Stand Out in the Inbox with a Sender ID Image
Stand Out in the Inbox with a Sender ID Image
What is an email avatar or sender id photo and why is it important in email marketing?
An email avatar, also known as a sender ID image, or (“email logo” as I like to call it) is a small image or icon that represents the sender in an email interface. This image is typically displayed next to the sender’s name in the recipient’s inbox.
See the example below from Ruggable, where they use a custom icon to represent their brand.
While the sender ID image is most visible on mobile, typically users check email on their mobile phones more frequently than desktop. Keep in mind, this can vary different audiences and should be confirmed through your email analytics.
The importance of an sender ID image in email marketing is multi-fold:
Brand Recognition: A consistent sender ID image helps recipients quickly recognize your brand. It could be your company logo or a headshot if you’re a personal brand.
Trust and Authenticity: Seeing a familiar image can build trust and make your emails feel more authentic and personal. It reassures the recipient that the email is from a legitimate source.
Increased Open Rates: Emails with a sender ID image may have higher open rates because they stand out in the inbox and look more professional.
Brand Consistency Across Platforms: If you use the same avatar across all your marketing channels, it helps create a consistent brand image.
Bear in mind, the sender ID image should resonate with your brand identity. It might seem insignificant, but it can play a pivotal role in your email marketing strategy. Emails in my inbox that have a Sender ID image noticeably stand out over other emails because believe it or not, many brands have not set this up.
If we go back to my inbox and zoom out, you’ll see that Ruggable is the only brand using a branded sender ID image:
Most of the brands have an automatically generated avatar image with the first letter of the brand name or a generic profile image. So why aren't more brands implementing a custom sender ID image? It is tedious to set up.
To have your sender ID image show up, you must set it up individually in each mailbox provider.
For example, if we are using hello@email-co.com, we would create an account for that corporate email address in Yahoo!, Gmail, etc, and then set our Sender ID picture as our profile picture everywhere for this mailbox under account settings.
Depending on which email client is most popular among your subscribers, you may want to set up corporate accounts with the following providers:
Gmail - The sender ID image is customizable in Google Workspace. The sender ID image in Gmail appears on the mobile app and inside opened emails on the desktop.
Yahoo! - The sender ID image can be changed from the Yahoo! login page in settings. The sender ID image in Yahoo appears on the mobile app and inside opened emails on the desktop.
Outlook - From Outlook’s home page, click on the avatar, choose edit profile, and add a profile picture in the settings. It’s rare to see a sender ID image in Outlook, so it’s a great way to stand out if Outlook is popular with your subscribers. Similar to Gmail and Yahoo!, it will only show up in mobile apps and inside opened emails on the desktop.
If you’re updating your sender ID images, consider Brand Indicators for Message Identification:
Commonly known as BIMI (pronounced bih-mee), it’s a developing email standard that facilitates the display of a brand’s logo, alongside its authenticated email messages within compatible email clients. In short, it’s another way to add an email avatar or Sender ID image. It also enhances protection against phishing attacks as an additional layer of email authentication, supplementing existing methods like DKIM, DMARC, and SPF. To get BIMI, you must have DMARC authentication set up. Essentially, BIMI is a blend of a custom sender ID image with added security.
But hold on, there’s a catch — BIMI comes with a price tag of at least $1,299 per year. Why so pricey? You need to purchase a digital certificate that verifies you own your logo as a trademark.
Keep in mind, BIMI is not universally supported yet. As of now, Microsoft doesn’t even have plans to implement it, and some email clients like Yahoo! Japan, Seznam.cz, Comcast, and Qualitia are only mulling over it. So, if your audience primarily resides outside the US, this is something to consider.
In a nutshell, BIMI is about enhancing email security and boosting brand identification. If you’re tight on budget and not overly concerned about authentication, remember that adding an avatar without BIMI is free. Weigh your options carefully and choose what works best for you.
Key Takeaways:
An email avatar or sender ID image is a small image or icon that represents the sender in an email interface. It helps with brand recognition, trust building, increasing open rates, and maintaining brand consistency across platforms.
Setting up a custom sender ID image involves linking your corporate email address to each mailbox provider. This process can be tedious but is beneficial for brand visibility in the inbox.
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is another way to implement an email avatar while enhancing protection against phishing attacks. It’s an additional layer of email authentication, supplementing existing methods like DKIM, DMARC, and SPF.
BIMI comes with a price tag of at least $1,299 per year as you need to purchase a digital certificate that verifies you own your logo as a trademark.
If budget is a constraint and authentication is not a major concern, adding an avatar without BIMI is a free alternative.
Many brands have yet to harness the potential of using a sender ID image. However, these visual elements, though small, can make a significant impact on your email marketing strategy.