Kristin Connors
You have probably noticed company logos in your inbox, especially if you check your email with an inbox provider’s mobile app. The colorful circular logo appears to the left of the sender’s name.
Logo use in the inbox is on the rise. There are a few ways to implement it, including the three methods we’ll talk about here.
1) Google Annotations – The easiest way to insert a logo in Gmail.
What it does:
Google Annotations lets you insert your logo and a promo card into the Gmail app on phones and tablets.
It also puts your email in the Top Promotions section of the promotion tab, giving you a nice boost in the inbox and adds a logo, image, and some text. Check out the example on the right.
Implementing Google Annotations may take a bit of set up depending on where your logos are hosted, and whether they are the correct size. There are a few free, online tools you can use to implement it. I used the one on Fresh Inbox to set up this example.
A few tips on using Google Annotations:
- I used the Microdata implementation and put the code right after the opening <body> tag in the email source code.
- The images I used are hosted on the Topnotch Resort website. You’ll need URLs for each image, ideally hosted on your website but you can try it on images hosted elsewhere.
- Remember, this only works in the Gmail App on phones (for now).
Google published best practices for Gmail Promotion Cards
More info about Google Annotations on Google’s developer website
2) BIMI – Brand Indicators for Message Identification
What it does:
BIMI lets you insert your logo into Yahoo/AOL inboxes. You will start seeing these in Gmail soon.
The foundation of BIMI is email security. It’s an additional layer of protection so inbox providers such as Yahoo and AOL know the email you send is actually from you. The security protocol is called DMARC, and it must be implemented by your IT department. The benefit to implementing this new email security is that you get your logo in inboxes. Yahoo currently supports it, while Google recently announced an upcoming roll out.
Before embarking on a BIMI implementation, I highly recommend reading about its requirements. Here are some sources to get you started:
On the BIMI website, check out these FAQs and Building and Publishing a BIMI Record.
Litmus has this insightful info: Why should email marketers care about BIMI?
3) Microsoft’s Business Platform – Currently in Beta
What it does:
Microsoft’s Business Platform helps you get your logo into Outlook and Hotmail.
Microsoft’s platform is still in beta, so the requirements and setup are unclear. Read more and apply to the beta program on Microsoft’s website.
Company logos in emails is a hot topic in current email marketing trends. And now, with Google’s weight behind BIMI, even more logos will likely be popping up in your inbox.
Have a question? Just ask.
Tyler Maynard
SVP of Business Development
Ski / Golf / Destination Research
Schedule a Call with Tyler→
Doug Kellogg
Director of Business Development
Hospitality / Attractions
Schedule a Call with Doug→
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