Email marketing offers plenty of hurdles and plenty of potential payoff. Despite its design limitations, email remains one of the best investments when connecting to businesses and consumers, with a median ROI of 122%—that’s four times higher than social media, direct mail, and paid search. With the average working adult receiving 121 emails per day, animated GIFs can be a great way to differentiate your email from the noise.
Why animated GIFs? We’ve had a love-hate relationship with GIFs since they were featured on almost every ’90s website (Space Jam or Internet Explorer, anyone?), but they’ve come a long way since then. GIFs are easy to digest, small in file size, and offer a visual cue for viewers. When executed correctly, GIFs provide that extra nudge to capture your audience’s attention. Check out this GIF we included in our latest newsletter:
A GIF like this can require some time and skill; this one took the team a few hours to create, starting with original graphics creation through to full animation in After Effects. Take a look at the process here:
GIFS can be much more subtle, though, and have an incredible impact. Take a look below at some of these companies who have successfully integrated GIFs into their email campaigns.
We worked with PostNet to develop a catchy and modern illustration style for their email headers that stays true to their brand. We’ve incorporated animated GIFs into select emails to differentiate their content, which is sent weekly. At only two frames, this GIF is bright, simple, and incredibly small in file size—equating to fast load times in every email client.
So simple and delicate, Chanel uses email GIFs that seamlessly integrate their brand identity and tone. GIFs are meant to catch people’s attention but they should not stray from the overall branding or email marketing strategy. Bien fait, Chanel ⭐️
GIFs aren’t just for B2C, they can also help a B2B company illustrate products or services. Litmus used the GIF below to communicate the primary benefit of their free product – Litmus Scope. The result is far easier to understand than a paragraph full of industry jargon.
Dell is the champion case study of GIF email integration. Their GIF-centered campaign produced some enviable metrics:
We’d love to help take your email marketing to the next level. Reach out to get started with a strategic plan, and keep in mind that GIFs, used properly, are a time-tested technology that can make a huge difference. Check out some of our recent work.