By Sean Tinney Might 28, 2024
We’re large followers of utilizing interactive content material in electronic mail. Whether or not you’re attempting to enhance your marketing campaign, inform a narrative, or just add a little bit of aptitude to the inbox, interactive content material is the best way to go.
And one of many best methods to take action is by including animated GIFs to your emails.
On this article we’re going that will help you create some extra pleasure in your emails by serving to you be taught:
What’s an electronic mail GIF?
Methods to make use of GIFs in your emails
Finest practices for utilizing GIFs in emails
The way to put a GIF in your electronic mail
The way to add a GIF to an electronic mail utilizing AWeber
The way to make GIFs on your emails
The place to search out GIFs for emails
What’s an electronic mail GIF?
GIF is brief for Graphics Interchange Format. It’s a preferred picture format that’s been round for the reason that 80’s. An electronic mail GIF makes use of a sequence of pictures to create the phantasm of movement (type of like a flipbook) throughout the physique of an electronic mail.
Instance of an electronic mail GIF
Methods to make use of GIFs in your electronic mail
GIFs add character to your emails. You possibly can spotlight a product in movement, present a demo, and even add a relatable response. There are numerous participating and sensible functions for a GIF.
Let’s check out some ways in which manufacturers are utilizing GIFs of their advertising and marketing emails (and how one can steal these concepts on your subsequent marketing campaign):
1 – Illustrate a product
GIFs don’t need to be all for present. They’re truly an effective way to inform a narrative in a easy, impactful approach.
This Canva electronic mail reveals how straightforward it’s to create a design utilizing their platform.
Professional Tip: GIFs are nice for illustrating advanced concepts in a easy approach. Give subscribers a sneak peek of your newest product launch or to share a novel use case.
2 – Tutorial on how you can use a product
Try how we used a GIF to focus on how straightforward it’s so as to add a video to your touchdown web page:
Reasonably than counting on heavy copy, this animated GIF reveals the method in simply seconds.
3 – Create intrigue
Need an effective way to entice your readers? Take a cue from this Kate Spade marketing campaign:
The animation provides one other degree of intrigue to the e-mail, prompting subscribers to click on by to see what’s inside.
Professional Tip: Generally the only little bit of animation can have a big effect. The subsequent time you’re wanting so as to add some oomph to your emails, attempt including a GIF to the combo.
4 – Add a way of urgency
GIFs could be a nice different for conventional countdown clocks to emphasise urgency in your messaging:
This instance from LOFT reveals how just a little animation could make a daring assertion.
Professional Tip: Your electronic mail doesn’t need to imitate the Vegas strip at 2am. Including just a little little bit of motion is typically all you want.
5 – Merely delight
GIFs might be added so as to add enjoyable and pleasure on your emails, like this one from charity: water:
Their good use of a GIF showcases the character and folks behind the model.
However be conscious of context when utilizing GIFs in your emails. Does it really feel applicable and strengthen the message you’re attempting to ship? Or does it take away from it? These are good inquiries to ask your self earlier than you hit ‘ship’.
Professional Tip: Use GIFs sparingly. In case you’re utilizing them simply because, it could actually get outdated.
6 – Spotlight a name to motion
Try how we use a GIF to focus on the Study How name to motion.
The important thing to utilizing GIF for the CTA is to not get carried away. If the GIF takes away from the primary message, it gained’t matter how a lot consideration you placed on the CTA, your subscribers gained’t learn it.
7 – Inform a narrative
Peacock used a GIF to inform their subscribers a narrative of all the brand new reveals their streaming service has to supply in October.
Finest practices for utilizing GIFs in emails
Whereas GIFs are nice for grabbing your viewers’s consideration you don’t need to overdo it. To assist, we’ve put collectively an inventory of finest practices try to be following when placing GIFs in emails.
1 – One GIF per electronic mail
One GIF is ideal for including an thrilling, attention-grabbing component to your electronic mail. A couple of and your electronic mail is getting too distracting.
2 – Improve the primary message
Your GIF ought to serve a objective. Don’t embrace a one which doesn’t relate to your content material and the motion you need your viewers to take.
3 – Add a hyperlink to your GIF
Folks could attempt clicking on the GIF itself, so make the most of this and direct them to a related touchdown web page.
4 – Preserve the GIF file measurement small
Purpose to maintain your GIF file measurement beneath 40KB. You don’t need your electronic mail to be so giant that your viewers gained’t even obtain it.
5 – Check your electronic mail
All the time take a look at your emails. Most electronic mail shoppers will show GIFs, however there are some exceptions. In these conditions, the GIFs will show as static pictures.
6 – Add alt picture textual content
In these conditions the place a GIF could not render ensure you add alt picture textual content so individuals perceive what the GIF was about. Be as descriptive as attainable.
The way to put a GIF in your electronic mail
To insert a GIF in your electronic mail:
Step 1: Compose your electronic mail
Step 2: Click on on the insert photograph button (that is typically represented as a paperclip)
Step 3: Find your GIF in your folder and click on insert so as to add to your electronic mail
The way to add a GIF to an electronic mail utilizing AWeber
Step 1: Obtain your GIF and put it aside to your pc. In case you discover a GIF on-line, you may merely proper click on the picture and choose “Save Picture”.
Step 2: In your AWeber account, drag the picture block into your electronic mail builder.
Step 3: Choose the Add Picture button so as to add your GIF to your electronic mail. That’s it!
The way to make GIFs on your emails
GIFs are simpler to create than a video, particularly in case you’re attempting as an example one thing quick and to the purpose. The talent degree bar is quite a bit shorter with a GIF.
You possibly can create GIFs in Photoshop, or you may create them out of video footage you have already got utilizing a device like GIF Brewery, GIFMaker.me, or Instagiffer.
Most of these instruments make creating GIFs straightforward, even with little to no technical information.
And don’t suppose that you need to be a designer or know how you can code to make use of GIFs in your emails. We love websites like Giphy or r/gif for his or her giant collection of ready-to-use GIFs.
The place to search out GIFs for emails
You may also create a GIF on your electronic mail your self, or discover a premade GIF from quite a lot of completely different on-line sources. Listed here are two of my prime choices:
GIPHY
The title says all of it. I like GIPHY as a result of they’ve an enormous library of GIF to select from. Plus they mean you can create or add your on GIF.
AWeber
Our superb staff of designers create some unimaginable GIFs geared in the direction of grabbing an electronic mail viewers’s consideration. Listed here are the hyperlinks to our seasonal electronic mail advertising and marketing GIFs.
Get began…
Now that you know the way to make use of them successfully, GIFs might be an effective way to raise your electronic mail content material. In case you’re selling a services or products, they will actually emphasize a use case and function an academic device. (Or just delight your subscribers.)