Today, for digital marketing, content must be dynamic to pique the attention of buyers. For instance, the Graphics Interchange Format, or GIF, is one such tool that has gained traction over the past few years. GIFs are looping animated images that can express an idea, story or sentiment in just a few seconds. With the emergence of the visual social media, GIFs have become an essential part of digital marketing initiatives. The most cost-effective and most time-effective use of GIFs is implementing it within email campaigns. Here is an article on GIF marketing and incorporating a GIF into an email.
Understanding GIF Marketing
1. Definition of GIF Marketing: GIF marketing is the intentional use of GIFs in marketing messages (primarily online) to attract a customer’s attention. You can use GIFs for various settings, from social media, websites, to email marketing to provide a fresh and unique user experience.
2. Benefits of GIF Marketing
Better Reach: GIFs are by default more receptive than photos because it’s motion and movement that pulls the viewer towards the image and encourages them to continue with the image.
Storytelling: Showcase a story, product or idea using GIFs in an easy and visually appealing way.
Emotional Connection: Generally, GIFs contain familiar characters or scenes, allowing the viewer to identify with and feel a sense of connection to the message.
Brand Image: When you add GIFs to your marketing collateral, you’ll create and establish a brand image that makes the business seem more relatable and interesting to customers.
Email Marketing: Making an E-mail GIF.
1. Pick a Subject or Idea: To use a GIF in an email campaign, you must first choose the subject or idea that the GIF is going to show. This might be demonstrating a product, a process or a selling point. You need to make sure that the GIF echoes the message and theme of the entire email campaign so that the campaign is always unified.
2. Choose Visuals: Picking the right visuals is essential to the success of an email GIF. This might be sourcing copyright-free images, brand resources, or creating original illustrations. If you are using images, consider color, spacing, and visual order to ensure that the GIF matches the rest of the email’s design and content.
3. Creating the Animation: Once you have the images, now create the animation. This can be via proprietary programs like Adobe Photoshop, GIMP or free online GIF creators, which offer a wide variety of tools and options for creating and editing animated GIFs. Create an animation based on the looping (interruption or repeat), frame rate and size to create a beautiful and technically email-worthy GIF.
Email GIF Marketing Best Practices:
1. Keep it Simple: When creating an email marketing GIF, the animation must be clear and easy to understand. Don’t use complicated, cluttered designs that take the focus away from the message.
2. Captions & Text: If you’re making GIFs, captions or text can help break down a GIF and give it context for the viewer. You can also use it to reiterate the email message, so the user will know what the GIF is about.
3. Get Loading Speed Right: if you’re looking for a GIF that loads quickly, be sure to set the GIF size to an email-sized size. Emails that take a long time to open are distracting to the reader and may lead to a bounce.
4. Problems with Compatibility / Playback: As discussed above, make sure to try the email and the GIF out on different platforms, devices, and email clients to ensure it plays back properly.
5. Monitor Engagement: Tracking engagement (opens, clicks, etc) will give you key insights into how the GIF is performing and how the entire email marketing campaign is performing. Continually tinkering and optimizing the GIF and email design based on these insights will drive better response rates and campaigns.
Is It Possible To Attach A GIF To An Email?
Now that we’ve outlined the value of GIFs and best practices, let’s demonstrate how to embed a GIF in an email campaign. These are the steps applied to the most used email marketing platforms, such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and HubSpot.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Choose Your GIF
Choose a GIF that fits your campaign. The sites Giphy, GIFsicle, Tenor, etc have seemingly limitless libraries of GIFs. Make sure you have usage rights if you are copying someone else’s GIF.
Step 2: Optimize Your GIF
Clean up your GIF with a GIF compressor. Just upload your GIF to one of these tools and follow the instructions to make it smaller without compromising on quality.
Step 3: Upload Your GIF
Mailchimp: Log in to your account, go to “Campaigns,” and create a new email or unsubscribe an existing one. In the email content section, click “Image” and “Upload” your GIF. When you’ve added it, drag it to the content section.
Constant Contact: Log in to your account and create a new email campaign. Click “Image” in the email builder and load your GIF. After you’ve uploaded it, drag and drop it into the correct folder.
HubSpot: Create a new email and select “Insert” to insert media. Click “Image” and choose your GIF. Adjust the width and height of it according to the structure of the email.
Step 4: Add Alt Text
Although the majority of email clients auto-forward your GIF, be sure to use helpful alt text. In this, the contents and purpose of the GIF should be explained in as much detail as possible.
Step 5: Test Your Email
Give yourself or a friend a practice email before finalizing it. View the GIF displayed on various email clients and devices. Keep it interesting and functional.
Step 6: Send and Monitor Results
If you’re satisfied, then you can email your email. Measure open, clicks, and conversions to see if the GIF is working for your campaign.
Conclusion:
GIFs in emails can be used to hook the recipient and convey a message or story in an engaging way. After learning the ropes of GIF marketing, creating and inserting GIFs, and ensuring the highest level of excellence, businesses can utilize GIFs to create visually engaging, dynamic and engaging email campaigns. Finally, GIFs for email marketing can provide you with an authentic brand voice, increase your response rate, and increase conversions so it is an integral part of any successful digital marketing campaign.
