If you’ve been on the internet any time within the last decade, you’ve probably come across GIFs. These animated images have lots of potentials to liven up any type of digital conversation. However, that isn’t their only purpose.
Many companies have employed GIFs in their marketing strategies to entice a whole new wave of customers.
But how do you go about making a GIF as an entrepreneur?
Whether you want to source an existing GIF or make one from scratch, this article has got you covered!
About The GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) format has existed since the late 80s and has only continued to grow in popularity through the years.
GIFs look and feel like they are video files. However, they are far easier to create, meaning you don’t need to have any previous experience in image editing to create an effective and entirely memorable GIF.
The best part is that there are GIFs for just about everything. Whether you’re looking for high five gifs to interact with customers on social media or just want to liven up your online presence.
And if you can’t find the GIF you want, you can make it! Thankfully, the process is relatively straightforward.
1. Create A GIF Using A Video
Yes, you can convert videos into GIFs. If you’re an entrepreneur looking to promote your new business and attract a larger audience, uploading GIF snippets is an excellent way forward.
To begin with, GIFs are much quicker to load online than videos. These are much longer than GIFs and may turn customers off, which could potentially lead to fewer interactions and views.
GIFs are also convenient ways to re-use your pre-existing video content. For example, if you’ve prepared a 5-minute-long video, you have the opportunity to export hundreds of GIFs from the video. These can then be published on digital outlets including social media platforms and marketing emails.
There are plenty of free online apps that allow you to convert a video into a GIF. There are also a few that require payment, but the free equivalent might have everything you need.
Once on the site, you must upload the web address of the required video, select the part of the video you want to capture in your GIF, and then decide on the length (usually a couple of seconds.) You can add decorations to customize the GIF to your business.
2. Use A GIF Maker App
You can create animated GIFS using free online websites or image editors such as Photoshop. These programs provide you with all the tools you need to create your own GIF. This means you can easily and accurately represent what your business stands for using completely authentic content.
You can upload relevant images to these apps to create impactful GIFs from start to finish. Feel free to use your own photographs and then add some fun customizations like emojis, filters, text overlays, and fun backgrounds.
Whatever platform you choose to use to make your GIF, the process remains relatively the same. You must:
- Create an account
- Upload relevant images
- Make adjustments to the settings (this includes the length and speed of your GIF)
- Include any extras
- Export it as a . GIF file.
3. Source from a GIF website
Don’t worry if you don’t have the time or energy to create your own GIF! There are millions of GIFs on the internet to trawl through, so you will likely find exactly what you need there.
There are plenty of online GIF libraries to choose between. Again, a lot of these software programs are entirely free to use and browse through, although you may have to pay a small fee to access some of the more detailed features.
After using the search function on these types of websites to discover your desired GIF, you can either directly download the file to add to your content, or you can copy and paste the link to the GIF.
You can save GIFs to your computer by doing the following:
- Right-click on the GIF you want to download.
- Click “Save Image As”.
- Select where you want to save your image. Make sure the file format remains .gif.
- Click the “Save” button.
- Use the GIF whenever and wherever you want to!
Summary
As an entrepreneur, you’ll want to make the most of all available digital marketing tools. GIFs are no exception. These simple animated images are easy to create yet can make the world of difference when added to any of your business’s social media posts, marketing email chains, or even in a casual conversation with a customer.
Eric Hawkson is a history enthusiast and a writer that focuses on factual records. He loves to spread particular information based on truth. His vision is towards enlightenment through meaning and background of certain things.
