GIFs in Marketing B2B vs. B2C

They're smart, amusing, and even endearing. GIFs are image files that combine many pictures to form an animated clip or short movie that usually loops indefinitely.

When you see them on Twitter or on your Facebook page, they're terrific. But have you ever felt compelled to explore a brand just by coming across their GIFs in emails or even social media posts?

It should come as no surprise that this trend has moved to the marketing sector with astonishing momentum! Every day, Tumblr receives 30 million GIFs.

Every day, we share 10 million GIFs on Facebook Messenger. On a monthly basis, Slack sees over 5 million GIF interactions.

Companies and marketers have already moved out of their rigid routines and thrown GIFs into their marketing spheres. Why? Of course, to make a statement, emphasize their brand and exhibit their products and services in a unique and memorable way. Plus, GIFs look fun!!

You've undoubtedly already seen loads of attractive GIF-addled content under your favourite brands since brands and customers alike have jumped on board.

There were some conflicts in marketers' minds about using conversation media formats like GIFs, especially in B2B emails. But the adoption and love for GIFs have made them throw this caution to the wind.

Bottom line, when sent in the right way, GIFs and animations in emails for both B2B and B2C can be powerful and even lead to effective communications.

The question that arises then is how do B2B and B2C marketing spheres come into play in this transition from dry, word-rich content to immersive, animated content for audiences?

B2B (also known as business-to-business) marketing has rational process-driven purchase decisions as to its epicentre most of the time, whereas B2C (also known as business-to-consumer) marketing focuses on emotion-driven purchasing decisions.

So, naturally, marketers adopt different techniques to increase the efficacy of their marketing tactics, whether it's developing a relationship or simple commuting with the target audience!

What kind of relationship are you building?

• Lead generation is a significant priority for B2B companies. Because recurring and referral business is so important, building personal relationships that drive long-term business may make or ruin a company.

Biteable is a serious player with high-profile clients like IBM, Shopify, and Microsoft, but its branding is all about fun. It assists businesses in creating great films by giving a complete library of pre-made animations that can be tweaked and adjusted to match the company's specific demands. Many of the animations, mostly GIFs, have characters that catch the eye. They provide recipients with a terrific preview of their product in motion by showcasing a GIF of their animation in action.

• The purpose of B2C marketing is to boost sales by directing customers to products on your client's or company's website. But brand recognition also plays a huge part in this. GIFs can help a lot of B2C brands trying to get in front of users. Since GIFs are known for their shareability, brands can use them to get in front of users.

Every user's personal Year in Review or Wrapped content piece visualises their data to show how much time they spend listening to music, who their favourite artists are, and more. These customised GIFs have received a lot of growing social media attention for Spotify.

How do prominent brands separate themselves from the crowd?

According to B2B International, branding begins with the consistency of your products or services' presentation and delivery.

In B2B search marketing, being able to express your market position and allowing your personality to show itself and stand out may prove exceptionally useful in promoting brand awareness and lead creation.

And what better way to shine than through our uniquely beloved GIFs?

For instance, Wix has earned a reputation for being a very user-friendly platform. They're also known for their humorous commercials, including one that aired during the Super Bowl. As a result, it's understandable that Wix doesn't send out dull, text-only emails.

Instead, they like to shake things up by using GIFs in B2B emails with messages that grab recipients' attention long enough to read the email's body content while keeping it short and sweet!

Here, GIFs provide the emotional bridges that convey genuine information and bring inspiring content that connects instantly with the customers.

How do you feel after seeing a family happily devouring a pizza in a DiGiorno Pizza?

Food and beverage companies like Domino's, KFC, Starbucks etc. thrive on the content that renders users salivating and actually delivering a GIF of said product is definitely a cherry on the top!

How do B2B and B2C marketers go about finding and interacting with their target audience?

For B2B Companies,

Let's dive into a well-executed use of GIFs by Litmus. Litmus has gained a following by offering a platform that allows users to "create, test, and monitor every email for the greatest outcomes."

Litmus discovered that a GIF was the simple solution they needed to sell Litmus Scope, a tool that allows customers to generate web-based versions of their emails, with clients like Netflix, Google, and National Geographic.

This style shows what Litmus Scope is best at and gives a sense of its user-friendly nature with a single smooth sliding action! For B2C Companies,

B2C firms, unlike B2B enterprises, must use a personable voice to persuade customers to click on an advertisement. You may talk in the consumer's voice rather than utilising industrial jargon that can push a customer away simply by using more basic language.

For example, the Tumblr page of General Electric is committed to teaching science to the millennial generation using GIFs.

With a more relaxed wording and visually pleasing content rather than scientific jargon, the company attracts customers to its services and leaves behind little practical knowledge as well! Great way to make the customers come running back again. Although B2B marketers use GIFs quite effective, for all B2C brands, GIFs are a never-ending gold mine of marketing. GIFs can make any brand a part of user conversation, especially when done right. Movies, shows on OTT platforms, food and beverage brands, and almost all B2C categories can use one or the other platform for great GIF marketing.

Takeaway!

With the emergence of emoticons, memes, and stickers, the GIF is still gaining popularity. GIFs remain a viable and popular option for marketers who want to keep their marketing crisp and effective.