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Marketers are constantly looking for more ways to reach their audience and boost engagement. After trying almost every channel available in order to reach their audience, they are now looking for different tools to use in order to connect with their audience.
Animated GIFs have been around for quite some time and many have gone viral. When something goes viral you can be sure that many marketers will be interested in understanding why it was successful. Because GIFs are becoming more successful everyday and are having a profound impact on the industry, marketers are beginning to incorporate more GIFs into their marketing strategy.
Originally GIFs were created in 1987 but have since transformed themselves into an attractive tool. The everyday advances made in technology enabled GIFs to become more popular and used more often.
We have seen a constant rise in the use of GIFs across all social media sites and blogs. New online tools help even the most novice users find and/or create GIFs easily. The most popular online GIF search and creator is https://giphy.com. Just looking at Google Trends shows a rise in “reaction gifs” searches over time on the web.
If you look at GIFs from a marketer's point of view there are a few benefits to using GIFs in your marketing efforts:
- Your audience can easily understand the message you are trying to convey - in today's world people have a low attention span and it seems to be getting lower with time and technology advances. Marketers can reach their target audience with a living picture to emphasize the message they are trying to pass.
- Effective exposure - GIFs have the ability to engage the user and have them focus on the desired movement made in the GIF
- Emotional connection with your audience - bring laughter, inspiration, knowledge and information to your audience and have them feel it and understand it
- Animated GIFs attracts the user’s attention to show how something works or to tell a story through a moving picture
- Using GIFs in your marketing emails have been proven to raise click through rate and even revenue by some companies who use them. Making sure the GIFs are not big in size will ensure proper functionality with most computers. Do not over use GIFs in your marketing emails so your audience does not get tired of them. An easy way to check effectiveness of GIFs versus static images can be done by simply running a comparison test with two separate emails.
- Online tools have made creating GIFs very easy. Designers can now add life into their pictures thus improving the overall user experience and adding flair to the content.
The future of GIFs is important for social media. The cross between a regular image and a short video has made GIFs extremely popular especially with the younger generation. This combination helps marketers capture the attention of the user allowing to pass their message along to them. So to sum things up we believe that GIFs are here to stay this time, and most of all we believe marketers will find new ways of using them even more in their marketing efforts. Just looking at the incorporation of GIFs in the various social media networks expresses the importance of GIFs in the social world. When Twitter allowed the use of GIFs it sparked an online wildfire of people expressing their happiness about Twitter supporting GIFs with what else but GIFs. Since then almost all social networks have followed suit and added support for GIFs.
eClincher and Giphy Team Up
You may have noticed a new button in your eClincher Publishing tab. Noticing a rise in GIF use, we decided to partner with Giphy to make it easy for our users to add GIFs to their posts. By clicking on the Giphy button you will be able to choose from millions of GIFs. Simply find the GIF you want to use and press attach.
We are really excited to see how you guys start taking advantage of this Giphy integration in the coming months. Are you currently using GIFs as part of your social media marketing strategy? Let us know in the comment section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are GIFs good for marketing?
GIFs are great for marketing because they are a fun, visual way to engage customers and create a memorable brand experience. They are also a great way to show off your product or service in a quick, engaging way. GIFs are perfect for online marketing because they can be easily shared on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
How do I create a marketing GIF?
There are a few ways to create a marketing GIF. One way is to use a free online tool like Canva. You can also use software like Photoshop or After Effects. Or, if you're comfortable with coding, you can create GIFs using HTML and CSS. The most important thing is to make sure your GIF looks high-quality and professional.
Are GIFs good for SEO?
he short answer is that they don't hurt, but they might not help as much as some people think. GIFs are great for engaging users and adding visual interest to your content, but they can also slow down your page loading times. This is something to keep in mind if you're using a lot of GIFs on your website. They probably won't significantly improve organic rankings.
Do GIFs increase engagement rate?
There's no definitive answer, but all indications point to yes – GIFs definitely increase engagement rates. They're fun, engaging, and make it easy for people to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Plus, they help you stand out from the competition and capture attention in a crowded online space.
Final Thoughts
The power of visual content should not be underestimated – especially when it comes to marketing. By understanding how animated GIFs can serve as an essential marketing tool, you can take your campaigns to the next level and boost conversions. With billions of people using social media worldwide, there’s no reason not to give GIFs a try in your next marketing campaign. So what are you waiting for? Get started creating engaging, visually appealing content that will capture your audience’s attention and help you achieve your desired results.
