Picking the Right Email Sender Name: Brand or Person?

Many brands have opted to use a person's name as their sender name in emails, especially in B2B settings. However, this tactic can cause problems if done in the wrong way. To maximize success, brands should reserve the tactic for late-funnel communications, use an appropriate reply-to address, turn off auto-replies, include a signature block, and make sure the person whose name is being used is aware of the campaign.

There is also the option of using a hybrid approach, where the brand name and person's name are combined in the sender name field. This can be effective if the brand name and person's name are both fairly short. Brands should consider the character counts available in the sender name field and make sure the message is coming from a recognizable source.

Disaster and crisis messaging are often sent from the brand name, but the message can still be written as if from an individual person, such as the CEO. Brands should consider who the email's message should come from and if the recipient is familiar with that person. Ultimately, the sender name has a big impact on whether an email is opened, so brands should make sure to choose an option that creates instant name recognition.