Whether you’re chronically online or not, the chances are that you’ve seen plenty of funny GIFs in your lifetime. But have you ever asked yourself – what is a GIF exactly? How is this format created, and how can you take advantage of it when advertising your business? Don’t stress if you don’t know the answers to these questions – we’re here to answer them for you, so keep reading to learn everything.
Let’s Break Down This Term – What Is a GIF?
What the hell is even that GIF? Many business owners who aren’t that marketing-savvy have asked their marketing teams this question – if you’re wondering the same thing, don’t worry – you’re far from alone in your confusion. So, let’s break down this story. A GIF is a series of images or soundless videos designed to loop continuously without you having to press play. This repetition is what gives it its allure – it makes it seem familiar and comfortable to the user, like the rhythm of the song.
What does GIF stand for? It’s short for Graphical Interchange Format. This format was invented long ago, in 1987 (predates the World Wide Web by two years!), by an American computer scientist Steve Wilhite, and his team at CompuServe. He was looking for a way to animate images in the smallest file size possible so it would be easier to share them. GIFs achieve their small size thanks to lossless compression that doesn’t sacrifice image quality. Little did Steve Wilhite know back then that GIFs would evolve to become one of the most basic forms of communication online!
How Do You Pronounce the Word?
It has been a common topic of conversation how to pronounce the word – with a hard G (like in the word “gift”) or a soft G (like in the word “giraffe”)? Technically speaking, both versions are correct – both are accepted in the Oxford English Dictionary, so it’s up to you to decide which one you like best. If it means anything to you, Steve Wilhite has stated that he intended GIF to be pronounced with a soft G – but he said so only when both versions of the word were already widely accepted!
How GIFs Became Popular
At first, they were considered quite informal – you surely couldn’t send a GIF to your boss when answering their message, but things have changed in recent years thanks to social media, messaging apps, and the way that the business culture has changed with the introduction of remote work. GIFs allow you to communicate better and transmit much more than mere words.
Until about 10 years ago, GIFs were commonly used mostly on sites like Reddit, Tumblr, and Buzzfeed. But in 2015, Facebook introduced a GIF search to their Messenger – and all the other platforms quickly followed. Nowadays, GIFs are a beloved format used to connect with others online, explain the tone of your message, and lighten even the most tedious conversations.
So, it’s no wonder they’ve made their way into numerous marketing trends and become an integral part of content marketing.
Why Do People Like GIFs So Much?
If we take a look at the technological advancements made since the invention of GIFs, it’s easy to conclude that this is a completely outdated format – and yet, it’s still among the most popular ones. Maybe the key lies in its simplicity, who knows? But one thing’s for sure – there have been attempts to replace GIF, but they’ve all failed. Have you heard of Mozilla’s APNG? We didn’t think so!
As we’ve mentioned, GIFs are used to convey the right tone and help your message be understood in the way you intended. They add a visual aspect to messages or written content, wherever you decide to use them. When we compare them to still images, GIFs are undoubtedly more expressive – they will leave a more lasting impression on the reader.
Another great thing about them is that their small size allows them to be easily shared – they are way easier to load than videos, which makes them great for social media platforms. GIFs are also quite versatile – there is a suitable GIF for essentially any situation! No one can deny that finding good GIFs is a lot of fun. Just think of all the great cultural references you can add to your conversations or blog posts!
What Is the Difference Between a GIF and a Meme?
These two can easily be confused – both formats are used to convey emotions and ideas. However, there are several key differences. GIFs are always image-based, compared to text-based memes (but they can also be videos). While memes are mostly used to make a joke or a reference to some significant cultural moment, GIFs can convey practically any emotion or send a message.
How to Use GIFs?
With so many possible uses of GIFs on social media, it’s no wonder why marketers often turn to this interesting image format. It has become somewhat invaluable, especially popular with younger consumers. Gen-Z will be the predominant age group of buyers, and your marketing should focus on appealing to their standards. This means no more serious content – brands should embrace a more relaxed approach, which means GIFs can be a perfect addition to their posts.
The only rule when choosing a GIF is to make it relevant to the content that goes with it. Using a GIF will help you break down huge blocks of text and give readers a break needed to keep them motivated to read on, which is especially useful in email campaigns and blog posts.
Using GIFs in Social Media
The best use of GIFs isn’t, however, in long-form content – without any doubt, the most engaging way to implement them in your marketing tactics is to post them on your social media accounts. Skilled marketers have been doing this for years – it’s just a matter of figuring out the right opportunity and the type of audience with whom this format would resonate.
When used correctly, GIFs can make your content more engaging, bring your brand closer to the consumers, and even work as a helpful tool in conversations with your followers. Here are several great examples of how to incorporate them into your social media:
- Showcase your products in a more engaging way (compared to images),
- Demonstrate how the products are supposed to be used,
- Provide step-by-step instructions,
- Post relatable and funny short content,
- Give a sneak peek of the upcoming announcements,
- Present data in a visually appealing way,
- Reply to your followers’ comments.
How to Make a GIF?
Great news – making a GIF requires no technical skills. All you have to do is upload your images or videos to one of the many online tools designed for creating GIFs. You’ll probably find this process fun! One of the most popular GIF creator tools – and usually the first that comes to mind – is Giphy. With a simple and user-friendly interface, it takes no time to create engaging GIFs on Giphy. Here are some other recommended tools you can try out:
- EZGif,
- Gifstory,
- Makeagif,
- Canva.
If you’re on the go and want to quickly make a GIF on your phone, there’s a solution for that as well. There are many apps for iPhone and Android phones created for this purpose that allow you to record a GIF with your phone’s camera and then add effects, text, stickers, or filters.
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Handling business accounts on multiple social media platforms is no piece of cake – it’s usually too overwhelming for small businesses to take care of their digital presence on their own. And it’s for a good reason – this isn’t something you should handle yourself.
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