In this tech-driven and frantic age, brands are always looking for ways to get their message out to their customers and make a splash in a flooded inbox. Though text and static images still remain prevalent, animated GIFs have become an increasingly popular and useful email marketing tactic. This essay examines some of the benefits to using animated GIFs in email, including higher click-through rates, better conveying sophisticated content, and creating brand personality.
Increased Engagement
Animation GIFs are made to grab the viewer’s attention, so they are perfect for email outreach. MarketingSherpa discovered that when emails included animated GIFs, their click-through rates were 26 percent higher than without (MarketingSherpa, 2014). The animation in an animated GIF draws the viewer’s attention, piques their curiosity, and invites recipients to keep reading. This means that businesses can use animated GIFs to attract traffic, increase sales and build deeper relationships with their customers.
Communication of Complex Ideas
Animated GIFs are excellent at translating deep concepts into digestible, tiny bits of information. With multiple similar images slapped together in a quick loop, animated GIFs can show sequential processes, showcase product functionality, or showcase the pros and cons of a service. It is a visual storytelling method that makes the sharing of complex ideas more accessible and ensures that the audience receives it and can take it with them.
Showcasing Brand Personality
Animated GIFs allow companies to use the time to showcase their personality, leave a lasting impression and emotionally connect with their customers. Using bespoke animated GIFs that reflect their branding and values can also make businesses seem fun, playful and approachable. This playful and engaging aspect can enable companies to set themselves apart from competitors and develop a deeper emotional connection with the audience.
Best Practices and Considerations
While using animated GIFs in emails has many advantages, you’ll need to be mindful of best practices and take into account some key considerations:
1. File Size Matters
The most important one to think about, in your mind, is the size of your animated GIF file. Large files slows the load time, which irritates the user. That could even happen in other locations where users will hesitate to open your emails. In fact, studies have shown that people do not like slow-opening content: if it takes longer for an email to open, most of us will ignore it.
A GIF image file should be smaller than 500 KB so you’ll be able to achieve the perfect balance between image quality and response time. If you want the best compression when it comes to the size of the file, then go ahead and use a web compressor or image editor. With TinyGIF or Photoshop, large files can be trimmed down to the necessary elements. Keep in mind that a balance between high quality and acceptable file size will really boost performance and increase open and click-through.
2. Mind the Loop Length
Another factor to consider when using animated GIFs is the loop length. You need it to be very quick, anywhere from 2–5 seconds long so that you don’t drive your user through an extremely frustrating motion sequence. Shorter loops create the illusion of continuous play. In the case of a too-simple or long-winded animation, the recipients might wander away from your core message or call to action, creating a dissonant experience.
In addition, shorter loops will function better across all platforms and email clients for a ripple effect. This is important because platforms can behave differently towards playing GIFs and this leads to users having inconsistent experiences. Because short animations are more popular, it also keeps your viewers focussed on what’s really most valuable.
3. Keep Your Messaging Clear
Animation GIFs might make your emails look more interesting, but you can’t just use them for entertainment purposes. Animation, obviously, must have the capacity to express that. If you rely completely on motion to get the message across, you’ll make people miss what you’re trying to say. Instead, use GIFs to enhance your words and establish your general point of departure.
Likewise, for animation, accessibility should be a key consideration. Without context, animated content can be very difficult to understand for the user, particularly for the visual impaired. That’s where alt text comes into play. Alt text will help you understand what the GIF represents and what it is communicating. Thanks to the explanatory alt text, it targets the entire audience and communicates the message regardless of whether the GIF plays or not.
4. Adapt to Brand Identity – Make sure you’re following the Brand identity.
It is the uniformity that helps brands establish their identity, and there is no exception for animated GIFs. Pick out the GIFs according to your brand and core values and use them for your emails. This will be about colors, typography, and the look and feel of the shots. The same style adds more personality to a brand and proclaims the same at every touchpoint.
Using animated GIFs to reinforce your brand gives the impression of trust and authority to your viewers. If your imagery aligns with your messages, you can create a narrative they are retelling over and over again and your audience can be emotionally engaged and build stronger relationships with them. An entertaining, clickable GIF with which the audience is connected could entice them to take a step forward, e.g., click through to the site, share the post, or make a purchase.
5. Cross-Device and Email Client Testing
Finally, ensure that your animated GIFs are running on all devices and email clients. Even for major email clients, from Gmail to Outlook, sometimes compatability is the difference between a user-friendly experience and an ugly GIF. A tool like Litmus or Email on Acid would provide you with granular testing solutions that an email designer would be looking to calibrate on a few different sites so that everyone can see and interact with your animations.
Conclusion
Emails that contain animated GIFs give companies a powerful and engaging way to drive customer engagement, explain complicated concepts and convey brand identity. By adhering to best practices and considerations, businesses can harness the distinct capabilities of animated GIFs without falling into the traps and ensure a positive user experience. While we are in the highly competitive digital environment today, creative solutions such as animated GIFs can position businesses apart, establish greater ties with customers, and ultimately lead to growth and success.
