How do you build a sender people trust?

Whose email do you actually open?

The sender name is the first part of your email the recipient sees. A credible sender name does more than get your message through — it helps build brand awareness and a trusted customer relationship. Picture it: would you open an email from an unfamiliar sender, sender B? Most recipients delete mail from unknown senders outright, and some go further and report it as spam, which damages your reputation.

Stating your company or brand name clearly, as sender C does, substantially raises both deliverability and open rate. When a recipient’s inbox is full of commercial messages with interchangeable subject lines, they will lean toward opening email from a brand they recognise. You can also use a personalised name that represents your company or brand, as sender A does, which creates a direct relationship and makes readers feel a personal connection.

Do

• Use your most recognised brand name to raise awareness
  • A recognisable brand reminds readers they have used your service or bought your product before, which helps lower the spam report rate, since email users rarely report a familiar sender
• Keep the sender name short — inboxes may truncate a long one
  • Email provider, device and screen orientation all affect how much of the sender name displays:

Android Mail app (portrait): 21 characters Android Mail app (landscape): 12 characters iPhone Mail app (portrait): 19 characters iPhone Mail app (landscape): 48 characters

• Use a consistent sender-name convention to categorise your messages
  • For example: send email marketing tips from “UFOSend Marketing Assistant”
  • Send usage notifications from “UFOSend Master”
  • This states the category clearly while keeping the sender name consistent, so readers recognise both your brand and the type of email

Don’t

• Use noreply@xxx.com

  • It states your brand poorly, delivers the message unwelcomingly, and blocks communication with readers
    • Email is a channel for building a trusted customer relationship, and customers may send valuable opinions back by email that substantially improve your brand

• Change the sender name frequently

  • Use a consistent sender name to build credibility and reputation
    • When communicating with customers, a consistent sender name leaves a deeper impression of your brand

Any further thoughts on building a sender identity? We would love to hear them.