Believe it or not, GIFs have been around since the late 1980s. However, it is only now in today’s Internet age that they have virtually blown up. From Buzz-feed till local indie content creator, GIFs have become the new medium for striking conversations.
Recently, Facebook, Skype, Whatsapp, and Twitter have all increased support for GIFs. Perhaps it is due to these social platforms becoming more welcoming of the GIF technology and integrating them into their environments that GIFs have become undeniably attractive.
However, GIF in content marketing has not yet been fully utilized. While they are a useful communication tool, people still have not understood the reasons to use them.
Sneak peek into whys and wherefores to use content marketing GIFs
1. Works Everywhere
One big concern regarding marketing is that you always want to reach out to everyone. So, you need your content to be easily viewable on any device or platform. This is where content marketing GIFs are highly effective. Whether you are browsing through Facebook or on a random mobile app, GIFs are always supported. Since there is no high tech framework behind running GIFs, any content viewing Avenue will have support for them.
Moreover, while there are different kinds of users on various social platforms, the use and sharing of GIFs have been popular throughout all of them. This is why GIF in content marketing is also readily usable.
2. They are a complete narrative
While not as massive in size or cost as compared to videos, GIFs effectively act as an intermediary stage between still images and movies.
A GIF adds the necessary context to the post that is needed to connect with the reader. GIF, if used correctly, tell a complete story and can make the reader relate to the given content on a much deeper level.
Not only do GIFs engage the user on where the GIF is extracted from but also what it means regarding the content it is banned too.
3. Less Boring
The good way to break this stereotype is to make the reader engage with the content they are being given.
The trick to doing this without seeming too desperate is to use GIFs.
Using GIF in content marketing will add a general liveliness to the otherwise dull content that the reader is required to understand. As we have come to learn, people learn more when they are learning through interactive mediums. So the richer your content is, the more users will want to consume it.
4. Greater Reception and Reaction
People have become averted to long pieces of text in black and white or big brand logos. You can use content marketing GIFs to break this dilemma and give the reader a chuckle here and there even in a serious article. Users always want something to look forward too, so if there is a punch-line GIF waiting for them at the end of a paragraph, they are sure through scroll through the article rather than skipping it entirely.
Users also like things that are easy to perceive, not because they cannot understand tough concepts, it is because when they are scrolling through the entire, they are not really in the classroom frame of mind. So the more fun and easy to understand the content, the greater the reception.
Furthermore, if someone likes the funny GIFs in an article, he might just share it for the GIF in content marketing. Whatever the reason be, the more the shares, the better.
5. Lots and Lots Available
Well, GIFs are often free but if not they are cheaply available in stock libraries.
As explored by New York Times, there is oven 150 million GIFs on the Internet, with 23 mil posted to just Tumblr each day.
There is a GIF for every move, action, expression, activity and object you can imagine of.
In case you need a custom GIFs, they are incredibly easy to create as well, as opposed to the hassle of videography. They can just be made using a light and efficient software, like GIF Maker. Needless to say, GIFs have you covered even if you talk about GIF in content marketing.
6. Make the Brand Innovative
It may seem like a daunting challenge to switch to the use of GIF in content marketing, but perhaps a challenge is what your brand might need. While GIFs are cheap and easy to use, they will still require your team to get creative. This will make your brand more lively, inspired and Internet-friendly.
It may even force you to take a look at your brand from another perspective or another angle, which might spark a flame. Rather than getting comfortable, think outside the box. Start using GIFs for your content marketing.
7. Uncomplicated to Decipher
GIFs are easy to read for every range of consumer. Be it a child of five years of age or an adult of sixty. They are like mini sized videos which barely take up any space. The fun aspect of GIFs is that, even in a short span of time, they convey the message to the viewer.
Brands incorporate GIFs into their marketing strategies because it makes them exceptionally alluring to any group of customers and their material needs. This is exactly what warrants GIF in content marketing.
8. Convey the Message
A picture can say a thousand words. In the case of GIFs, these are just more than pictures. They can effectively convey expressions.
According to research, an individual tends to forget written content in a very short span of time. Images continue to reside in the long term memory of humans.
So when it comes to marketing gimmicks, a company will always try to embed in the minds of consumers through imagery rather than information.
9. Alternative to Spending on Advertising
So, instead of having to hire actors and having to pay them big amounts, marketers have come up with an alternative.
So, Brands began utilizing content marketing GIFs for their substance promoting methodology.
While discovering them to be more engaging than pictures, additionally less expensive in contrast to recordings.
Visual content serves as the key element in establishing the identity and persona of a brand. This helps build brand congruence, which develops brand loyalty within customers. So, it is easy to understand the use of GIF in content marketing even when talking about big names.
10. Fluent in the Millennial Tongue
With new products and branding competing in the market, it is safe to say that there has been a considerable shift from traditional marketing towards digital marketing. To effectively target today’s Millennials, it is important for a brand to be fluent in their language, which to no surprise is the Internet language.
Millennials live in the digital world. They live in a world with consistent connectivity with the social media. So, it is important to for brands to communicate with them as effectively as they can.
GIFs speak their language without even using many words. Consumers today also have the smallest attention span, which is less than ten seconds. If an advertisement is not attractive within its first five seconds, a customer ignores it. But, this is where GIFs come in handy for brands, they grab consumer attention within only three seconds.
11. Hand-held Device Compatibility
In the mobile world today, space and download length is always an issue. Social media users always want content which will not take excess space on their phones and content which does not take the time to load.
GIFs provide a solution to these problems. They take up barely any file size and are quicker than videos when it comes to uploading them. Content marketing GIFs are incredibly easy to share amongst friends and family via social media.
12. Engage Consumers
An advertising appeal is a key strategy of influencing consumers into liking or disliking a specific brand. Purchase decisions are influenced through advertising appeals. There are emotional appeals and rational appeals which influence customer purchase behavior.
Emotional appeals deal with the psychological and social aspect of a consumer’s needs. Emotional appeal is considered the most successful one. The reason for this is because emotions are stronger deciding factors in humans.
Marketers take maximum advantage of the emotional appeal and try to target it as best as they can to attain maximum purchase.
GIFs cater to the emotional appeal of a consumer. They are pictures that are played in a consistent loop. Most of them are filled with humor that they keep customers occupied.
It is time to try out this nifty GIF maker software for Mac / Windows
So, are you ready to join the band wagon in creating amazing content marketing GIFs for your brand?
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