imagine if that visual was funny and relatable! GIFs can be used as reactions, serve as memorable ads, and explain processes. It’s important to remember that they can enhance your brand by showing your company’s culture and even – expertise.
Reactions
This is the way most of your audience will experience GIFs. Whether it’s a funny fact or a comment on pop culture/news, reactions create an instant connection. Consumers now crave to connect with a brand with humor and authenticity. Social media is the best place for these kinds of GIFs because they provide an instant reaction and load faster on mobile than traditional video.
Quick Tip: Try searchable archives like GIPHY to quickly find GIFs by category. GIF from GIPHY.
Ads/Promotion
Research suggests that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text! Why not use a GIF to advertise a new promotion, flash sale or a sneak peek? This creates a great opportunity to showcase your brand by adding text or a small watermark to make sure your content is credited to you. For examples, look to Twitter, Starbucks, Home Depot and Hootsuite. As you look at these examples take note of the effective use of image and movement alone – most consumers will hear the ad without sound.
Explain Processes
Update your followers on a new feature or product with a GIF! As noted by John Rampton in Forbes, “Since [GIFs] come across in a frame-by-frame format, the viewer can focus on each feature for longer than when it has a split-second stream in a video.” A great tip is to divide up information into multiple GIFs, this will allow the viewer to focus on (and share) what is applicable to them.
Tumblr released this short GIF to show that posts can be embedded anywhere. Notice how Tumblr’s fun retro style shines through!
Your brand can show personality, authenticity and humor – in just seconds!
One more surprise…
Want to create your own GIF? Here are some easy-to-use GIF creators:
Author, Laura V. Boston
The C3 Group