GIFs have had a hard time in the early 2000s with several misconceptions about them being unprofessional or chaotic but now they have come back stronger than ever. Having been the backbone of internet memes for some time, now helping some posts by witty users to go viral, capturing the attention of the internet world. The same could be replicated for your businesses. If you don’t use GIF’s in your business, you may want to reconsider and here’s why.

What is a GIF?

First, here’s the lowdown of a GIF. A GIF - a little less known as a graphic interchange format – is an image format which essentially is an animated image that plays in a loop. They first came around in 1987 when they were introduced by CompuServe. Now they’re of immense popularity and play an important role in creating good engaging content.

Gifs are sort of the medium between a video and a picture. GIFS should be between 1-3 seconds long and be creative. They bring pictures to life with movement which is good for capturing attention.

3 ways to use GIFs

1. Increase Brand Awareness

A well-created GIF about your own brand can help users engage with your company.

MAC Cosmetics often use GIFs to show their product ranges, they are attention grabbing and always highlight their branding.


2. Show off your products

Gifs have the capability to showcase your products in more attractive ways that standard images can’t. We all love a good static picture of a product but at the end of the day it’s just static. To really break through the plethora of clutter on the internet, showcase your product using a GIF. Show different angles of the product or emphasize certain parts of it, your call but using them can generate engagement and truly bring your product to life.


3. Reinforce a promotion or post to capture attention

You have a sale on and you want people to know about it. A GIF can really reinforce a point and capture attention of the users. You can show a bit of brand personality and engage with your customer base but remember to use them wisely and ones which relate to your target audience.

ASOS here use a GIF to reinforce their point as being a cause for celebration – using the popular Great Gatsby film.  Nice touch ASOS, nice touch!

Here at Ascensor, we provide complete online solutions, if you would like to find out more about how we can help you create, maintain or grow your social media profiles, get in touch today!

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