GIFS are all the rage. You see them on Twitter, Facebook, email newsletters, and virtually wherever you turn your attention to on the internet.
Experts will tell you that the only way to stop your followers from scanning a Twitter newsfeed is with a GIF.
Actually, GIFs are so eye-catching that wherever you use them, people will stop, smile, and replay the GIF a second or third time – at least.
You can also use GIFs for book marketing. You just need a sense of humor and a dash of ingenuity.
Take a series of pictures while reading from your newest book or have someone take pictures of you while you write or type at your desk. Any of these examples can be used to market yourself and your books and add some levity along the way.
Let’s get down to how to create a GIF. You can snap the pictures – or have someone snap them for you – or search for a GIF and use it instead. Or you can have someone take a series of shots as you read through a book, making it appear that you are quite the speed reader.
Did you know that you can use Canva.com to create a GIF? Just create a series of images, upload them to an app, then grab the URL and use it on social media or in your MailChimp newsletter.
Using my dog as an example, I took a series of pictures of her, uploaded them to the application Giphy, added a tag, and voila, here’s my GIF.
You can also add GIFs to your MailChimp newsletter. Use the search bar at Giphy to find a GIF and copy the URL.
Then when you’re on MailChimp, click the image icon.
Then paste the URL from Giphy.
Voila, you have a GIF for your newsletter.
Why Authors Need to Use GIFs
According to HootSuite, here are a few reasons why you should start using GIFs:
- GIFs show that you’re paying attention to internet trends
- GIFs show that you and your brand has a fun side
- GIFs can add more context to a shorter message, post, or Tweet
- GIFs get your message across in a shorter amount of time
- GIFs are easily shareable
- GIFs convey emotions better than text or photos alone
GIF Applications
There are two main applications you can use to find GIFs.
Use these applications to create GIFs.
When using Giphy, you have the options to copy the link to add to MailChimp, download the GIF for uploading to social media, embed the GIF in a blog post (as I did in this post), and to share the GIF directly from Giphy to a variety of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
How do you plan to use GIFs in your book marketing?
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Author of this blog: Frances Caballo is an author and social media strategist and manager for writers. She’s a regular speaker at the San Francisco Writers Conference. In addition, she’s a contributing writer at TheBookDesigner.com, and blogger and Social Media Expert for BookWorks. She’s written several social media books including the 2nd edition of Social Media Just for Writers and The Author’s Guide to Goodreads. Her focus is on helping authors surmount the barriers that keep them from flourishing online, building their platform, finding new readers, and selling more books. Her clients include authors of every genre and writers’ conferences. Not sure how you’re doing online? Sign up for my free email course.
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