During the Golden Globes last night, I watched Jennifer Lawrence win the Best Actress Golden Globe for her performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” and stating, “I beat Meryl (Streep)” in her acceptance speech. This morning, I turned on my computer to find every entertainment website filled with animated GIFs or Graphics Interchange Format, a type of digital image that appears to move or change, that highlighted every jaw-dropping moment from the night. It made me think about how animated GIFs are so popular and if so, could you use them in an email marketing campaign like some major retailers do? The answer is yes! I know it sounds crazy, but animated GIFs are a genius way to infuse some personality into an email marketing campaign while adding a little pizazz with animation that will surely catch your subscribers’ attention.
An animated GIF is a way to engage your subscribers visually, whether you want to feature a new product or encourage action this is a unique way to let your email stand out out from the crowd. One advantage is that unlike videos, GIFs have a smaller file size, which makes them practical to use in emails. But you have to strategically place the GIFs in your email. Whether you use one or numerous GIFs, remember to not to overdo it or you’ll confuse your readers. Keep it conversational!
The one downfall to using animated GIFs is that not all will display the same in different email software programs. For example, Outlook Express 2007 doesn’t support GIF images, but it will display the first frame as an image in the email. Also, the more GIFs you use, the longer it could take for an email to load. Remember to make sure your readers can understand the message with the animated GIFs you use in your email marketing campaign.
Jennifer Lawrence might have beaten Meryl Streep last night, but you can make your next email marketing campaign win with animated GIFs!
