Using GIFs in Social Media Campaigns
Back in the day, people used phone calls to communicate with each other, so they would literally laugh out loud when they found something funny. Later on, when texting became popular, they started writing “LOL” as a way to portray the same emotion.
Then, emojis came along and people told each other they were laughing by tapping on the right emojis.
Although emojis are still in use and are as popular as ever, GIFs seem to be the hot new trend because through GIFs people get to show exactly the way that they’re laughing, or even show others the precise reference they’re talking about,
There are millions of pieces of content that are being shared across social media platforms every day, and it’s getting increasingly difficult for brands to make sure their content stands out from the crowd and gets the right attention. Fortunately, that’s precisely how GIFs are able to help.
The term GIF itself stands for graphic interchange format. GIFs show either animated or static images.
These days, many people prefer using GIFs as snippets from movies or shows they like and that portray the exact facial expression or emotion that people are looking to share.
Effective
One of the main reasons why companies should be using GIFs in their social media content is because GIFs show that they understand what people want. This type of visual content is quite easy for target audiences to consume, as GIFs have a lot more visual power compared to other types of images.
They are able to tell a story that spans a few seconds, and although videos are also a great way to tell stories, they take a lot more effort to execute. Meanwhile, GIFs are the perfect medium between videos and images, while also being highly effective.
Emotions
Aside from being able to grab the attention of the audience, another thing that GIFs are effective at is portraying emotion. While there are different GIFs that have themes and characters, another important thing that they’re able to convey is people’s emotions, which makes the content feel a lot more personable.
Using GIFs can make companies appear more human, and can help share stories that display the brand’s values.
Mobile Friendly
Finally, the use of smartphones and the prevalence of GIFs across the internet seem to go hand in hand. While video content tends to open up in a new window or on a different app, GIFs are able to play automatically within the app where they are opened.
When paired with the fact that most social media users don’t turn on the sound when they’re watching a video, GIFs are the perfect medium for brands to communicate with customers. They’re able to captivate the target audience for a short amount of time, but make the impression stick in their mind, which contributes to heightening the company’s brand awareness.
Ronn Torossian is the CEO and Founder of 5W Public Relations. 5W PR is a leading digital PR and influencer marketing agency.
