With the celebration of 30 years since the creation of GIFs , the iconic files that create mini animations show little sign of losing popularity. But are these sometimes hilarious files still so popular in social media posts and even business chats really appropriate for business communication? Funny you should ask!
According to Richard Rabbat, CEO and founder of Gyfcat, anything that is G-rated and light-hearted can be appropriate in some business instances. But there are some specific types of GIFs that can really apply to businesses in a lot of situations. Here are 25 acceptable GIF reactions for businesses to consider.
Acceptable GIF Reactions for Businesses
Mood-Lightening GIFs
Rabbat says, “GIFs provide clarity of emotional intent that’s absent from text. It’s easy to misconstrue meaning over text. How many times have we thought someone was annoyed when they were trying to make a joke? GIFs remove that ambiguity.”
Jokes
For that reason, sharing joke GIFs with your team within business chats on Skype or similar platforms can be a great way to add levity — especially when tensions over a particular project are running high.
Laughter
Or if a member of your team or even a follower on social media shares something humorous, you can share a laughter GIF as a more creative version of “lol.”
Welcome Gestures
If you’re welcoming people to a business chat on a platform like Skype, you can share a simple welcome gesture by using a GIF of a person waving or even some welcoming text.
Goodbye Waves
Likewise, you can share a GIF at the end of an online chat to wave goodbye or wish your colleagues well.
Affirmations
You can also use GIFs that include encouraging messages or motions to tell team members or followers that they’re doing a great job.
Thank Yous
Or if you have a team member who really helped you out or a follower who shared a great story about your brand online, you can share a quick thank you message in GIF form.
Surprised Reactions
There are plenty of GIFs out there that portray surprised faces, perfect for those instances where someone shares a shocking story or statistic with you.
Clapping GIFs
Clapping is a great way to show someone that you approve of what they just did or said. So clapping GIFs can do the same online.
High Fives
Or maybe you just completed a project where everyone did a great job. So a high five GIF can convey your happiness with everyone’s efforts.
Group Hugs
Similarly, a group hug GIF can help you celebrate an accomplishment and build a stronger bond among your team members.
Dancing GIFs
Whether you’re communicating with team members or social media followers, dancing GIFs can help you share general happiness while adding a little silliness.
Celebratory Scenes
Other celebratory scenes like a leap in the air or arm pump can also be appropriate in any situation where you’re celebrating a big win.
Fail GIFs
On the other hand, you can also use GIFs to make light of situations where things didn’t go your way. Don’t use them to criticize your team! But if you made a silly mistake that you want to acknowledge, you could use a number of different fail GIFs to convey that.
Frustration GIFs
You can also use GIFs to express frustration. Again, this doesn’t apply for serious situations. But if, for example, you’re experiencing an extra long Monday, you can share a GIF of frustration with team members.
Funny Faces
Funny faces are appropriate in a number of different situations to lighten the mood or react to messages on social media.
Holiday Greetings
On holidays, you can also use GIFs to send out greetings and well wishes to specific team members or followers on social media.
Happy Weekend Messages
Similarly, you can celebrate the start of the weekend with a GIF post that includes a celebratory message.
Reminder Messages
Let’s say you have a big event coming up at your office. In a reminder message to your team, you can include an eye-catching GIF aimed at calling attention to that event so that everyone will be sure to remember it.
Text GIFs
A lot of GIFs also include text captions. So they can convey more specific sentiments to specific people. As long as the text is appropriate, these GIFs can help you communicate with people in your team or on social media.
Popular Characters
There are also plenty of GIFs that feature popular characters from TV or movies. So if you’re having a conversation with someone who you know loves a particular character, using a GIF of them could be a great option.
Cinemagraphs
Cinemagraphs are GIFs that usually feature fairly wide scenes but include just one moving part. Picture an image of a full auditorium but just one person is clapping or moving around. As long as the content is appropriate, these GIFs can let you share even more creative scenes.
Looping GIFs
There are also GIFs that basically loop around when they start over, so it looks like a never-ending movement.
Anything G-Rated
Basically, depending on the situation and the person or persons you’re communicating with, you can share just about anything that is G or PG-rated in GIF form.
Cute Animals
And finally, when in doubt, don’t forget about GIFs of cute animals.
Rabbat says, “Cute animals are appropriate in most situations. They’re crowd pleasing, G-rated and get tons of attention on social media.”
GIF Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “25 Perfectly Acceptable GIF Reactions for Businesses” was first published on Small Business Trends