Efficient emails have interaction the reader and encourage them to take motion. There are many methods to try to try this, however GIFs in electronic mail advertising have one thing virtually magical about them.
Why? For one factor, folks don’t actually anticipate to see shifting photographs in an electronic mail.
But it surely’s additionally as a result of photographs are extra highly effective and extra memorable than phrases. They get consideration. They elicit emotion. GIFs in electronic mail advertising can talk a key thought shortly and successfully.
GIFs aren’t only for social media. Sure, they do nicely at getting consideration in that crowded panorama. However the electronic mail inbox is crowded too, and when readers scan by an electronic mail after opening it, a GIF is certain to catch their consideration and make them spend extra time together with your electronic mail.
In fact, it’s about extra than simply throwing in random finds from Giphy. You’ll get probably the most out of including and creating animated GIFs for electronic mail campaigns if you happen to accomplish that strategically. We’re going to discover some manufacturers which can be utilizing GIFs to make their emails extra impactful.
However first – let’s reply a couple of questions on GIFs in electronic mail.
Are GIFs in electronic mail supported?
You’d suppose that by now, supporting GIFs can be fairly commonplace amongst electronic mail purchasers. And you’d be right… aside from some variations of Outlook.
Desktop variations of Outlook (2007 – 2016) don’t assist animated GIFs. Outlook 2019 performs an animated GIF as soon as after which produces a play button to see it once more. Nonetheless, GIFs will work simply high-quality for subscribers utilizing Outlook.com and on the app utilizing iOS or Android.
E-mail builders can deal with Outlook GIF assist points with some conditional code that creates a GIF fallback, which shows a static picture as an alternative. The opposite choice is to verify the primary body of a GIF has an important info, since that’s what desktop variations of Outlook will show.
Don’t miss our different ideas for fixing Outlook electronic mail rendering points.
A method round that is to write code that tells Outlook deal with GIFs in your electronic mail. That doesn’t utterly remedy the issue, but it surely does present a greater expertise for the reader.
Why use GIFs in emails?
A greater query could be, why not use GIFs in electronic mail advertising? Let’s be sincere, it’s a terrific (and fairly simple) approach to convey static emails to life. However that’s not the one cause.
Methods to make use of GIFs in electronic mail:
- Create an animated call-to-action (CTA)
- Embody as a substitute for video in electronic mail
- Present how one thing works with an animation
- Add humor to an electronic mail marketing campaign
- Draw consideration to one thing vital in an electronic mail
- Showcase a number of merchandise in a single picture
When Dell used GIFs in one among their electronic mail campaigns, they noticed a 42% improve in clicks. Extra importantly, they earned a 109% improve in income. Granted, that was again in 2014. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless an instance of how electronic mail design adjustments could make an enormous distinction.
Let’s take a look at the technique from 5 manufacturers which have used GIFs in emails extra not too long ago.
6 manufacturers utilizing GIFs in electronic mail creatively
It’s fairly easy to move over to Giphy and search for pre-made GIFs referencing popular culture, present occasions, animals, and lots extra. And there’s nothing flawed with that — so if you happen to discover one thing that matches throughout the tenor of your electronic mail, go together with it.
However when it comes to advertising that nudges clients and subscribers to take motion and obtain true worth out of your electronic mail, you often need to make your individual GIF photographs. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples.
1. Apple: GIF as how-to content material
Apple despatched an electronic mail displaying subscribers handle and simplify their iTunes subscriptions. The e-mail included a GIF, proven beneath, that walked subscribers by precisely find the proper settings on their system.
This GIF delivered worth to customers by giving useful info and fixing a particular downside many confronted.
2. Adobe: GIF illustrates a characteristic
To unfold the information of one among their coolest product options, Adobe used a GIF to convey their electronic mail to life. Their subscribers may instantly see the ability of the instrument. For his or her present clients, this might additional solidify their reliance on and loyalty to Adobe. And for a lot of of their potential clients, the “wow issue” of this demonstration was doubtless sufficient to transform them.
3. EPIC: GIF promotes a sale
A typical use of GIFs is just to attract consideration. EPIC despatched out an electronic mail selling large reductions. Individuals get these types of emails on a regular basis and reductions alone typically don’t get sufficient consideration. However anybody who opened this electronic mail can be drawn to the colourful GIF animation and provides the message above-average consideration.
On this case, EPIC’s electronic mail GIF isn’t what most of consider as a typical GIF. The model used the GIF file format so as to add a shifting background to a graphic. There’s no popular culture reference, no merchandise, not even any animated textual content. It’s easy, but it surely’s additionally sort of… hypnotizing.
4. Loom: GIF as a substitute for video
One other efficient manner to make use of GIF animation in emails is to preview or promote an precise video — like what Loom did right here. Movies don’t often play in emails, however if you happen to create a GIF from the one with a ‘play’ button overlaying the picture, it may possibly entice extra clicks to the true factor.
5. Everlane: GIF showcases a number of merchandise
Right here’s an electronic mail instance from Everlane the place the GIF does the promoting. This form of animation works nicely for merchandise which can be very related however are available quite a lot of colours, shapes, flavors, sizes, and so forth. On this case, the GIF exhibits totally different t-shirts worn by totally different fashions.
So, proper within the electronic mail, with out even clicking, the subscriber has already began the buying course of.
6. Starbucks: GIF to assist create buzz
If you’ve acquired a particular occasion or an enormous announcement, a bit animation can boost your electronic mail marketing campaign, making it extra memorable. Starbucks did this with an authentic animated GIF to advertise pop-up events the place subscribers may get free espresso.
If the information you’re sharing is thrilling, it solely is smart to create a extra thrilling electronic mail!
Fast ideas for utilizing GIFs in electronic mail advertising
GIFs are a terrific addition to your electronic mail design, however that doesn’t imply you may throw a couple of in and name it a day. Listed below are some tricks to get probably the most from utilizing GIFs.
1. Don’t overdo it
Placing a GIF in each electronic mail will, ultimately, be like placing a GIF in no emails. In advertising, if you happen to do one thing on a regular basis, it inevitably finally ends up changing into background noise. Use GIFs neatly, strategically, and selectively.
2. Take into account electronic mail accessibility
Animations which can be too quick and flashy can truly trigger hurt to individuals who endure from seizures. So go simple on the motion.
And if you happen to bury vital copy throughout the GIF picture itself — as with every different picture — you run the danger of individuals not seeing that textual content if the GIF doesn’t present up for some cause. And for folks with visible impairments, together with coloration blindness, you run the danger of them lacking your message.
So watch out when together with key messaging on the precise GIF except you repeat the identical message elsewhere within the electronic mail.
3. Embody fallbacks
Anytime you add advanced parts to an electronic mail, you improve the probabilities of it not working. Whereas there may be a lot you are able to do to attenuate this, as you’ll see in a bit, you do need to embrace a static picture that can present up instead of the GIF if for some cause it doesn’t perform.
4. Use GIFs to tease video content material
You noticed this earlier within the Loom instance. Video sometimes doesn’t play in emails. It may be completed, but it surely’s difficult and never universally supported by electronic mail purchasers. There’s a superb likelihood many subscribers gained’t see it.
So if you wish to ship a video by way of electronic mail, you usually have to simply embrace a screenshot with a play button that clicks by to the video. With GIFs, you can also make the video look like taking part in, which may improve clicks.
5. Watch the file measurement of GIFs in electronic mail
This once more is true with any graphics. Giant file sizes improve load time, and subscribers shortly lose endurance if they’ve to sit down there whereas the picture slowly comes into view.
Similar to you need to cut back file sizes for normal images and graphics, make sure you hold your GIF file sizes small too.
Optimizing GIFs for the e-mail inbox
Gradual load instances. GIF animations not displaying up or not animating (Outlook!). Incorrect picture placement. There are a selection of the way your GIFs and different graphics can present up incorrectly when your subscribers open your emails on the handfuls and dozens of potential gadgets and platforms.
E-mail on Acid’s Marketing campaign Precheck automated checklist contains the Picture Validation step, which checks load time for photographs, ensures right borders and widths, and confirms that your GIFs are working correctly.
We even make it simple to do the workaround talked about earlier for subscribers who could also be opening your emails in Outlook. You possibly can shortly select the body in your GIF that you just need to present up as a picture for Outlook customers, in case the animation doesn’t perform.
Remember the fact that if you take a look at with E-mail on Acid, you gained’t be capable of see the GIFs in motion, as our previews are static. Odds are the platform will seize them mid-animation, however relaxation assured that is completely regular. It means they’re animating simply high-quality!
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Creator: The E-mail on Acid Staff
The E-mail on Acid content material crew is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up electronic mail geeks.
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Creator: The E-mail on Acid Staff
The E-mail on Acid content material crew is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up electronic mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on electronic mail advertising.
