Using Animation on Social Media – Getting the Most from Your Campaign

Gaining the recognition that your brand deserves on social media can be a task of colossal proportions. With over half of our planet on social media (yes, really), it is easy to get lost amongst the deluge of cryptic hashtags, indiscernible influencers, and often mind-boggling social trends.

With so many competitors fighting for the approval of the same audiences, it is important that you find a niche that will see you stand above the crowd and make yourself heard. One excellent way of achieving this is (you guessed it) through animation.

But we know that you are going to need more than our word to be convinced of animation’s influence in the world of social media…

Why use animation on social media?

Video is taking the digital world by storm. Research suggests that by 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be in the form of video streaming and downloads. But this trend is also true of the social media sphere, with a 48% higher engagement rate on posts containing video compared to those without. Then there is TikTok. The video-centric social media platform that has become a global phenomenon practically overnight. A signifier of the increasing popularity of this growing media format.

So, to ignore the power of video in the world of digital marketing would be downright silly. However, with 300 hours of video content uploaded every single minute, competition is stiff. This is where animation can help you become the point of difference in a sea of monotony.

Social media animation gives you the freedom to express your brand ethos in your own unique manner. Think about it. When scrolling through your favourite social media platforms, it takes something truly different to really catch your eye. Rather than using generic stock pictures of smiling faces or uninspiring blocks of text, animation lets you use colour schemes, styles, logos and even characters that are totally unique to your brand alone. Then there is the variation that animation brings to social media. Everything from retro, hand-drawn stylings to snappy infographics to advanced 3D animation allow your social posts to capture followers’ imaginations through your own visual storytelling style.

It is a means of simultaneously differentiating your brand from the competition and imprinting it in the minds of those who matter.

How can animation be used on social media?

When it comes to incorporating social media animation into your marketing strategy, there are two main avenues of implementation: organic and paid advertising.

Organic posts are posts that you upload onto your social media page. Completely free, they are a means of entertaining, intriguing and engaging people who are already following you. However, they have the additional benefit of being a first impression of your brand for many. In fact, 58% of people visit a brand’s social media page before exploring their website.

Paid ads on the other hand are displayed on social media as a means of drawing in new audiences to your page and ultimately your website. Paid social media ads can be targeted (and re-targeted) to a demographic of your choosing, allowing you to place your ads in front of the people you think will engage with it most.

Let’s look at this in the form of a whacky metaphor. If your business were a restaurant, the organic posts would be your menu – the signifier of what you offer that keeps customers coming back time and again. So, if organic posts are your restaurant’s menu, that would make paid ads the guy on the street handing out free samples on commission. Out there trying to lure in new business with teasers of what you have to offer.

Animation is a media format that has no limit other than the creator’s imagination. Live action video can’t transform water wastage into a terrifying monster or bring watercolour paintings to life. Not without an astronomical budget behind you, anyway. Using animation on social media to portray what it is that your company offers allows you to send out concise but powerful messaging.

It is important to note that different social media platforms require different video specs. But fear not! Here at The Animation Guys, to take the hassle out of the process we can provide social media animation tailored to suit each platform that you’ll be posting on.

Types of animation used on social media

As with any form of video marketing, there are countless ways in which you can utilise animation within your social content plan. How you use your social media animation is ultimately up to you, but here are some examples of popular formats:

Brand animation

Social media is fast becoming one of the main avenues for digital marketing. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it is a popular platform for driving visibility and engagement through attention-grabbing brand animation. It is a means of ensuring that your company’s branding remains on point through the medium of standout snippets on social platforms. 

Event highlight

Got a big event coming up? This is the way to let people know about it. Summarise what is going on at your event using quirky, eye-catching characters that engage with viewers far more than typical static live-action footage. Spreading this content all over social media is a great means of getting the word out. By scheduling a series of animated posts in this manner, you can build anticipation for an event, with each post offering a fresh new look.

Explainer videos

What explainer videos entail is rather self-explanatory (pun intended). Condensing a broad subject into a more concise format, it is a marketing video format that lends itself to the benefits of animation. Usually between 60 and 90 seconds in length, the combination of narration and imagery helps simplify even the most complex subjects. Given that social media is filled with a mad rush of accounts looking to grab attention with precious few moments of screen time, videos that streamline information in this manner are ideal.

Demo videos

Much like explainer videos, demo videos are perfect for making complex propositions more digestible. Unlike explainer videos, they are designed to walk viewers through an otherwise lengthy process in mere moments. Again, this quickfire style means that you can upload a catalogue of information onto your social pages in a short, snappy format that cannot be offered by live action equivalents. Perfect for demonstrating new tech or showing a website walkthrough.

Interested in wowing your social media followers with attention-grabbing, highly engaging animated content? Get in touch with our animation team for a free consultation.