Capturing people’s attention is one of the biggest challenges for any social media marketer.
Consumers scroll through hundreds of posts every day, often deciding within seconds whether something is worth their time. To stand out in those fleeting moments, brands need content that’s visually striking, emotionally engaging, and easy to digest.
Increasingly, marketers are finding that animation delivers exactly that. It can simplify complex ideas, add personality, and create eye-catching movement. That gives it an excellent chance to stop the scroll.
In this post, we look at how animation is becoming a powerful tool for brands looking to break through the noise and connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Rise of Animated Content in Marketing
- Benefits of Using Animation on Social Media
- Examples of Animation in Social Media Campaigns
- Skills You’ll Learn in Animation and Graphic Design Training
- The Impact of AI
THE RISE OF ANIMATED CONTENT IN MARKETING
The shift toward animated content in social media marketing reflects a broader trend in how consumers like to get information. Video dominates digital marketing, with 89 per cent of businesses now incorporating video into their marketing strategies. And within this video-first landscape, animation has carved out a distinctive role.
A recent survey of marketers found that:
- 61% use animation in social media posts
- Almost 2 in 5 use animation moderately or all the time
- 89% plan to keep using animation in their upcoming campaigns
Why Brands Are Shifting Toward Animation
Animation has a unique ability to go beyond the limitations of live-action content. While traditional video requires physical locations, actors, and equipment, animation offers unlimited creative possibilities. Companies can simplify complex processes and create memorable characters that embody their values, all without the hassle of bringing a bunch of people together for a shoot.
This creative freedom is particularly valuable in an era when authenticity and distinctiveness matter more than ever. Animation allows brands to develop a signature visual style that becomes instantly recognizable in crowded social feeds, helping them stand out while maintaining consistency across campaigns.
The Role of Short-Form Video and Motion Graphics
Short-form video content has revolutionized social media engagement, and animation sits at the heart of this transformation. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have created new opportunities for animated content to thrive.
Motion graphics have become particularly essential for brands seeking to communicate quickly and effectively. The fact is that images that move are more likely to grab people’s attention. In an environment where users spend an average of 141 minutes per day on social media but scroll rapidly through feeds, animation can provide the competitive edge a brand needs.
BENEFITS OF USING ANIMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Brands that invest in animated social media content are seeing measurable returns across multiple performance indicators.
Boosting Engagement and Shares
Static images are easy to scroll past, but motion triggers an immediate pause. This “thumb-stopping” power is key. Roughly 43 per cent of marketers who use animated content see higher engagement rates, as measured by likes, shares, and comments.
When you animate your content, you aren’t just catching eyes. You are encouraging your audience to amplify your message for you.
Making Complex Ideas Simple and Visual
Explaining technical features or abstract concepts can be tough with just text. Animation simplifies things by turning ideas into visual processes. It allows brands to demonstrate functionality and reveal internal workings that would be impossible or impractical to capture with traditional photography or live-action video.
Strengthening Brand Identity and Recall
Animation offers unique advantages in establishing and maintaining consistency in presentation. Unlike live-action content, which can vary significantly based on location, lighting, and other variables, animation maintains perfect consistency in style across all content pieces.
And brand recall improves dramatically when companies use consistent elements. Animated logos, character mascots, and motion graphics templates create visual anchors that audiences associate with specific brands. Over time, these repeated visual cues build familiarity and trust, which are essential components of effective brand marketing.
EXAMPLES OF ANIMATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
Animated content takes a range of forms across social media channels.
Explainer videos are a staple for brands introducing new products or services on social media. These short, focused videos break down products or concepts using engaging visuals and narration. Check out the example below from Reddit Mobile.
GIFs have become a universal language on social media, offering brands a way to inject personality and emotion into their communications. These short, looping animations work especially well for capturing reactions, demonstrating quick product features, or adding humour to social media interactions. Their small file size and seamless looping make them ideal for social platforms where loading speed matters.
For example, Brit + Co used a GIF to give a simple preview of a new book.
Animated ads attract attention through movement while allowing brands to tell more complete stories with space and time constraints. See the example below from Semrush.
SKILLS YOU’LL LEARN IN ANIMATION AND GRAPHIC DESIGN TRAINING
To create impactful animated campaigns, you need creativity along with some technical expertise. Animation and graphic design programs provide hands-on training in:
- Motion design: Learn how to bring static elements to life using movement and timing
- Visual storytelling: Master the art of crafting narratives that resonate with audiences
- Software: Gain proficiency in industry-standard tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe Premiere Pro
“I teach them how to create animation from the fundamentals up,” says Herzing graphic design instructor Miguel Suarez.
“They use Photoshop and Illustrator. They hand draw everything. For those who are not comfortable with hand drawing, they produce the image on Illustrator. And then they cut it up and we rig it, where we put an animated skeleton underneath it so it moves,” he explains.
“We also have a course on Adobe Premiere Pro that teaches them basic video editing and motion graphics. With those skills, they can make their own movies, they can make show reels for their portfolios, or they can create movies for their clients.”
Students in Herzing’s 3D animation program gain a wide range of skills in various animation styles that can be applied to social media marketing, as instructor Bassem El Chami points out.
“The program is not just animation. It covers modelling, VFX, rigging, animating characters and objects. Students learn how to create special effects like particles, smoke, explosions, fire, whatever. When they graduate, they are ready to produce any kind of animation, including for social media.”
THE IMPACT OF AI
Moving forward, animation will continue to play a big role in creating immersive brand experiences. Companies will need professionals who can blend creativity with technical skill to produce content that captivates their target audiences.
That will hold true even as artificial intelligence transforms the industry. The most effective animated content still requires the creative judgment, storytelling skill, and strategic thinking that trained professionals provide.
“We’ll see how that goes. With AI being integrated everywhere, I think people are just getting sick and tired of it,” says Miguel.
“They’re starting to realize that AI images are crap. They don’t have the emotion that human-produced images have. Companies who fire people because of AI will learn the hard way that not having the human touch will destroy them.”
Bassem believes AI can actually be a helpful tool for animators. “Sometimes working in Photoshop, I want to clean up or cut an image. Instead of doing this manually, which used to take hours, now AI will recognize this is a face or this is hair, and it can cut the image much quicker,” he says.
“But I cannot tell AI to go do a whole project for me because there is a human touch we need to add. When AI produces an image, you can tell there is something fake about it. So I don’t think AI is going to take the jobs, but it will help us to work faster.”
LEARN HOW TO CREATE ANIMATION FOR MARKETING
Herzing College offers career-focused training that can give you the skills to thrive in today’s work world. Our 3D animation diploma is two years long, and our graphic design certificate takes just 10 months to complete. Both programs are delivered online and include internships for real-world experience.
Click below to learn more about what each program has to offer and chat live with a friendly admissions advisor. We’re here to help!
