Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388

GTA: (647) 699-2838

Search Engine People
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • CRO
  • Display
  • Blog
  • Why Us
  • Contact
  • Join Our Team
  • Get A Quote

Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388

GTA: (647) 699-2838

2 Rules For GIF Marketing

Victoria Hoffman | December 13th, 2013
Tweet21
Share
Share
Pin1
22 Shares

In case you missed out yesterday, we began a new blog series entitled The 12 Days of Content. Over the next 11 days, well be gifting you with some great tips for optimizing your content. On the first day, we gave you the #1 tip for creating awesome videos. On this second day, we give to you: 2 Rules for GIF Marketing.

Grumpy Cat GIF Marketing

Though animated GIFs have existed since the 1980s, they have recently burst onto the digital marketing landscape as a powerful content marketing tool. GIFs have been such a success for many reasons, some of which include the fact that they are easy to create, timely and relatable. The downside of GIFs, however, is that they're not always the most appropriate way of communicating to your audience. When deciding whether or not you should delve into the world of GIFs for your next content marketing strategy, bear these two rules in mind:

1. Don't overuse or misuse GIFs.

GIFs don't automatically make something trendy. When misused, they can be perceived as annoying and unnecessary. (When in doubt, ask your intern if something is cool.)

  • Only use animated GIFs on the platforms that support them. While most blogs and Google+ support GIFs, Facebook and select email servers do not. If you're unsure of whether or not a platform will support the GIF format, choose or create GIFs where the first frame contains all important information or images (in case it cant switch to the next frame).
  • Only use GIFs that are going to make your business, product or service more appealing. Though GIFs are most often used to form an emotional connection, they don't always have to be loud to garner attention -- often, its the artistically designed GIFs (e.g. ice cream slowly melting, a scarf gently blowing in the wind) that are the most appealing to your audiences senses.

2. Appeal to your buyer personas.

Although most GIFs can be universally consumed, its best to use GIFs from popular culture that will resonate with your buyer personas. As an obvious example, GIFs featuring popular boy band One Direction might perform well among the teenage girl audience, but likely wouldn't be as appealing to an audience of 25-34 year-old males who like sports.

  • To appeal to new audiences, use a multitude of GIFs created from a variety of television shows or movies. As per our earlier point, don't go so far out-of-the-box that you alienate your current audience " use a variety of GIFs to satisfy both old and new audiences.
  • Use GIFs to excite your personas by drawing attention to a new product, or side-by-side to showcase a product comparison. Similarly, a single GIF can advertise multiple products by flashing a new product or line in each frame.
  • Engage your audience with an online demonstration " animated GIFs are great for quickly and efficiently demonstrating how to do something, whether its a product feature demonstration or a makeup tutorial. This an easier (and often better) alternative to video tutorials as there is hardly any intensive editing required.

We've barely scratched the surface of the opportunities that are available with GIF marketing, which is why its a great feature to include in your next content marketing strategy. What's the best use of GIFs you've ever experienced?

Stay tuned for more content optimization tips as our 12 Days of Content blog series continues!

Tweet21
Share
Share
Pin1
22 Shares
Posted in MarketingTagged gif, images, marketing, noCTA

About the Author: Victoria Hoffman

Victoria Hoffman is a Digital Marketing Coordinator. A graduate of the University of Toronto's Semiotics & Communication Theory program, she is obsessed with all things social media.

2 thoughts on “2 Rules For GIF Marketing”

  1. Lise Deschenes says:
    December 13, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Where’s the how to? the blog is missing “the how” we can create Gif marketing.
    1. I sometimes use reactionGifs.com, but are there other sites?
    2. What app could we use to create an original gif image?
    I look forward to reading the suggestions.

    1. Ruud Hein says:
      December 16, 2013 at 7:54 am

      @Lise A very neat one is to upload photos to your Google+ Photos. If their algorithms detect a sequence of 7-10 photos they will make 1 or more animations from it. Examples:
      – my twinkling Christmas tree http://ruudhe.in/IPBEoj (thanks for the idea Jim Banks)
      – a deer feeding by Chris Cree
      – people being animated by Danny Sullivan

      Making a beautiful animation can’t be easier than this.

Comments are closed.

Recent Posts

  • Maximizing Your E-Commerce Sales:
    A CRO Audit Guide
  • Movin’ On Up! Why Migrating to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Should be a Priority
  • A Year in Review: The Digital Marketing Trends That Defined 2021
  • The Basics of Video Marketing
  • Just How Much Do Google Reviews Impact Your SEO Ranking?

Categories

  • Analytics & ROI Analysis
  • Company News
  • Content
  • Conversion Optimization
  • CRO
  • Display Advertising/RTB
  • Email Marketing
  • En Español
  • En Français
  • Inbound Marketing
  • Lead Nurture & Marketing Automation
  • Local Search
  • Marketing
  • Mobile
  • Partnership Marketing
  • PPC
  • PR
  • SEO
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Web Design

Additional Posts

The 12 Remarkable Google Changes of 2013

December 12th, 2013 | by Amanda DiSilvestro

1 Killer Tip On How To Get Your Video Viewed

December 12th, 2013 | by Daniel Kosir

5 Things Every Small Business Should Know About Yelp!

December 11th, 2013 | by Mike Wilton

LET'S TALK

Need more information or want to get in touch?

Get in touch!
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Display
  • Blog
  • Why Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Local SEO
  • Small Business SEO
  • Enterprise SEO
  • International SEO

LOCATION

1305 Pickering Parkway,
5th Floor Pickering, L1V 3P2

PHONE

Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388
Greater Toronto Area: (647) 699-2838

Social

© Search Engine People Inc. 2023 – Canada’s Top Digital Agency
© SEP 2023 – A Search Engine People Company | Privacy Policy

Search Engine People