Using Animation in Your Email Marketing

It's been said that creating an HTML-based email in 2009 is like developing a web page in 1999. It's sadly true; the coding is archaic and, compared to modern 2.0 functionally, the limitations are huge.

So when email marketers want to convey motion and visual direction they use animated GIFs. Prior to Flash, simple GIF animations were the order of the day. Nowadays the use of animated email is increasing. Why? Firstly, animated GIFs are well-supported by the major email clients and webmail interfaces, second, it helps marketers to stand out, and most importantly, they seem to work.

Stronger ROI

A recent A/B test by BlueFly found an animated email pulling in 12% more revenue than the non-animated equivalent. Likewise, a case study on Marketing Sherpa, Lake Champlain Chocolates experienced a sales increase of 49% at Christmas in relation to a campaign using animated GIFs compared with a campaign the previous year.

More Advantages

Firstly, marketers can use a relatively small amount of space to highlight multiple products, special offers, or calls-to-action, as well as increase click-through rates to hosted videos. Smart marketers can also use animation to encourage scrolling in exceptionally long (or horizontal) emails.

The Disadvantages

The most relevant compatibility issue is how animated emails render in Outlook 2007. That is, only the first frame of the animated GIFs is displayed. So you'll want to communicate your message in the first frame, just in case. You’ll also want to keep in mind that the size of the animated GIF (in kilobytes) can negatively affect the speed and order of which your images are displayed.

Animated Email Examples

With a solid understanding of your objectives and an experienced email designer you’ll be able to increase click-through and conversion rates using animation.

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Indiemark

Indiemark, The Email Marketing Agency.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/using-animation-in-your-email-marketing-1356484.html

Hand Held Devices and Email Marketing

by: Nick Singh

As we are all aware, technology is now very much a central part of our lives and it is imperative to get along with devices that can potentially change our lives and the way we do things. Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate and interact with each other, and we now have the ability to say what we want, when we want, at very competitive rates. Apart from the obvious, there are many uses that a handheld device can offer. You can download apps (applications) that can read as a spirit level, or communicate with someone via video, which is a revolution in its self. However, many of us tend to stick to the basics, and are now getting used to taking email with us wherever we may go.

Many agencies have tried to monetise this as it is a great channel for Search Engine Marketing companies to take advantage of. With mobile devices such as the blackberry and the iPhone, it is easier than ever to communicate as the devices allow for better composition of messages. However, it is apartment that many Internet Marketing firms are still overloading emails with unnecessary images, which is even worse for mobile users that fail to display these objects easily. A huge percentage of business owners are using mobile phones to check their emails, but many are not taking advantage of this and falling behind the curve.

Marketing for mobile is much like the web design days of old where you would design a site, and test it on all platforms to make sure that it worked properly for all types of user. Mobile marketing is very similar. Marketers are being urged to cater for target audiences and make sure that they are presented with well formatted and easy to use content. If the growth of mobile web is anything to go by, the need for accurate data across this channel is now more important than ever before.

About The Author Nick Singh is one of the top Strategic Internet Marketers in the UK and is the Senior Search Engine Marketer at Netcallidus Ltd, that has helped Numerous Business increase their profits Online.For further information, please visit http://www.netcallidus.com/ The author invites you to visit: http://www.netcallidus.com/

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