Are you a business owner who has heard the phrase “Gifs” but more than likely rolled your eyes discounting it as another fad? Whilst for many the phrase might just sound like something millennials use, the four-letter word with the confusing pronunciation can prove extremely beneficial to your brand’s presence on social media and in your marketing if used correctly.
What are GIFs? GIFs (pronounced jifs) are an animated image file. This means that images created to form a short moving picture and used online through emails, website or on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and (more recently) Instagram Stories.
There are many benefits that arise from using GIFs for your business promotion.
1) It’s all about the motion
First and foremost, we as humans are attracted by motion. It’s part of our programming. It’s one of the reasons why video marketing is proving so popular with marketers and brands. However, when we need things in a smaller format then a GIF might be just what we need to share our message and still meet our objectives effectively.
2) Going viral
If used correctly it is a powerful tool to going viral. Not only our GIFs great for conveying a message, if used effectively they have the potential of being shared with your followers’ network.
3) Brighten up your messaging
Using GIFs can help create a fun and informative tone for your message, thus allowing you to stand out from the rest of your competitors. It can liven up your message across a range of Marketing channels including emails, social media and websites.
4) Attract attention to your brand
Think about how many times you visit a website and animated ad attracts your attention. GIFs can become eye-catching animated ad banners and leaderboards; thus ensuring your brand stands out.
5) Engagement boosters
GIFs, when used correctly, can retell a story or is a great way to show emotion about a particular topic. This more often than not will resonate with your audience and will help boost engagement on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram Stories.
6) The old saying…
“Actions speak louder than words”, so why not use this as an advantage over your competitors. Provided that the GIFs used align with your brand’s personality and tone, they can be a very effective tool to use in your Marketing messaging and communication.
So, have a look at your marketing messaging. Look at your Social Media, your Instagram Stories, your business blogs and even your email newsletters. Is there a way you could be factoring GIFs into your communication in a way that will be beneficial to your business and brand?
You never know, you might just have the next viral post because of how you incorporated the use of GIFs into your marketing.
Demelza Leonard, digital marketing and social media expert
