social media
THE SUBTLE ART OF REACTION GIFS
First of all, it's GIF like "Jif", not GIF like "gift". Do not @ me on this. My definitive proof is below. The creator of the file format received a Webby and put the debate to rest.
Now that we have that out of the way, allow me to introduce my favorite pastime, responding to tweets and Facebook comments with reaction GIFs!
Getting reaction GIFs right is truly an art form. I try to follow three guidelines: People or animals need to be on-brand with your company, it needs to be funny, and you definitely don't want to perpetuate digital blackface (something that is common in reaction GIFs depicting extreme emotion).
Working for a women's organization and striving to uphold values of sisterhood, integrity and love, I also try to stay away from controversial figures, men (we are a women's org), and references that conflict with the org's values (movies with dirty humor, people of loose moral character, etc.).
If I were to move companies, I would have to reconfigure who/what I choose as reaction GIFs to match that business' style/tone/voice. Just like I would change the actual words I write. Who your brand is in one-on-one communication should be no different than the public posts you send to hundreds or thousands of followers.
Below are some examples of reaction GIFs I've used for ZTA. Sadly, this site won't allow users to embed tweets, so you'll have to click the links below each image to see them in action.

I try to instill a sense of ironic humor on our Twitter. I like to lean in to the mom/dad joke lifestyle.

See this thread on Twitter here.

Christmas lights absolutely call for a National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation joke. I knew women of all ages would get this reference, no matter their age.

See this thread on Twitter here.

The women of Buzzfeed's LadyLike are highly recognizable, but even if our followers didn't know who they are, they would certainly understand the Rosie the Riveter reference. #GirlPower

See this thread on Twitter here.

Knowing your audience is everything. Step Brothers worked in the original tweet because the scene in question is highly quotable. Then, Michael Scott is the character embodiment of the type of humor I try to portray, so he made a perfect addition.

The most important thing here is that you can tangibly see how this humanizes "nationals" in a way that you just can't achieve without social media and reaction gifs.

See this thread on Twitter here.

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