Though it’s been around for a while, it’s getting some extra attention on social media these days. The GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) is able to morph a stack of static jpg images or a small video into a mini looping animation. They can be embedded into a website, email, or advertisement, offering viewers fast access to dynamic content. Since the format is supported on many channels, an animated GIF for business is an important part of any brand’s social media strategy.
Like a moth to a flame, humans are innately attracted to visuals.
Considering photos and images on Facebook generate 53% more Likes than the average text post, you can see why the shift to visual social media has become so important to a marketer’s digital content strategy. Add animation to those visuals and a brand’s story is on fire!
More than likely, you’ve seen them before, but if you’ve never made your own GIF before, you’ve been missing out. With something as little as rotating three simple images, brands can provide a lively animation of their product or service in action to add some excitement into your mix.
Here’s a list of five free tools you can use to create your own animated GIF for business and where to discover pre-made options that are sure to up your social media game.
Online Tools
FreeGifMaker lets you create free animated GIFs without watermarks. Upload between two to ten photos or a video to create your own. Creating a GIF is as simple as selecting a size and speed. You can use their YouTube to GIF tool, put your GIF in reverse mode, and use a variety of dynamic GIF effects, including painting, recursion, motley, radial blur, negative, and rotation.
Make A GIF lets you create an animated GIF for business from pictures, video, webcam or a YouTube url. Just select the speed and size you want to use and search trending GIFs to share on your social sites.
Imgflip lets you create animated GIFs from images and video. In addition to adjusting size, speed, and quality, Imagflip lets you rotate and crop the image, and insert text. Watermark is removable with a pro account.
Recordit allows you to make a GIF from your computer screen–think of it like an animated screenshot. Perfect to showcase how to order online or feature a new website navigation.
With Giphy, you can easily add a Gifphy GIF to text, Twitter, Facebook, embed it on your website, convert it for Instagram and have the option to share it across the web or keep it private on your own account. Create your own by downloading a video or providing a YouTube link.
Supplement Your Social Media Content with an Animated GIF for Business
When you need an animated GIF for business in a jiffy, check out one of the user-friendly resources above. GIFs are becoming an increasingly good choice for creating engaging social media posts. However, it is important to keep your brand’s voice in mind if you do decide to experiment with them.
In addition to posting share-worthy GIFs that entertain, engage and inform, spend time developing quality content with key messages that position you as the industry expert. So, you still don’t have a business blog? Don’t let these 3 excuses stop you from getting noticed on social media. The experts at Post Café can help you get started with all the content you need to get noticed online; call us at 732-218-9377 to learn more!
