What is GIF
In its simplest form, a GIF is just an image file. Like the JPEG or PNG file formats, the GIF format can be used to make still images. But the GIF format has a special feature, which is that it can also be used to create animated images. We say “animated images” because GIFs are not really videos. If anything, they are more like flipbooks. For one, they do not have sound. Also, the GIF format was not created for animations; that is just how things worked out. The fun thing is that GIF files can hold multiple pictures at once, and people realized that these pictures could load sequentially if they are decoded a certain way.
Why GIFs are gaining popularity
While it may seem to be a recent phenomenon, animated GIFs have actually been around for almost 30 years. GIFs are all the rage these days, and it is easy to see why! They are not just a great way of communicating jokes or emotions – GIFspeak has become an established language in itself. There are sites like GIPHY, who give people the opportunity to make and create their own funny clips super simple with their freely available library full ciphers that can be used as easily on Twitter chat bots as they would anywhere else online. There is no need for Photoshop skills either because people have got keyboard access right from any phone which makes them perfect if we want to share something quickly without having another app open up its proceedings.
The marketing world has come up with new ways to reach their clients and it doesn’t matter if a person is looking for something short or long-term. GIFs, which stand for “graphics interchange format,” can be used in both situations because they are easy enough that anyone could create them on any device and there is a full ability to use them on different social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram. GIFs are also popular among lifestyle influencers and are usually used in lifestyle marketing.
Ways to use GIF Marketing
GIF marketing is the best way to advertise your brand because it often leaves more of an impression than other forms of advertising. Animated GIFs are a great tool for spreading awareness and gaining new followers, as they’re typically shared on social media sites such as Twitter or Instagram where users can quickly look at them if interested. The key behind successful GIF marketing stems from understanding what makes people tick online in order to create content that’s catchy enough to go viral without being too crass about it like some brands tend to be with their tactics today.
Here are several ways to market with GIFs
Usage while explaining a process or telling a story
Imagine a world where your company’s message was conveyed not through words but by gifs. This would be the perfect way to make sure the customers stay engaged and interested in what the company has going on because images often tell more than just one story, especially when they are comedic! The best part? People have the opportunity to use this same concept for any type of how-to guide or application tutorial that needs some extra explanation love. For example if the company decided to have a 4th of July party in nature, there will be a need to send printed invitations or invitations by email. This will always work, however if a person will try to picture the whole atmosphere in a GIF and then send the responses will be much more and the enthusiasm for the arty will be bigger.
Promoting a product or service
The great thing about GIFs is that they allow people to highlight specific features of the product or service. The viewer can spend more time focusing on each individual element, because it is framed in a short burst unlike videos which have quick streams across their screen at one time . This means if someone wants information from this video but also gets distracted by another prompt while watching then there might be trouble getting back into what he was doing before without feeling frustrated since most people have limited amounts of patience when researching online these days. GIFs can be also a great opportunity for lifestyle influencers who can promote some products by sharing GIFs and showing many different features of that product in just one short video.
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world’s largest coffeehouse chain. Starbacks uses GIF Marketing strategy for example to show the new, colorful types of coffees in just one GIF and in order to catch the attention of the customers immediately. The example of the advertisement can be seen below
Add some interest to your website
Better than Flash, which slowed down website page loading time, GIFs do not impact loading time and offer visual interest through brief movement. Cinemagraphic GIFs are becoming popular additions to websites because they feature stunning photography or visuals that represent the brand and create that emotional connection with the viewer.
Use on social media channels
Nowadays, social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Telegram and others support GIFs. This means people have the ability to use them as a way to attract attention from their audience with short moving images that play automatically when loaded onto the site or app – much like how YouTube works. Instagram offers the Boomerang which creates loops similar in style if not format than traditional gifs so people will stay longer on each individual post while they are scrolling through their feeds.
Involve your audience:
The last way to use GIFs in order to market is by involving the audience. With the rise in popularity for making our own GIFs, it’s a great idea to involve your customers and get them involved with this tactic. Contests can be created where users have an opportunity at winning some sort of prize if they come up With The Best User Generated GIF That Represents the Company’s Brand Or Can Be Used In Next Marketing Campaign.