Do you want to add some action to your emails? You can do it… just add GIF!
A “GIF” – or an animated GIF, to be more precise – is a super-short, repeating video. You’ve likely already seen them in your social media feeds – especially Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
What are GIFs good for?
GIFs are useful for getting attention, conveying a reaction, and for adding emphasis. They add an at-a-glance element that conveys the emotion and attitude of your newsletter. You can also use them to show a quick preview of a video that the reader can click through to.
Where to get a GIF
A great source of GIFs is Giphy.com. You can search through existing GIFs, plus create and upload your own. If you’re working on your mobile device, you can use the Ripl app to build your own GIFs! You’ll need to get a subscription in order to download the GIF to your images and then bring it into your email, but if you like the app it would be well worth it.
One last point: I feel the need to caution you that animated GIFs should be brought into your email with careful intention. Are you conveying a particular message with it? Is it bringing attention towards (or away from) the focus of your message? They can be very useful for enhancing your message, but can also detract if used improperly. It took longer than I’d like to admit to select the GIF for this article. Too casual? Too flip? Is it on point, or hip enough? Don’t get bogged down in the details or let it distract you (or your readers) from the point of your message.
For a well-written Constant Contact article on the history of GIFs plus how to create your own and bring them into your Constant Contact email, click here.
If you’d like to learn how to do this step-by-step during a hands-on training session, join me next Friday, September 30th, for my Constant Contact Boot Camp! Click here for more info & to register.
