7 Reasons for Using GIFs in Email Marketing

Email marketing is building relationships with potential and current customers through email communications. Businesses adopt it to promote special offers, share news, or stay in touch. Graphics interchange format or GIFs can be an excellent addition to email marketing campaigns, as they can help add personality and humor to your messages. They can likewise highlight essential information or call to action. Here are seven notable reasons why you should consider using GIFs in your email marketing:

Table of contents

• 1. Using GIFs in Email Marketing Helps You Grab Client’s Attention
• 2. GIFs in Emails Can Help Get Your Message Across
• 3. GIFs Break up Text-Heavy Emails
• 4. GIFs Are Versatile While Used In Email Marketing
• 5. GIFs In Emails Can Help You Save Time
• 6. GIFs Add Humor to Your Email
• 7. GIFs Are Accessible across Multiple Devices
• Let Your Message Standout with GIFs

1. Using GIFs in Email Marketing Helps You Grab Client’s Attention

One of the primary benefits of using GIFs in email marketing is that they help grab subscribers' attention. In a world where companies bombard people with messages daily, getting your message to stand out can be challenging. However, using a GIF in your email can grab your recipients' attention and ensure they see your message. 

Adding GIFs to your message should complement your brand's message, style, and general email aesthetic. While countless free GIFs are available, using a low-quality or irrelevant ones could reflect poorly on your company. That’s why it’s best to create your GIFs or use high-quality ones that are consistent with your business. Also, others are already using them, so you’ll want your GIF to be unique.

Additionally, they can highlight key points or call-to-action buttons, making them an essential tool in any email marketer’s toolkit.

2. GIFs in Emails Can Help Get Your Message Across

GIFs can be an excellent way to communicate your message in email marketing. For example, you can use it to explain complicated concepts or ideas, or to add some visual interest to your emails. In addition, studies have shown that people are more likely to remember information presented in a graphic format. Hence, using GIFs in your email marketing can ensure that your recipients remember your message. 

Plus, with open email rates consistently being higher than other marketing communication rates, email is a primary channel that businesses looking to reach new customers should pay attention to. So next time you're thinking about how to craft your email marketing strategy, consider making GIFs a part of your plan.

3. GIFs Break up Text-Heavy Emails

Email marketing is necessary for promoting your business, but a client can quickly get lost in a sea of text. If your email is mostly text, adding a GIF can break up the monotony and make it visually appealing. This can help keep recipients engaged with your message. Moreover, besides emphasizing essential information, GIFs can call attention to special offers. 

Given these points, GIFs can be a powerful marketing tool when used correctly. Remember to avoid slow-loading ones, as this can frustrate recipients. If your email is mostly text, consider adding a GIF to liven things up and keep your audience engaged. Test your GIFs before sending out your email marketing campaign to prevent potential issues, or your entire campaign could be a flop.

4. GIFs Are Versatile While Used In Email Marketing

Besides breaking up text-heavy emails, you can use GIFs in various marketing methods due to their versatility. For example, you can employ them to show off a new product on your eCommerce site, highlight a sale or promotion, or thank your customers for their business. If you still need to set up an online store, it's best to choose from this list of top eCommerce platforms with in-depth reviews.

Also, adding GIFs encourages creativity in your email marketing efforts, which can help you stand out in a crowded inbox. Bear in mind, though, to keep it simple and avoid using every color under the sun or making your GIF too fast-paced, as that could make it difficult for your subscribers to process the information. 

Of course, you can also use GIFs in promotional and transactional emails, making them even more versatile. 

5. GIFs In Emails Can Help You Save Time

Another benefit of using GIFs in marketing is that they can help you save time. Email marketing often involves crafting timely and relevant content for your audience. This can be challenging, especially if you have little time or money to invest in email production.

For this reason, creating an animated GIF is typically faster and easier than creating a video or image. Particularly, videos require significant investment in concept, production, and editing. On the other hand, images can take time to find or create. With an animated GIF, you simply need to make it once, and then you can reuse it multiple times. 

This means you can create email content quicker and get it out to your subscribers sooner. Likewise, GIFs can help you save money on email production costs as they’re usually cheaper to produce than images or videos.

6. GIFs Add Humor to Your Email

GIFs are also an excellent way to insert humor into your email. A funny one can lighten the tone of your message and make it more enjoyable for recipients to read. This can be especially helpful if you email subscribers about a dry or complex topic. Adding a bit of humor can make it more palatable for recipients and help them retain the information you’re trying to communicate. 

Besides those mentioned, recipients are more likely to forward or share an email that made them laugh, providing your message with additional reach. Then again, remember to only add GIFs if they have a purpose and are funny, as using inadequate or irrelevant ones can do more harm than good. 

Avoid overdoing it as well, as too many GIFs in an email can be overwhelming and distracting, resulting in your audience glossing over your message entirely. In either case, consider incorporating a funny GIF if you want to insert a little fun into your marketing campaign.

7. GIFs Are Accessible across Multiple Devices

Finally, you can access GIFs across multiple devices. With more and more people viewing their email on mobile devices, ensuring your message looks good on all devices is crucial. Using a GIF, you can be sure your email will look great on any smart device, regardless of the screen size.
What’s more, with most email marketing platforms mobile friendly, you can likewise integrate it with other tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) automation software like Zoho CRM. You can read this Zoho CRM review to learn how to benefit from this feature.

Let Your Message Standout with GIFs

GIFs can be a powerful tool in your email marketing arsenal. If you’re not using GIFs in your marketing campaigns, you could miss out on a lot of potential engagement and sales. They are an extremely versatile tool that can help you get your message across quickly and grab attention in a crowded inbox.

While some email marketers are hesitant to use GIFs, fearing that they’ll come across as unprofessional, this isn’t the case. You can use them in various ways to enhance your email marketing, from adding humor and personality to your messages to breaking up text-heavy emails. They can also add humor and fun to what might otherwise be a dry email. 

Additionally, GIFs are accessible across multiple devices and can help you save time on email production costs. So no matter where your customers are when they open emails, they’ll be able to see your GIFs.

About the author

Natasha is a content marketing specialist who thinks it's kind of fun creating content marketing strategies for SaaS businesses. In her free time, she likes spending time watching Netflix.