GIFs developed 30 years ago, but why are they gaining popularity now? Yes, you heard it right! GIF or Graphic Interchange Format was developed by a team at CompuServe led by American computer scientist Steve Wilhite on 15th June 1987. Why is then something that came long back coming into use now? Well, there are many reasons to justify that. So, let’s take it slow and explore more about GIFs.
The present age is determined by the millennials and Gen Zs, so let’s see what they have to say first. According to a survey conducted by Harris Poll, commissioned by Tenor, “36% of millennials ages 18 to 34 who use visual expressions such as emojis, GIFs, and stickers say that those images better communicate their thoughts and feelings than words do”. From this, you can get a brief idea about the importance of visual elements to captivate users.
So, Can you use GIFs in your marketing strategy?
The answer is undoubted YES! You have already learned the first reason is that GIFs communicate feelings and emotions more conveniently than words. They are fun, engaging, and easy to captivate. They are also useful for learning. Do you mean how? Well, according to the eLearning Industry, “the average attention span of the millennial generation is 90 seconds”. GIF gives a positive response to this by “allowing to present quick information on repeat”.
Many companies have already started to include GIFs in their marketing strategies. These video elements help business owners communicate with their audience and the advertisement of the company’s products and services becomes more convenient. Plus point- they are mobile-friendly.
Let me tell you how you can use GIFs for your business and captivate your audience.
Use in emails
Sending emails with visually appealing GIFs and images can be more entertaining and engaging for customers. You have to create a GIF that is relatable to your business and can be interpreted by your customers. You can inform your customers about new product launches, sales and discounts, and captivating CTA through engaging GIFs.
Take a look at how the cosmetic brand Nykaa gets really creative with their GIFs.
Promote your products
GIFs help to show your products appealingly. There are plenty of GIF-making applications like Giphy, Tumblr, Imgur, and video-to-GIF converters that you can use to highlight your products and services.
Let’s see how Starbucks is killing the GIF game.
Starbucks has always remained ahead of other brands in portraying their mouth-watering delicacies through appealing GIFs and images.
Well, Blue Apron is also in the race!
These food brands are producing such delectable and flavorsome GIFs that do not fail to bewitch their audience.
Mark the presence of your support and thank your audience
What most businesses fail to do is assure their customers that they are ready to assist them anytime. You need to know that customers want to build trust and confidence in your service. What if you do not respond when they ask for help? That might not leave a good impression on your customers. Also, you must thank your customers for their faithful purchase and keep encouraging them for future collaborations.
Take a look at this stunning Thank You GIF created by U by Kotex,
Use on social media channels and involve your audience
Your customers spend their maximum time scrolling through social media platforms. A mere text or image may not grab their attention but an innovative GIF can. All social media platforms have now started supporting GIFs. Create some visually appealing GIFs and post them on social media to engage and entertain your audience.
Engage your audience in some fun contests like Kingfisher did back in 2019.
The campaign received an overwhelming response from the audience and was regarded to be a great marketing approach.
Add Interest to your website
You can also include GIFs in your blogs to make them more appealing and readable to the users. It not only adds color to your website but will also increase traffic and generate potential leads for your business. If you want to provide data and statistics on your website, animate them into GIFs so that they become more appealing and unique and make your website different from your competitors.
To sum up, GIFs are a great way to add color to your content. Done right, GIFs can be the game-changer for your business.
