Say Hello to the GIF July 15, 2021, | Posted by Kia Zalewski

As marketers fighting for space and interest in an overly-crowded digital world, we’re always seeking ways to improve our campaigns and messaging. In addition to enticing copy and stellar videos, there’s another new form of content that can help set you apart and increase subscriber engagement - animated GIFs. 

GIFs, which stands for Graphics Interchange Format, can not only add motion to otherwise flat emails, but can help grab your subscribers’ attention, showcase how exactly your product works, and focus them on a specific call to action. Like the old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words, animated GIFs can compress lengthy text and vividly illustrate your messaging. 

Some important things to consider when including GIFs in emails are that GIFs are larger files than flat images, and can therefore slow down your email’s load time. It’s always better to keep GIFs smaller to ensure that your GIFs load at a rapid speed. Remember that many users will open their emails on their mobile devices, so they may not have access to high-speed WiFi. The ideal file size to ensure that your readers can view your GIFs no matter their connection speed is 1MB max.  

Additionally, some older versions of Outlook and other platforms do not support animated GIFs. You can still send GIFs, but always remember to create your emails with conditional codes that work across all platforms. This will ensure that those who cannot see the GIFs will see a static image of your choosing, allowing you to send exciting content without compromising design. 

It’s key to ensure that you are not creating GIFs just for the sake of animation. Your user experience should always be top of mind in the design process, with your GIFs conveying valuable information and enticing content. 

Ready to explore the world of GIFs? Contact Site Impact to hear how we can help.