Emails that are effective arouse the interest and encourage readers to take action. There are several methods to do this, but GIFs in email marketing have an almost magical quality to them.

Why? For starters, no one expects to see animated visuals in an email.

However, this is partly due to the fact that visuals are more powerful and remembered than words. They attract attention. They provoke feelings. Using GIFs in email marketing may enable you to swiftly and effectively express a vital point.

GIFs aren’t only for social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram. Yes, they do a good job of attracting attention there. However, users’ email inbox is generally packed, and when they skim through an email after reading it, a GIF is bound to attract their attention and entice them to spend more time reading your email or taking action.

Of course, this involves more than just sprinkling in odd Giphy findings. If you add and create your own animated GIFs for email campaigns, you’ll be able to make the most of them. 

In this blog, we’ll explore a step-by-step guide on creating GIFs for email marketing. 

What is a GIF?

A GIF (Graphical Interchange Format) is an image file format created in 1987 by Steve Wilhite, a software developer from the United States who was seeking a technique to animate photos with the minimum file size possible.

In a nutshell, GIFs are a succession of pictures or soundless videos that repeat indefinitely without the need for anybody to click play. GIFs, like the rhythm of music, become immediately recognizable due to their recurrence.

Why Should You Include GIFs in Your Emails?

Animated GIFs are excellent for increasing engagement in email promotions. GIFs may be used in emails to convey a sense of surprise, humor, or joy.

They may help you enhance your marketing efforts, whether you want to educate, inspire a feeling of curiosity, enlighten, or entertain. Here are a few ways GIFs can be useful:

Highlight Your Products and Services 

When you have a new product line to introduce to your consumers, GIFs may be used to visually represent your product collection. This also allows for more creativity, allowing you to produce the finest potential GIF for your email campaign.

Drop Hints About a Future Event or Content

GIFs allow you to tease an upcoming event or piece of information. In this manner, you may pique your readers’ interest in the new happenings. You may also use FOMO (fear of missing out) to encourage subscribers to interact with your emails.

Explain Complicated Concepts

In some circumstances, you may need to describe the characteristics of a complicated product so that people may grasp them. Rather than utilizing a few uninteresting images, GIFs can assist you in demonstrating to your subscribers that things are easier than they believe.

Ways to Use GIFs in Emails

  1. Use as an animated call to action (CTA)
  2. Include as a video alternative.
  3. Demonstrate how something works using animation
  4. Add some levity to your email campaign.
  5. Display many products in a single format.

Now, let’s look at how you can create GIFs in detailed steps. 

First, Let’s Start with Canva

Even if you don’t have a Canva membership, you can generate a GIF using the GIF creator. Nevertheless, if you want to store and tweak your GIF creations in the future, you can log in to email or create a free Canva account with your email or Facebook account.

Craft Your GIF 

Create a GIF from scratch or choose from Canva’s gallery of ready-made designs. If you’re looking for a card, presentation, or social media graphic, you may narrow your search by type. Examine the themes, colors, and styles that appeal to you. A video may easily be turned into a GIF using the GIF creator. Upload, cut, and adjust the clip.

Use the Various Features

Browse from millions of images, videos, icons, drawings, and other visuals. Text may be added to your GIF, and you can even experiment with different fonts and effects. 

Animate Your Design

Check to see whether any items or elements are clustered together. Select the group and then click “Ungroup” to isolate them.

To choose a motion style, right-click on an element and select “Animate.” You may also mix animations. You can make separate motions for each page, text, or image.

Download and Share Your GIF 

Are you satisfied with the way your design came out? Save the entire design or specified pages of your creation, click the download button in the upper right corner, and pick the GIF format. Now you can share it with your emails!

Next, let’s look at how to make animated videos with Giphy.

Steps for Creating GIFs on Giphy 

  • Start by logging in or creating a Giphy account. 
  •  To begin, select a video from your collection, add any URL from your device, or drag and drop a video file into the GIFMaker window.

Videos must be under 100 megabytes (100 MB) in size and under 15 seconds in length.

  • Select the video’s timeline and the duration of your GIF using the sliders.
  • You will be able to decorate or add elements to your GIF if you so choose.

In the Caption area, write your caption. After that, you may move your caption, alter the text, or delete it.

Explore the effects, stickers, and other fun decorators for your GIF using the tabs adjacent to the caption editor – this is an optional step.

  • When done, click on Create GIF. When it’s finished, you’ll be taken to the GIF page.
  •  You can now send your custom-made GIF in emails!

Final Thoughts

Since their debut in the 1980s, animated GIFs have made a strong resurgence. If you haven’t already included them in your email marketing, now is the time. With the help of remote working tools, you can use this video material across the internet.

It may take some effort to develop the right animated GIF for your email campaigns, but they’re a terrific way to add a surprise and joy factor to your communications. If you are not certain you can do this by yourself, you can always reach out to the best content marketing agencies that will do all of the heavy lifting. While marketers are still slow to accept GIFs, a relevant GIF may take your email marketing to the next level.