Surprisingly, animated GIFs have become a staple in global marketing campaigns, employed by brands such as Nike and MailChimp. These dynamic images have transformed ordinary marketing into memorable successes, enhancing both sales and brand recognition. Are you eager to integrate animated GIFs into your marketing strategy? Read on for a comprehensive guide!Discover the process step by step!Although pronounced differently across languages, the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is an animated image format that has been around for over three decades. The animation effect is achieved through a sequence of image frames, akin to a digital flipbook. [Image of an animated GIF example] When searching for GIFs, you’ll frequently find those derived from videos. However, marketers often create GIFs with static backdrops and a single animated element, like an object, person, or text, to emphasize the movement.Visual communication is now paramount, with GIFs playing a significant role. Reuters estimates that over 80% of communications will be visual, as evidenced by GIPHY, a leading GIF hub, reporting that its users send one billion GIFs daily. This indicates that people use GIFs regularly for various reasons, such as expressing emotions, sharing reactions, noting events, and more.Businesses have started to experiment with animated GIFs in marketing, utilizing them in blog posts, emails, social media, and more. They have found that animated GIFs can boost sales and engagement. Take Dell, for instance, which launched a GIF email marketing campaign for its XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook. The campaign resulted in a 100% increase in conversion rates and a 110% increase in revenue, largely due to the versatility demonstrated by the GIF.Creating the perfect animated GIF for your marketing strategy is crucial. Now that we understand the importance of animated GIFs in marketing, let’s explore how to create them. Whether crafting custom GIFs for your blog, social media, or emails, follow this streamlined process:1. Plan Your DesignBefore using a GIF creation platform like Canva, GIPHY, or Adobe Photoshop, outline your marketing campaign. Brainstorm email drip campaigns, blog topics, or social media content calendars. Approach animated GIFs with a reverse-engineering mindset, defining goals and content before creating the GIFs.For example, a Fourth of July sale email drip campaign might include a GIF highlighting the holiday and the sale’s noteworthiness. This GIF could feature a static background and a strong call-to-action to shop at the online store, with a concise description of the sale and discounts. The GIF’s mini-umbrellas engagingly maintain visual interest.2. Choose Your PlatformMultiple platforms are available for GIF creation, including Canva, GIPHY, Adobe Photoshop, Recordit, Gyazo, and GIFBrewery. While Adobe Photoshop and GIFBrewery are paid, Canva offers both free and subscription options. Canva is recommended for its variety of graphics, fonts, backgrounds, and layouts, while Adobe Photoshop provides unmatched control.3. Create Your FramesUsing Canva as an example, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a three-frame GIF. Choose a template canvas, such as Facebook Covers, and select a static background. Duplicate the first frame twice, adding text and elements to each frame. Ensure the first frame includes a call-to-action, as some applications only display the first frame.4. Condense Your GIFAfter creating your frames, compress them using tools like Compressor.io or Kraken.io to minimize file size and avoid slow loading times. Ensure “Lossless” is selected to maintain image quality. Adobe Photoshop offers additional compression options.5. Build Your GIFUpload your compressed images to GIPHY, where you can set the duration for each image. Customize your GIF with captions, stickers, filters, or scribbles, then save it and integrate it into your marketing materials. Monitor the campaign’s performance to measure its success.Join our email newsletter for industry insights and tips to enhance your animated marketing GIFs. Drive more visits, calls, and revenue with our expert advice!
