Give the newsletter marketing a boost – with a GIF!
Advertising
4 min read
How does a perfect newsletter look? Most would argue that it needs to be executed visually well while having the power to excite the reader enough for them to take the action.
Did you know that GIFs have been around already for more than 30 years and their popularity is soaring? Not only are people getting creative with them but they are also utilized for marketing purposes. Some time ago they also gained popularity in chat apps such as WhatsApp and Messenger.
This time we will address the topic on how to improve results in newsletter marketing by using GIFs.
GIFs (that is, Graphics Interchange Format) can be considered something between images and videos. In GIFs, the images change so rapidly that it looks like an animation to the end user. This format does not require a lot of memory, therefore the risk of not being able to see them in poorly connected areas or with any browser is minimal. Contrarily, videos require fast connection and enough memory in order to work properly.
On average, people read only 28% of the content written on the website according to a study conducted by Jakob Nielsen . Therefore it would be pure madness to fill the website with text and hope that it will satisfy the end user. Consequently, Beckmann and Willas argue that people tend to spot moving images and videos in contrast to still photos. In short, there is value in communicating with the audience in various manners rather than sticking just to written format.
GIFs allow you to present the uniqueness of your brand, a tip or a guide on how to use your product in a simple manner.
We created a newsletter for Orca Echo including a GIF. The aim for the GIF is to present a feature of the product. Newsletters were sent to retirement homes and nursing homes that would benefit from a toilet seat that are able to help the user of the toilet to get back up.
A great deal of brands have noticed the success that GIFs have brought to newsletter marketing. For instance, a newsletter campaign by DELL provided 109% more profits when a GIF was included in the newsletter. The GIF included allowed DELL to visualize how their latest laptop can also be utilized as a tablet with quick and simple steps. This particular newsletter can be seen here .
There are multiple ways to create a GIF. Free online tools are popular but you may also want to turn to Adobe Photoshop if that is what you prefer. Some free tools include Make a GIF and Giphy . Another suggested tool for creating GIFs is Canva since it allows you to create the graphics for the GIF.
Including a GIF into a newsletter may turn into quite a task since, for instance Canva, does not support .gif-files. However, in case MailChimp is used in your organization, transfering GIFs from Giphy is relatively simple. Another tool for building up newsletters is Postcards (a tool that unfortunately is not free) that allows the user to create an impressive and original newsletter.
In case you need help in facing the blank canvas, have a look at these stunning newsletters where GIFs have been used! A more comprehensive guide on how to add GIFs to newsletters can be found here.
When creating or choosing a GIF it is always valuable to remember that overdoing GIFs may easily appear as tacky. Do not use more than 1 or 2 GIFs in one newsletter since they overpower each other easily, thus decreasing their impact altogether.
GIFs also are known for some technical mishaps. Although most email providers support them, Outlook 2007-2013 is an exception to this. The issue can be avoided by setting the most important message of GIF as the primary image of the newsletter. In other words, if the GIF does not appear on the receiver's end, it will showcase the first image instead. Therefore, the selling point should always be the first frame of the GIF.
Upload the GIF as small as possible when setting it up for the newsletter. A bigger file may not load quickly which in turn makes impatient readers close the message in a few seconds.
Like always in marketing, take your target group into consideration before executing any GIF campaigns. GIFs may be considered as inappropriate in your target group. Furthermore, quick transitions and colors may pose a challenge to some groups of people.
GIFs have existed for a long time and their popularity is unlikely to fade away. In short, this should be a motivational boost for you to experiment with them! Creating GIFs is much easier and faster compared to videos yet it has more informational value compared to static images.
In case you are intrigued in utilizing GIFs in newsletter marketing but would like to have more tips on it, do not hesitate to contact us ! We are confident in proposing a creative yet cost-effective way to execute it!
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