Easy methods to Promote Manufacturers By means of Gifs
In a tenor poll, two-thirds of millennials said that gifs convey emotions better than text. This is true. Gifs enable brands to entertain and engage their audiences in ways that simple text or static images cannot.
Check out this GIF:
In a few frames it perfectly describes the GIF / JIF debate – this could have paragraphs in the text.
How does this relate to marketing? How can you use the power of gifs to improve your marketing strategy?
In this article, I'll show you how to find and use GIFs throughout your marketing plan to increase engagement, relate your brand, and keep your audience entertained.
Find gifs using a gif search engine
A GIF search engine is a repository of GIFs that you can search by category, popularity, name, GIF artist, and various other search parameters, much like an image page.
Typically, you type in a word, short phrase, or quote and the results will be displayed from most to the least popular.
This is where GIF search engines can differ most from traditional ones: Long-tail keywords can limit your results significantly.
Let's say I want a celebratory GIF, so I search for "celebrations". The following comes up:
Giphy – the sample page above – is arguably the most popular GIF search engine. In fact, Giphy is the second largest online search engine.
(It's not the only option, though. Other places to find gifs include Tenor, Tumblr, Reddit, and Imgur.)
On Giphy, brands can create channels for their gifs, similar to YouTube. Even the National Archives has a Giphy Canal:
What do people use gifs for?
Gifs are now used instead of emojis and text in everyday online conversations. Marketers can hop on this train to grab the attention of our audiences on their endless Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr feeds and to engage with users on all of our marketing platforms.
Gifs have been around since 1987, long before internet usage became widespread. It was a simple picture of a commercial jet flying through a cloudy sky.
In the early days of the commercial internet, gifs were everywhere on websites – spinning icons, signs under construction, flashing CTA buttons – and it was busy.
Then gifs evolved for dancing everything – the peanut butter jelly banana and of course the dancing baby; probably the first GIF to achieve pop culture status.
However, gifs can be so much more than a tool of humor. Marketers can use their popularity to promote their brands in new ways. Gifs can be used in email marketing, social posts, and blogs – some blogs even create entire articles from gifs!
Tips for Optimizing Gif Engine Search (GEO)
As with other search engines, to get the most effective use of gifs, you need to learn about them Optimization of the GIF search engine (GEO).
If you don't already have one, then consider creating an account on a website like Giphy, especially if you're thinking of making your own gifs. This is another way to get your brand visible through gifs that users can share through their social channels.
Remember, uploading your content is not enough. You have to optimize it. Here are some tips on how to optimize your gifs.
Pay attention to the purpose of your message and your audience If you use gifs
Before you share or create a GIF, ask yourself what you want to achieve. What do you want your audience to do with your GIF? Some common goals for gifs are:
- Win likes and shares
- Trigger conversation to increase engagement
- Raising awareness of a product or service
- Increase click rates
Now, think about the types of gifs that will work for your platform and audience. What will they react to? If you use a pop culture reference, will they recognize it?
Also, make sure that your GIF is really talking to your audience, not them. It's very easy to choose a GIF based on its humor or popularity, but it's also very easy to prove deaf.
For example, during the 2020 elections, Gap created a GIF of blue and red sweatshirts that merged with the message, "We know we can move forward together."
The GIF was released while the votes were still being counted, which many felt was poor timing and non-contact given the issues at stake. It was later deleted, but as we know everything that is posted online is out there forever.
You should consider more than just what your gifs say – it's the things that people or characters did in the gifs you selected.
If you use celebrities or politicians in your gifs, make sure you use your diligence on recent escapades. Did you do something controversial? If you're using a fictional character, is there anything about that character that might turn the viewer away?
Stay up to date with gif trends
Staying on trend with gifs will keep your brand relevant and you can show up in trending keywords searches.
Some gifs create trends – think of the dancing baby or the birthday of the "guy in the crowd".
Many gifs rip off popular films, TV shows, events or celebrities.
One way to keep your gifs, and therefore your content, relevant is to create an original gif that speaks directly to an event.
Another way to stay on trend is to create a GIF of a popular show, movie, or person of interest. It could be a celebrity, a politician, or just someone on the news who (or doesn't) enjoy their 15 minutes of fame.
For example, do you remember Justine Masters from RuPaul & # 39; s Drag Race?
This GIF had more than 419 million views in 2019. Using something like this can help show consumers that you are on the cutting edge of fashion.
Keep an eye on the size of the GIF file
When it comes to gifs, smaller is generally better. Giphy lists the following recommendations for uploading gifs to their website:
- Files that are 8MB or less are best.
- The resolution at or below 480 is most effective.
Gifs are not still images where high resolution is essential. It's more about the message than the appearance, especially since most of the gifs are displayed on mobile devices.
Add tags to your gifs
After uploading your gif, don't forget to add tags when users search for them. Make sure you include all relevant tags. For example, if you're using the "Jasmine Masters" GIF above, you may want to include "Jasmine Masters", "RuPaul's Drag Race", and "And I oop".
Keep gifs short and sweet
Gifs aren't videos, and Giphy recommends keeping gifs under six seconds and 100 frames whenever possible, although longer time is allowed.
Six ways to use gifs to promote your brand
Gifs have become their own language. You can use them to respond, show emotions, provide support, and say the things that are hard to say in writing – almost anything can be told through gifs.
This includes telling your audience why they should choose your brand.
Here are some tips on using gifs to get your brand out there with your target audience.
Use gifs to keep your audience entertained
This is probably the most common use of gifs. Brands only use gifs to entertain their audiences by sharing their brand's popular gifs or creating their own.
Here's one from the Chick-fil-a fast food restaurant, created with its signature cow mascot.
Whether you're using pop culture symbols or creating something of your own, the entertainment can draw your audience in.
Use gifs in blog posts
The undeniable king of the gif-laden list is Buzzfeed. They have created a whole genre of articles based entirely on gifs.
Giphy has also come into play and has blog posts about current events and trending topics that have gifs on their search engine.
Remember, you don't have to create entire stories from gifs. Simply using some well-placed gifs in a blog post could illustrate or highlight a point better than a still image.
Pro tip: If your blog post is serious about topic, skip gifs.
Use gifs in email marketing
Using gifs in email marketing can be a little tricky, but it can be beneficial if done well.
Ask yourself how your audience would react to gifs in your email. For some, opening an email to a flurry of moving images is a dislike.
Some research here might be helpful. For example, look at how your community is interacting with your brand on social media to see if they appreciate a good GIF.
Regardless of who your target audience is, use gifs sparingly in your emails. There are two reasons for this:
- Too many gifs can keep your email looking busy and confusing. Your audience can lose your message under all the flashing colors and moving images.
- Gifs can be large files and cause delays when your audience tries to open them.
If your emails take on a more serious or professional tone, then don't use gifs at all. Gifs give a piece of content a lighter tone that may not match your message.
Use gifs to showcase your products
Gifs don't just have to be for entertainment. You can use them to highlight product features in a few frames.
This is especially helpful for social media ads. For example, Subway regularly creates fun, colorful gifs to showcase their sandwiches and salads.
Use gifs to increase engagement
Dealing with gifs can go way beyond likes and shares. Here are two ways you can use gifs to fuel engagement.
Reaction gifs
Reaction gifs are a great way to respond to comments from followers on your social feeds. Since most social media platforms have built-in gifs, it's easy to upload one.
Let's say someone gave your brand a nice compliment. Instead of just saying "thank you," which can seem a little impersonal or robotic, you could include a GIF like this to show how much you value the feedback:
If you want to add a little more humor to your answer, here are a few things you can try:
Basically, gifs let you tailor your responses to match the voice of your brand and the message you're trying to convey.
Live giffing
In 2012, Tumblr introduced the world to live giffing during the presidential debates. Think live tweets, but with gifs.
You can use live giffing during a major TV event like the season premiere of a popular show, awards ceremony, or sporting event.
Anything you can associate with your brand can benefit from live giffing. This can be done on any social media site.
Conclusion
Gifs may have started out as spinning icons and fun animation, but they have grown to be a powerful tool for marketers.
With everyone using gifs to communicate, it's a breeze for brands to be involved in the conversation to increase engagement and promote their products and services.
Take a look at your marketing strategy and decide when and how to use gifs to get the best ideas across to your audience. Find gifs in search engines or create your own – whatever works best for your brand.
If you need help implementing these and other content marketing techniques, we're here to help!
How can you use gifs in your marketing strategy?