This year is proving to be no different. Recently Neiman Marcus Group has made its presence known in inboxes around the world by using large animated GIFs to capture user attention and generate response.

While this marks a new development for Neiman, who have traditionally featured static imagery in their emails, animated GIFs themselves have been around pretty much since the creation of World Wide Web.

The main benefit of animated GIFs is that email marketers gain the effect of motion without needing any additional technology to display the animation. All browsers and email software can render GIFs properly without any plug-ins or proprietary technology, making it still the most appealing option to marketers looking to set their emails in motion.

Keep in mind, however, that animated GIFs can get rather large in file size if you are not efficient in your use of animation. Large color palettes, complicated motions and large image dimensions all can all contribute to an animated GIF’s bloated file size, so be sure to proceed with caution. Also, not all browsers or email applications will render the animations in the same manner – some may take longer to load or display the animation more slowly than others.

By keeping animations simple, easy to understand and to-the-point, email marketers can bring their message content to life while minimizing compatibility and display risks.

Like diligently saving pocket change, there are some easy additions you can make to your email campaigns that can bring large rewards in the long run. Yesterday we looked  at two tips for improving your email header text. Today we’ll look a third piece of your email header, as well as some straightforward technologies that can bring long-term success.

Ask to add the ‘from’ address to the safe sender list

Email marketers live and die by their deliverability rates. Often times, getting one’s emails into the subscriber’s inbox consistently is a victory in and of itself.  Once an email has been delivered successfully, it is important to do what one can to ensure that future emails will also be delivered. By respectfully asking subscribers to add your sender address to their address book (white listing), marketers not only improve deliverability rates but also help ensure that future deliverability rates stay high. In many cases subscribers will gladly white list an address. Like the hosted version and mobile device link, it is a good idea to place the from address white listing request in the header of an emails. It might be beneficial to test the placement of the white listing request, hosted and mobile version links in the header. Does placing the links on one line or multiple lines produce better results? I’d recommend testing this out. Marketers may also want to consider also placing this reminder in the footer as well as the header of the email.

Link to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Digg, and Twitter

Social networking sites are all the rage these days. What started out primarily as a place to keep in contact with friends and family has now become an important opportunity to reach customers and potential customers, maintain a positive reputation, and to create an interactive and powerful online presence. Allowing subscribers to post content from your email campaigns on their social networking sites (or to post information on your social networking site!) can result in huge benefits for email campaigns.

Consider this: the life of a single email does not usually last longer than a couple weeks. Usually this is true because when an email has been sent but not opened, a subscriber is less and less likely to open it as time passes. However, when that same stagnant email is placed on a social networking site it can take on a viral life of its own. Once good content gets legs it can travel far and wide. So get Tweeting, Facebooking, Digging and MySpacing!

Using animated GIF images in mailings

An animated GIF file is a graphic image that moves. This could be a flashing or spinning icon, or letters that magically get larger, for example. Technically, an animated GIF is a single file that is created to display various images in a specific order.  Animated GIFs are most frequently used in web ad banners, but there has also been a recent surge in the use of animated GIFs in email. One interesting use, beyond flashing letters or moving icons, is creating what looks like a video embedded in the email content. These “videos” present a visually unique and impressive message, and when used effectively, create visually engaging emails that deliver a “wow” factor that stagnant images cannot. To really catch the attention of email openers, be sure to place the most interesting animated GIFs above-the-fold.

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So there you have them — our email little wonders! With the proper use, tracking, testing and reporting, you will eventually reap the fruits of your labor. And remember, little things can make a big difference!