Email marketing is most effective when it’s dynamic. Your subscribers are generally no longer impressed by plain text; they want your emails to be visually engaging as well.
That’s why using an animated GIF in email is a smart idea. This is particularly worth keeping in mind as you’re beginning to design your holiday emails.
Many brands launch holiday email marketing campaigns around the end of the year. There’s a good chance your subscribers are receiving plenty of messages from other marketers like you. Put a GIF in an email, and you’ll be more likely to make your messages stand out from the crowd without having to put in much effort.
That said, it’s best to review some basic GIF email marketing tips before going this route. For example, you don’t want to insert a giphy only to discover you just sent out a broken email, or send your giphy without first cleaning your email list. The following points will help you leverage this strategy to its full potential while avoiding some key mistakes.
Use an Email GIF to Show Off a Product
You shouldn’t insert a GIF into email randomly. The GIF still needs to serve a practical purpose.
For example, let’s say you have a product you’re trying to sell. Including an animated GIF in the email showing it in use can more clearly demonstrate to a subscriber why it would make a valuable gift this holiday season.
Image source: https://blog.ometria.com/gifs-in-email-marketing
If the item is some type of tool, embed a GIF in the email to show how it works. If you’re selling apparel, GIFs can give subscribers a better idea of how they might incorporate a particular garment into an overall outfit. In the case of the Charlotte Tilbury animated GIF email example above, it cycles through the makeup on an actual face that helps subscribers envision how the product will look in real life.
Show Off Many Products With GIF Email Marketing
It’s important to include images in your emails. That said, including too many can overwhelm a reader.
Image source: https://mailbakery.com/blog/25-wonderful-examples-of-animated-gifs-in-email-marketing-templates/
This makes it difficult to promote several items in one message. Unless, of course, you rely on animated GIF in your email. When you embed GIF in email, it lets you show off multiple products in one space. Jack Spade exhibits this in the animated GIF email example above, which showcases multiple products that can be layered into many looks. This ability to display many products with one giphy email is ideal for holiday marketing, which typically aims to promote a wide array of items.
Promote Your App
Many brands make sales through their apps. When people use mobile devices, they’re typically using mobile apps 90% of the time. Thus, an ecommerce app helps businesses make more sales. Leverage this knowledge when designing your holiday email marketing strategy to generate buzz for your mobile app.
You’ll also attract more users to your app if your subscribers have a chance to see it in action. Embed a GIF in an email showing how they can shop through your brand’s app. This alerts them to another potential shopping opportunity during the holiday season.
Study Animated GIF Email Examples
When looking for animated GIF email examples, study other successful brands in your industry to find out how they leverage emails with GIFs. For instance, you may be offering special discounts during the holidays.
Image source: https://stripo.email/blog/9-great-examples-animated-gifs-emails/
Brands like Harry’s (pictured above) have simply included clocks or similar animated GIFs in their emails to generate a feeling of urgency in shoppers. Employing similar tactics when putting GIFs in holiday email marketing campaigns can help bolster your success.
Remember the Season When You Put a GIF in Email
Plenty of simple visuals are associated with this time of year, from falling snow to twinkling holiday decorations. With basic giphy email capabilities, you can turn an otherwise traditional marketing email into something more seasonally-appropriate.
Image source: https://www.smileycat.com/30-creative-uses-of-animated-gifs-in-emails/
When you insert a GIF into email that relates to the holiday season, it’s just another way to encourage brand loyalty and make your company stand out from the crowd. As exhibited by Free People, using an animated GIF in email that’s themed for the holidays doesn’t have to mean much beyond a few simple details. In this case, all that means is a couple of shaking ornaments that complement the overall email design.
Remember, you’re not simply adding an email GIF to make things a little more visually interesting. You should have a concrete goal in mind when strategizing your GIF email marketing campaign. Follow these tips, and you’ll get the most out of using giphy in email for your holiday email marketing campaign and beyond.