Animated GIFs: A New Tool to Get Attention on Twitter

Healthcare facilities and hospitals have utilized Twitter in interesting ways. From live Tweeting a brain surgery to providing readers with important news and information during tragic events, such as the Boston Marathon bombing.

Healthcare facilities and hospitals have utilized Twitter in interesting ways. From live Tweeting a brain surgery to providing readers with important news and information during tragic events, such as the Boston Marathon bombing.

Twitter recently announced that now you can share and view animated GIFs on Twitter.com as well as its iPhone and Android apps.

To share a GIF in your Tweet you simply upload it like you would a regular image. The cap size is 3MB and you need to be aware that the GIF won’t animate automatically in your feed. You will have to hit the play button or open the Tweet.

For a healthcare facility this could be another fun way, similar to Twitter’s Vine service, to capture a visitor’s attention. For example, use a free GIF of a spinning pill to remind viewers to take their medicine. Display a GIF of a beating heart if your facility is promoting and Tweeting about cardiac health.

People are visual and a GIF could definitely grab your visitor’s attention.