In 2021, I made a commitment to enhance Smart Apartment Solutions and Smart Chick Megan’s social media presence as a company. We began to focus more on the stories featured on Instagram and facebook and engaging more in the comments on our posts. Early on, I became aware of the creative possibilities offered by GIFs and stickers that could be overlaid on our stories, whether they were videos, photos, or sharing other accounts’ posts.
While some people were adopting avatars for Instagram stories, I was captivated by the dynamic nature of moving stickers and GIFs. One of my favorites was the Jonah Hill excited hand scream GIF. However, as a marketing professional, I realized it didn’t align perfectly with our brand, Smart, I wanted more customization..
I started noticing that non-celebrity stickers and many realtors were using clever blinking stickers, such as house keys or personalized reaction stickers showing excitement or waving hello. I wondered, “How did they create these?” and then “How did they get them to show up as searchable stickers in Instagram?”
So, I attempted to create my own stickers in Giphy, the largest GIF platform available, but my efforts were unsuccessful. Fate intervened when I participated in a Wake Up And Win Clubhouse room, where I met a GIF artist named Izzy Ink Studios. Impressed by her talent, I hired her to create over 50 GIF stickers for our digital marketing and stories. Six months later, our Smart Apartment Solutions Giphy account had over two million views, and our custom reaction stickers had garnered over 300K views. This not only enhanced our brand consistency but also gave us unprecedented brand exposure. I could easily search Smart Apartment Solutions in any platform’s Stories and there are all of our reaction stickers ready to brand.
Our Smart Giphy account now boasts over 15 million views, while Izzy’s account has a staggering 4.4 billion views and continues to grow. This success led to a collaboration with Izzy to offer a FREE workshop on harnessing the power of animated images for your brand.
Are you ready to Get Giphy With It?
