Animation a secret weapon in today’s saturated digital landscape. Sure, you may fairly assume we have a slight bias towards this opinion – if you’ve checked the name.
Yet our work on hundreds of animated campaigns over fourteen years leaves us with a lot of proof that animation truly stands out on social media. With its vivid colors, dynamic movements, and storytelling power, animation breaks through the visual noise in a way that traditional content just can’t.
Today, we’re taking the stand to defend the invaluable impact of animated videos for social media marketing. This blog will cover
- the specific benefits of video for social media
- types of animation that work well on socials
- examples of real animated marketing success stories from our studio
As we explore further, you’ll discover how animated video can elevate your brand’s impact across digital platforms.
Short, sweet, and brand-aligned.
This 15-second ad distributed across socials helped Efficiency VT drive recycling signups.
Why Animation Videos Shine on Social Media
Animation is a game-changer, and this is especially true when it comes to the context of social media.
Its unique ability to captivate, convey, and engage makes it a powerful tool for marketers aiming to reach and retain audiences on busy platforms where many interest groups are meeting. Here’s why animation is so effective in social media marketing:
Digestable, Memorable Content
Animated videos are designed to be short, eye-catching, and impactful—perfect for the fast pace of social media.
They simplify complex ideas, using visuals to tell stories in seconds. Unlike text or static images, animation combines visual appeal and storytelling to leave a lasting impression, making it easier for audiences to recall your brand and message.
Storytelling works to make content more memorable because viewers are more likely to retain a message when it’s told with authenticity and heart. Animation is a flexible, affordable avenue for accomplishing storytelling in a way that aligns with your brand messaging.
See it in action: in this informative sizzler for the Brooklyn Public Library, a familiar narrative provides an especially memorable context for their message about media literacy.
Learn more about how storytelling enhances marketing content development strategy in our recent blog.
High Engagement and Shareability
Social media platforms reward content that engages. Animation has been proven to attract higher views, likes, and shares compared to static images.
This year, G2 reported that videos on social media are 12x more likely to be shared – and that’s compared to images and text combined! Animated posts draw the eye and keep viewers watching, increasing the chance they’ll interact with your content.
Versatile for Any Social Media Platform
Any social media marketer living through the digital boom knows this: When it comes to maximizing reach, optimization is key. Understanding the necessary formatting for different platforms keeps your media from being cut-off, or just simply looking unprofessional.
This is where our hero comes in: Animation adapts well to all social media platforms, whether it’s a quick GIF on Twitter, a captivating reel on Instagram, or an animated explainer on LinkedIn. The versatility of animated formats means you can tailor your content to fit platform specs, keeping your the same piece of content fresh and optimized for each audience and platform.
Formatting your video to accurately fit the platform’s specifications will ensure it looks professional and captures attention across the board.
A 16:9 aspect ratio was the digital standard for video for many years. Now more than ever, your audience is viewing video content in a 9:16 aspect ratio – sometimes called ‘vertical video’ or ‘reels’ – to better suit their phone screens.
Compared to live action video, animation is much cheaper and flexible to update and reformat as the years go on. Our studio offers custom video resizing and reformatting in a variety of options to support our clients transitioning to reel-based platforms, or to create comprehensive campaigns that span across a variety of platforms.
Key Benefits of Using Animation for Social Media Marketing
We’ve broken down some of the reasons why animation as a medium is so effective on social media: But what does this mean for you, the marketer?
What are the key benefits of using animated social media marketing for your strategy?
In this section, we break down how animation can help brands achieve specific social media goals: by increasing brand consistency, cross-platform flexibility, viewer retention, and conversions.
Strengthen Brand Identity and Recognition
Animated videos allow brands to reinforce their identity visually by using consistent colors, themes, and styles that viewers come to recognize. By establishing a recognizable look and feel in your animations, you create a memorable brand presence that stays with audiences long after they’ve scrolled past your post.
Animation lends itself to consistent, comprehensive branding: the familiar color scheme and representative characters allow AARP members to see themselves reflected in the message.
Every video our studio produces begins with our Kick-Off Call, gathering your dedicated video producer, design team, and scriptwriter to learn about who you are.
During this call, we establish the foundation of understanding that will result in a highly brand aligned, evergreen tool for your organization’s marketing. Head to this blog to learn more about our Kick-Off Call or our process in general (rated 5 stars, over 54 times on Google!)
Boost Engagement with Cross-Platform Versatility
As we identified in the previous section, animations are format-flexible: you can repurpose them across multiple platforms, maximizing reach while maintaining visual consistency.
You might create a short animated reel for Instagram, a GIF for Twitter, or a longer explainer for LinkedIn, all from the same content source.
This adaptability allows brands to reach different audiences while optimizing for each platform’s unique style and specs.
As demonstrated in this campaign with United Way, we’ve even supported clients in the development of traditional marketing campaigns using the characters and messaging from their videos. You can see more from this project here.
Increase Viewer Retention and Message Recall
This isn’t news to you, marketer: attention spans are short these days. Fortunately, animation’s engaging nature keeps viewers watching longer than static posts.
This video explains how whiteboard animation promotes retention and recall.
Longer viewing times improve retention, by giving your audience more time to absorb your message.
Animation also increases recall, meaning viewers are more likely to remember your content and associate it with your brand when they encounter it again.
Don’t believe us? Check out this interesting research from the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, or view our explainer video about the neuroscience of animations to the left.
Drive Conversions Through Engaging Storytelling
Animation encourages interaction. Whether your objectives are awareness, sales, or action, that first step is always getting the audience to interact.
This blog expertly breaks down the specific ways that video boosts conversions, and positively impact your bottom line.
Without that first spark of engagement, your exceptional solution or opportunity falls flat before it even has a chance to succeed.
Why is animation so engaging? As discussed above, animation’s storytelling power builds an emotional connection, which helps turn casual viewers into interested leads or even paying customers.
Video allows you to clearly lay out your story – whatever it may be – and conclude with a strong call to action. It can be extremely persuasive and create meaningful engagement for your organization – whether that’s smashing the like button or picking up the phone to connect with a real human.
Ideas for Animated Content that Works Well on Social Media
Different social media platforms and audiences respond to specific types of animated content. Here are some examples of different animation formats you could use on social media to boost engagement, encourage shares, and drive conversions:
Our Expert Tips for Successful Social Media Animation Campaigns
If you’ve made it this far, you understand why animation is one of the most powerful tools for boosting engagement and visibility on social media.
Take some bonus advice that will support your animated campaign’s success that much further:
1. Prioritize Quality and Consistency
For animation to have the desired impact, it should look polished and align with your brand identity. Use colors, fonts, and themes consistent with your overall branding, so your audience can easily recognize your content. High-quality visuals reflect positively on your brand, so make sure to prioritize quality over quantity when creating animated posts.
2. Emphasize Your Call-To-Action
Every single video that comes out of our studio has a defined goal – that’s part of the secret recipe for success. During scripting, we encourage our clients to think carefully about their video’s ‘CTA’ or ‘call-to-action.’ A clear, compelling CTA – whether it’s “Sign up today,” “Learn more on our website,” or “Book your free consultation” …or just “stay tuned!” – gives viewers a specific next step when interacting with your content.
3. Analyze Performance to See What Works
Even with an arsenal of tips, tricks and ideas, your animated content won’t reach it’s full potential without some responsive strategy.
This blog covers our typical launch consultation process for clients, including how we support the promotion of their content.
By tracking key performance metrics and utilizing the built-in analytics tools that many social media platforms provide for free, you can refine your video marketing strategy for even greater success.
Start by monitoring the core metrics that are most meaningful towards your goals – like likes, shares, comments, or website visits – and begin to build an understanding of your content’s lifecycle.
Continuously gathering feedback and adapting your approach to meet evolving audience needs builds authenticity with your audience.
Another key to continuous improvement is iterative testing. Run A/B tests by creating different versions of your video—whether it’s adjusting the script, the visuals, or even the call-to-action. This allows you to see which version performs best in terms of engagement and conversions.
Check out this blog from Unbounce for some fun and inspiring examples of A/B testing success.
We take complicated ideas and making it quick and clear– then quicker and clearer. We’d love to collaborate with you.
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