Do you ever have to send PDF price sheets, promotional materials, brochures, or custom quotes to your clients? Recently, I realized just how many small business owners use PDF marketing and business materials that may or may not be available on their website but are regularly seen by their clients.
These marketing collateral materials are a way of communicating important information, but depending on your industry or profession, they could be spiced up with a little visual help. There are quite a few benefits to using GIFs ("a series of still image frames coded into a single file") and videos in PDF marketing materials, and it is pretty easy to get started!
If you want to check it out, Search Engine Journal recently posted this great video on the history of GIFs, and it just puts their use into perspective.
While PDF marketing materials may not directly impact SEO, they can add a nice touch on digital marketing materials, and that is equally as important. Let's start out by looking at why GIFs and videos can amp up your marketing materials then take a closer look at how to get started.
One of the easiest ways to achieve successful branding (as any marketer or advertiser knows) is through visual content. Visual content can tell the story of a business outlook without having to say so many words — and this is what you really need in short-form PDF marketing materials. GIFs or videos give your customers the opportunity to engage with your brand even in an otherwise dull document.
Capture Short Attention SpansToday's audiences are increasingly hard to capture because of short attention spans when consuming digital content. While you do not necessarily have the same concerns about long-form content that you would on a blog, any additional information you want to get across could be easily overlooked in PDF marketing materials. For example, if you want to give your client a sense of your company policies/work ethic/culture before they sign a contract, you may want to add a section that accomplishes this.
However, the chances that they will read every line of that are few and far between. GIFs and videos can show what your company culture is like without having to say it in words. You save space and word count, making your materials easier to consume — and you also have a way to give your client a visual reminder and representation of your brand.
Create Feeling and ActionVisual content like GIFs and video are intended to stir feeling and action in your customers. If someone downloaded your PDF price list from your website or is looking at a virtual brochure you emailed them, you want them to get the sense that your company is the one they want to work with. Visual elements engage consumers and can have an impact on increasing conversions and having the client take the action you want them to take.
Visual StorytellingYou can use explainer videos in PDF marketing materials to walk people through the steps that you otherwise would have written. On a website or blog platform, you want as much long-form content as possible for SEO purposes, but on marketing materials that are not necessarily contributing to SEO, you are free to get creative and use visuals to tell your story.
For example, if you are a hosting an event, and you are sending clients information about what this year's conference has to offer, wouldn't it be nice to have past attendees tell what they gained from the event along with some shots of what the conference looked like last year?
This kind of visual storytelling goes along well with text information and can allow consumers to click on the embedded videos they choose alongside reading your text. Videos can also be used to provide a glimpse into your products or services, and overall feel of the story of your customers. Learn more here.
User Guides and Other Creative PDFsIn a client-centered business, you want to do everything possible to provide the information they need so they not only purchase once, but return to your business again and again. To achieve this, you may want to produce marketing documents like e-books, user guides, or other types of creative information to add value and quality to your products and services.
Adding video content and GIFs to these materials can add an extra dimension of helpfulness and lets you go above and beyond for the client. Not to mention it just looks more impressive than words on a blank page!
How to Get Started With GIFs and Videos in a PDF DocumentBefore you can use GIFs or videos in a PDF, you will have to design them specific to your brand and business. Getting a video production company to help you design and create a video with professional audio is always something I recommend, but simply using your iPhone can work for many types of videos. To create a GIF, you can use Adobe Photoshop. Visit this link for a step-by-step guide to get started.
Getting a GIF to Work on a PDFTo get a GIF onto a PDF, you will have to export the animated GIF to QuickTime and add it to the PDF. Here are the steps to take:
Once the PDF is saved, you are ready to share with your customers!
Embedding a Video on a PDFWhen embedding a video, you will want to make sure the file is an MOV first (just because this is the easiest way to insert into the document). You should be able to save the file easily regardless of what video platform you are working on. The steps here are as same as with a GIF:
Make sure you place the video file in a place that makes sense for the user's experience and that looks good. Further, make sure the file size of the video is reduced so the document is not too large to send via email.
What are your thoughts on using Gifs and videos in PDF marketing materials? Let us know on social media!
Image Credits
Featured Image: flytosky11/DepositPhotos
In-Post Image: Blankstock/DepositPhotos
Source: 5 Benefits to Using GIFs and Videos in PDF Marketing Materials
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