First, let’s define a GIF. A GIF is an acronym for graphics interchange format. In simpler terms, it means an animated image on a web page, one that moves.
GIFs have been around since 1987 and have enjoyed widespread use on the internet. This longevity means GIFs adapt across many platforms, websites, applications and operating systems. It’s a popular format.
This here is a GIF. Right, Mr. Walrus?
An email GIF is an animated image inside an email. Even if it’s just a tiny detail that moves, — as in the example below — this makes it an email GIF.
Surprise-surprise but let’s start with a counterexample — why not use GIFs in email marketing.
A study by the hugely respected Nielsen Norman Group found that GIFs are a source of massive distraction. “Annoying” is the word 31% of recipients in their study used for animated pictures. Only 14% called the same pic “annoying” in its static form. Simply put, GIFs are often a source of distraction as compared to static pictures.
However, the study did admit its limitations. First, the sample was not large enough as they only tested with four emails. Second, the context was limited: it was a direct comparison on the spot, without considering a potential history of emails from the same company.
Ultimately, the Nielsen Norman Group concluded that animated images are often a source of distraction but are not inherently bad. If used with a clear purpose, they have a right to exist.
Well, we can count at least six cases when you should use GIFs in email marketing.
Biology says that human beings are wired to react to moving objects. Whatever the cause — a snake in the grass or a car racing by — we tend to switch our attention to this object, especially if it’s unexpected.
Guess what? The same happens when we see GIFs. Like it or not, you will react to the email below just like you reacted to the walrus earlier.
So, GIFs are great at capturing attention and this is important in email marketing. If you’ve got subscribers’ attention, you can show off your product. That’s what Tempo Move does in the email above as they demonstrate the product design and main functions.
You can use GIFs for more than just showing your product out of context. Instead, give it a context and show a real use.
Luxury online marketplace Italic uses an animated image to show an innovative umbrella. The innovation is in the way the umbrella expands and folds: upwards instead of bottom-up which ensures better protection from the rain.
Just like you can show new products in use, you can tease new features in existing products.
Look at this email from Dropbox. A video would be excessive to tease a new feature and static imagery wouldn’t be enough. A GIF is an ideal solution as it falls in the middle of the spectrum.
Use GIFs as a way to explain things. This point is something like a mix of the three previous ideas.
In the example below, Baggu uses animation to show step-by-step how to keep their bags fresh for years. The email also creates a story as subscribers scroll down to see how it ends.
Animated images are great for special occasions like seasonal sales or holidays. Use GIFs in Halloween emails or Valentine’s Day emails for vibes. In these cases, GIFs are fantastic because they highlight the mood by adding action.
By merely adding silhouettes of birds flying about, James Avery jewelry adds a vibe to their spring collection.
There are three things to keep in mind when hesitating between a GIF and a video: data consumption, compatibility with email clients and the actual need.
Finally, don’t limit yourself to just one function of GIFs. They’re your LEGO bricks and as long as they fit, they work.
Here are some examples where different GIF functions are mixed in an email (swipe to see).
There’s also the famous case of Dell when they presented their new product — a convertible ultrabook — with a GIF. In one animated image, they pretty much teased the product, showed its use and simplified the idea of a convertible ultrabook, a huge novelty at the time.
Going with an animated image in their email campaign paid off. They saw a 42% increase in CTR, a 103% increase in conversion rate and, most importantly, a 109% increase in revenue.
There are three ways: use GIFs from the internet, create your own or ask someone else to create a GIF for you. The last way is obvious so let’s focus on the first two.
The good news is almost every email client supports GIFs. The only exception? Outlook 2007-2016.
Otherwise, GIFs are displayed correctly with the following clients:
There are two ways you can insert a GIF into an email: through an email client or an ESP.
The principle is simple — all you need is to upload a GIF as a photo. In case your GIF is displayed as a static image, check if it’s saved in the .gif format on your computer and not .jpeg or .png.
If you’re a Gmail user, you have to add a GIF as an inline picture and not as an attachment.
If you use the attach option, whatever you upload will be added as a file, meaning it won’t be played.
If you send emails for email marketing campaigns, use an ESP. Blasting emails to many people from your Gmail mailbox is okay if these people are your friends or co-workers. But that’s about where any advantages of using clients like Gmail or Outlook for bulk campaigns stop.
By launching mass email marketing campaigns with an ESP you also get ease of use. One of the best things about Selzy’s email builder is precisely that. You can insert GIFs into your email in a few seconds.
You can spare yourself the headache of downloading a GIF to your computer and then uploading it to the ESP. Add GIFs from GIPHY right in Selzy’s email builder.
That’s not over yet. To spare yourself the headache of creating an email from scratch, pick a template from our library.
If you pick a template with an image block already inserted, you can simply add a pic to its place.
By the way, all the three GIFs above are recorded with ScreenToGif, a tool we recommend for capturing the screen.
Matching a GIF to your call to action is a great way to make it plenty more meaningful. At the same time, you attract your readers with animation and show them your offer.
Look at this example from Grammarly. They use not one but two GIFs in the email. The one on top contains the CTA as it exposes the offer; the one below shows the product in use, an example of what the premium account has for users.
There are a few benefits to investing time in creating your own thing. The main benefit is uniqueness. GIFs can be overused, especially popular ones but having your thing solves the problem.
If you go hard on branding, only you and your company can make a proper animated image for an email because you know which colors, fonts, images to use.
Here’s how Starbucks invests time and effort in their in-house animation. Such images require expertise and are often created with coding. You can check out Really Good Emails to see the code behind this email.
You don’t want your entire email to be an image, no matter if it’s png, jpeg or GIF. Image-only emails come with way too many caveats. An email client may turn images off by default which effectively means your subscribers will receive an empty email. An email that consists of a single image is also a spam-folder offense.
What the email with the umbrella GIF from above looks like for users whose email client disables images.
Even if the image does load, its size may pose another problem. If it takes too long to load, subscribers may think the email is broken (well, who can blame them?). Here’s an image-based email that is only partially loaded.
There’s also a non-technical thing to consider — a sense of purpose. Animations for the sake of animations barely carry any meaning. If everything is moving on the screen, the eye has no idea what to cling to.
Finally, it’s advisable to make the first frame of your GIF communicate the message. In case it doesn’t load for whatever reason, your subscribers will at least see a static image.
44.7% of email users are on mobile, more than anywhere else. If anything, start with mobile in mind rather than the website version.
Don’t go over 1MB with a GIF in your email. This will help avoid potential loading issues. Also, remember that in some countries the internet costs more than in others.
If your GIF exceeds 1MB, optimize it with free online resources like Ezgif.com. You’ll slightly lose in quality (although the difference is likely hard to notice) but win in size.
All things considered, let’s sum up the main pros and cons of using animated images in email marketing.
➕ GIFs are great at capturing attention and setting the mood.
➕ Animation can highlight the message by being matched to a call to action.
➕ GIFs are a fantastic middle ground when pictures are not enough and videos are too much.
➕ Animation is easy to integrate into emails because GIFs work across many platforms.
➕ Animated images are easy to add in an ESP, you can add a GIF to a preset email template.
➖ GIFs should be used cautiously. Any marketer who wants to use animation in their campaign should ponder on every aspect of the animated image, starting with the purpose.
➖ GIFs consume data. The more colorful and multi-framed they are, the more potential problems it creates for subscribers.
