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Effective emails engage the reader and motivate them to take action. There are many ways to achieve this, but there's something almost magical about GIFs in email marketing.
Why? For one thing, people don't necessarily expect moving images in an email.
But it's also because images are more powerful and memorable than words. They grab attention. They evoke emotions. GIFs in email marketing can communicate a key idea quickly and effectively.
GIFs aren't just for social media. Yes, they're good at grabbing attention in this crowded landscape. But the email inbox is also crowded, and when readers skim an email after opening it, a GIF is sure to grab their attention and make them spend more time on your email.
Of course, there's more to it than just pasting random finds from Giphy. You'll get the most out of adding and creating animated GIFs for email campaigns if you do it strategically. We'll explore some brands that are using GIFs to add more impact to their emails.
But first, let's answer a few questions about GIFs in emails.
Are GIFs supported in emails?
You might think that GIF support is now standard in email clients. And you'd be right… except for some versions of Outlook.
Desktop versions of Outlook (2007 – 2016) do not support animated GIFs. Outlook 2019 plays an animated GIF once and then displays a play button to view it again. However, GIFs work fine for subscribers using Outlook.com and in the app using iOS or Android.
Email developers can fix problems with GIF support in Outlook with conditional code that creates a GIF fallback that displays a static image instead. The other option is to make sure that the first frame of a GIF contains the most important information, since that is the information that is displayed in the desktop versions of Outlook.
Don't miss our other tips for fixing email display issues in Outlook.
One way to get around this problem is to write code that tells Outlook how to handle GIFs in your emails. While this doesn't completely solve the problem, it does provide a better experience for the reader.
Why use GIFs in emails?
A better question might be why not use GIFs in email marketing. Let's face it, it's a great (and fairly easy) way to breathe life into static emails. But that's not the only reason.
Ways to use GIFs in emails:
- Create an animated call-to-action (CTA)
- Include in email as an alternative to video
- Use an animation to show how something works
- Bring humor into an email campaign
- Draw attention to something important in an email
- Present multiple products in one image
When Dell used GIFs in one of its email campaigns, the company saw a 42% increase in clicks. And more importantly, revenue increased by 109%. Granted, that was in 2014, but it's still an example of how changes in email design can make a big difference.
Let's look at the strategy of five brands that have recently used GIFs in emails.
6 brands that use GIFs creatively in emails
It's easy to head over to Giphy and search for ready-made GIFs related to pop culture, current events, animals, and more. And there's nothing wrong with that, so if you find something that fits the tone of your email, go for it.
But in terms of marketing that gets customers and subscribers, Get active and get real value from your emails, you'll usually want to create your own GIF images. Let's look at some examples.
1. Apple: GIF as how-to content
Apple sent its subscribers an email explaining how they can manage and simplify their iTunes subscriptions. The email included a GIF (see below) that tells subscribers exactly how to find the right settings on their device.
This GIF was of value to users because it provided helpful information and solved a concrete problem that many were facing.
2. Adobe: GIF illustrates a function
To spread the news of one of their coolest product features, Adobe brought their email to life with a GIF. Subscribers could immediately see the power of the tool. For existing customers, this further cemented trust and loyalty to Adobe. And for many of their potential customers, the “wow factor” of this demonstration was probably enough to convince them.
3. EPIC: GIF promotes a sale
GIFs are often used to grab attention. EPIC sent out an email promoting big discounts. People get emails like this all the time, and discounts alone often don't grab enough attention. But everyone who opened this email was drawn in by the colorful GIF animation and paid more than average attention to the message.
In this case, EPIC's email GIF isn't what most people think of as a typical GIF. The brand used the GIF file format to add a moving background to a graphic. There's no pop culture reference, no products, not even animated text. It's simple, but also kind of… hypnotic.
4. Loom: GIF as an alternative to video
Another effective way to use GIF animations in emails is to preview or promote a real video – like Loom did here. Videos don't usually play in emails, but creating a GIF from a video and displaying a play button above the image can drive more clicks on the real video.
5. Everlane: GIF presents several products
Here's an example of an email from Everlane where the GIF does the selling. This type of animation works well for products that are very similar but come in different colors, shapes, flavors, sizes, etc. In this case, the GIF shows different t-shirts worn by different models.
This means that the subscriber has already started the purchasing process directly in the email without even having to click.
6. Starbucks: GIF creates excitement
If you have a special event or a big announcement, a little animation can spice up your email campaign and make it more memorable. Starbucks did this with an original animated GIF to promote pop-up parties where subscribers could get free coffee.
If the news you're sharing is exciting, it only makes sense to write an even more exciting email!
Quick tips for using GIFs in email marketing
GIFs are a great addition to your email design, but that doesn't mean you can just add a bunch of them. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of GIFs.
1. Don’t overdo it
Putting a GIF in every email is ultimately like not putting a GIF in any email. In marketing, if you're constantly doing something, it will inevitably become background noise. Use GIFs intelligently, strategically, and selectively.
2. Consider email accessibility
Animations that are too fast and flashy can actually cause harm to people who suffer from epileptic seizures, so be careful with the movements.
And if you hide important text within the GIF image itself—as with any other image—there's a risk that people won't see the text if the GIF isn't displayed for some reason. And people with visual impairments, including color blindness, run the risk of not seeing your message.
So be careful when including important messages in the actual GIF unless you are repeating the same message elsewhere in the email.
3. Include fallbacks
When you add complex elements to an email, you increase the chances that it won't work. While there's a lot you can do to minimize this, as you'll see in a moment, if it doesn't work for some reason, consider including a static image that will appear in place of the GIF.
4. Use GIFs to announce video content
You've already seen this in the Loom example. Videos don't usually play in emails. While it's possible, it's difficult and not all email clients support it. There's a good chance many subscribers won't see them.
So if you want to email a video, you usually just need to include a screenshot with a play button that leads to the video. GIFs can help give the impression that the video is playing, which can increase click-through rates.
5. Pay attention to the file size of GIFs in emails
Again, this applies to all graphics. Large files increase loading time and subscribers quickly lose patience if they have to sit there while the image slowly comes into view.
Just as you want to reduce the file size for regular photos and graphics, make sure your GIF files stay small.
Optimize GIFs for your email inbox
Long loading times. GIF animations not displaying or not animating (Outlook!). Incorrect image placement. There are a variety of ways your GIFs and other graphics can display incorrectly when your subscribers open your emails on the dozens of possible devices and platforms.
Email on Acid's automated Campaign Precheck checklist includes an Image Validation step that tests image load time, ensures correct margins and widths, and confirms that your GIFs are working properly.
We even make it super easy to perform the previously mentioned workaround for subscribers who might open your emails in Outlook. You can quickly select the frame in your GIF to display as an image for Outlook users in case the animation doesn't work.
Keep in mind that when testing with Email on Acid, you won't be able to see the GIFs in action as our previews are static. There's a chance that the platform will catch them mid-animation, but rest assured that's perfectly normal. It means they'll animate just fine!
Discover everything else Email on Acid has to offer when you sign up for a free trial today.
Author: The Email on Acid Team
The Email on Acid content team is made up of digital marketers, content creators, and real email geeks. Connect with us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook, and tweet us at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for more interesting stuff and great conversations about email marketing.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
