By now you know you need infographics in your campaigns. You’re comfortable with infographics, so let’s move to the next level!
To really humanize your organization and connect with your audience, you need to do more. You need to include GIFS. GIFS are the new infographics that every cool campaign needs to capture audience attention.
What’s so great about GIFs?
1. They grab attention. Your campaign can’t take off if no one sees it. Also, bonus, once you have their attention, they might be amused enough to share your work.
2. GIFs can make even a serious topic a little more fun. No one wants to receive a lecture. People do want to be entertained. Many serious topics can be made more palatable with a dash of humor.
3. GIFs humanize your organization. Whether you want donations, signatures, or customers you need to connect with people. People like to connect with human beings. That means they’ll be more likely to connect to your brand if it’s obvious that there are human beings who participate in pop culture on the other end. If you’re human, people can feel a real emotional connection with you.
How do I find GIFs?
There are a number of ways to find and make GIFs. You can ask us for help, or you can do some searches. Google image search with the Advanced Settings set to include only animations is a favorite. This works best if you have a particular show in mind. Tumblr is also a fantastic place to find GIFs. Some would even say it’s their natural habitat.
How do I make GIFs?
If you have Photoshop, you can use that for really great gifs. If you don’t though (and we know many organizations that don’t, it’s okay), you can still make GIFs. There are many free gif makers out there. One that works pretty well and won’t be NSFW is imgflip. Just go to the tool, upload the video or link to it from YouTube (you can also upload photos to make a GIF, but a lot of people find that too complicated), and then follow the steps. Make sure to choose a text color that stands out on the image so it’s easy for people to read without having to read lips.
What are the legal issues?
Generally GIFs are considered “fair use” that don’t compete with or draw money from a show. However, don’t do a GIF of the World Cup. As the Washington Post notes, that’ll get FIFA’s attention. As always, talk with your legal department if you have concerns.
I’d love to know some of your favorite uses of GIFs!