New! Melting Points: Locking in Loyalty
Hi Bonfire Community, We’re super excited to announce the launch of our latest guide: Melting Points: Locking in Loyalty! In today’s fast-paced world, building true brand loyalty is more important (and tricky!) than ever. This third edition from the 427° Innovation Lab at Braze is packed with insights from global research, creative “Brazestorms,” and cross-industry brand wisdom. You’ll discover that real loyalty goes beyond just perks—it’s all about emotional connections, community, and adding genuine value to people’s lives. What’s inside this exclusive playbook? Why traditional loyalty models are falling short and how to give them a modern makeover How top brands tap into emotional loyalty by leveraging data effectively Our loyalty framework and 9 adaptable use cases tailored for travel, restaurants, on-demand services, and retail Remember, loyalty isn’t just about points—it’s about winning hearts! ❤️ Ready to dive in? Download the guide now and start locking in what matters most!
Insights from Our Recent “Favorite Marketing Channel” Survey
Why We Ran the Survey Understanding which channels resonate most with your audience is crucial. By surveying dashboard users, we aimed to uncover favorite consumer marketing channels. Survey Results: Top Channels 1. Email emerged as the clear favorite, with 38% of responders selecting it as their preferred channel. Notably: - The leading industries represented were Retail, Media, and Technology. 2. Push Notifications ranked second, with 29% of total responses: - Retail, Media, and Tech again topped the industry representation. 3. In-app messaging/in-browser messaging was the third favorite, with 19% of responses: - The leading industries were Media, Technology, and Financial Services Actionable Channel Insights for Customers Below are some recommendations to get the most out of your channel mix: Prioritize email marketing: As the clear favorite and the most perennial marketing channel, focus on enhancing your email marketing strategies. A few ways to ensure you’re always optimizing and personalizing your email campaigns: Segmentation: Go beyond basic demographic segmentation by tailoring your messages based on your users’ behaviors for campaigns that resonate. Dynamic content: Take personalization a step further with customized product recommendations, special offers based on what your customers have recently engaged with on your site or app, share location-based event recommendations or regional products, and use real-time updates to share timely promotions. Testing and Experimentation: Experiment with subject lines, layouts, imagery, etc, to optimize email performance with A/B testing. Test sending emails at different times to find the optimal timing for your audience, and test different email frequencies to find the sweet spot for your audience. Clear CTAs: Avoid overused CTAs like "Learn More" and stick to action-oriented, specific language in your CTAs. Monitor engagement metrics: Track your open rate, click-thru rates, and conversion rates and use insights from these metrics to refine your email strategy continuously. Leverage Push Notifications: Push notifications are a powerful way to reach your audience directly on their devices, delivering relevant messages that capture attention and prompt immediate action with real-time alerts on web, mobile, wearable devices, and more. Explore ways to integrate Push into your marketing mix and optimize. Use contextual messaging: Send push notifications based on user context, such as location or time of day. For example, if a user is near a store location, send a notification about a special offer available only at that location. Rich media notifications: Use rich media like images or videos in your push notifications to capture attention. Explore in-app message or in-browser message opportunities: In-app or in-browser messaging is an effective channel for engaging your users at critical, timely moments while they are in your app or on your website. Guided help: Use in-app messaging to reduce friction and enhance the user experience with messages to help users navigate your app or website and discover new features, content, products and more! Gamification: Use progress bars or achievement badges to encourage users to complete specific actions or engage more deeply with your platform. Feedback: Use in-app message surveys to create feedback loops, asking users for their preferences on features or content. Surveys provide valuable insights and data to support future improvements – like the survey that powered this post! Did you know: If your brand already has the BrazeSDK integrated into your app or website, you have access to in-app or in-browser messaging! Use SMS/MMS to connect with your customers: The personal nature of SMS/MMS fosters a sense of connection and urgency, enabling brands to connect with customers on a more personal level. Deliver time-sensitive information, promotions, and updates directly to your users' mobile devices to drive quick action. Rich media in MMS: Use MMS to send rich media, like images, videos, or GIFs, to capture attention and drive higher engagement rates. Feedback: Encourage two-way communication by allowing users to reply to your SMS messages to gather feedback, answer questions, or even conduct surveys, creating a more interactive experience. Don’t sleep on WhatsApp: WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messaging app in the world, with over 2 billion monthly active users and heavy usage in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. WhatsApp is integrated into the everyday lives of consumers, making it perfect for marketers looking to connect with customers in a way that feels seamless and authentic. Two-way messaging: WhatsApp's unique capability of two-way conversational messaging is an effective way to drive users back to your app, for example, to complete onboarding, update their account, or conduct promotional campaigns. Content Cards - Your channel for app or website banners: In a separate survey, we recently asked Content Cards customers their most frequent use case for Content Cards. The number one response: As an app or website banner. Content Cards also act as a notification center, a promotions feed, an onboarding center, and more! To maximize engagement, leading brands use cross-channel campaigns that integrate multiple channels, especially combining in-product and out-of-product channels to reach users wherever they are! Research and experiment to find the right channel mix for your brand. Conclusion By understanding the channel preferences of your audience, you can create more effective and engaging campaigns that resonate. Thank you for being part of the Braze community. We look forward to hearing how you implement these findings in your marketing efforts!If reporting feels like a headache, this might help - check out Braze reporting updates!
We know how challenging it can be to get the full picture of your marketing efforts, uncover and act on insights, and prove ROI. Braze has two new reporting tools that can help: Report Builder: Create sharable reports with visuals that clearly demonstrate campaign impact. Dashboard Builder: Get an instant view of your entire engagement landscape with custom dashboards or pre-made templates. Read more hereAnnouncing new Braze features to boost your eCommerce success
Shoppers move fast. One wrong email or frustrating checkout experience can lead customers to the competition. The best brands use marketing tools that work in tandem to deliver relevant messages in the moments that matter. That’s why we’re excited to share powerful new capabilities designed specifically to help you elevate your eCommerce strategy: Seamless integration with Shopify: Effortlessly turn real-time data into personalized, cross-channel engagement that builds loyalty and drives revenue. eCommerce focused templates: Accelerate the creation of your campaigns with eCommerce specific templates for Canvas, Email, and Landing Pages. Enhanced omnichannel engagement: Leverage smarter, personalized interactions across mobile and email to boost conversions and create memorable shopping experiences. Braze Learning playbooks: Gain strategies for key moments in a shopper’s journey, including abandoned cart, order confirmation, and price drop promotions. These updates are tailored to empower you to connect with your shoppers more effectively and turn every interaction into a transaction. Learn moreBraze Certification is about to hit 10,000!
Braze Certification is approaching an incredible milestone—our 10,000th certification granted. The lucky individual who becomes the 10,000th person to earn a Braze Certification or Skills Badge will receive an incredible opportunity: a spotlight on Braze’s social platforms! This is your chance to share your unique Braze story and gain recognition across our vibrant community. Now’s the perfect time to get certified, grow your skills, and be part of this milestone! To claim the prize, the winner will need to sign a consent form allowing us to celebrate their achievement on our socials. If the form isn’t signed, we’ll have to pass the prize to the next eligible winner. Learn more and sign-up for an exam today at https://learning.braze.com/page/certificationWe want to hear from you!
Hey there, Bonfire friends! You’re invited to participate in a brief survey about Braze Bonfire. Your insights will help shape the community experience and ensure it meets your needs. The survey will take just a few minutes of your time and will help us understand what you’d like to see more or less of in the coming year. Bonfire Feedback The survey will close on Friday, January 31. Thank you for being an essential part of our community. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!Introducing 5 new Bonfire Community Groups
At the heart of customer engagement lies a fundamental truth: community matters. This principle drives brand loyalty and fosters shared experiences, and it’s no different for Braze! We are passionate about creating opportunities for you to connect, learn, and grow. In that spirit, we are excited to introduce Bonfire Community Groups—our first open groups designed to enhance your experience. Led by Braze team members, these new groups will focus on specific industries and roles, providing a dedicated space for members to connect and share insights. Similar to our Discussions, these groups will allow you to engage with fellow customer engagement professionals, discuss challenges, share ideas, and receive valuable feedback. Ready to learn more? Here are our new Bonfire Community Groups! Retail and eCommerce Join this group of Retail and eCommerce enthusiasts dedicated to enhancing customer engagement through innovative strategies, shared insights, and collaborative networking. Whether you’re a major brand or a small Shopify store, you’ll find others who share your passion for the Retail and eCommerce space. Financial Services Connect with Braze customers from across the financial services sector to share industry insights and discuss customer engagement strategies that foster trustworthy experiences. In a competitive landscape, it’s essential for brands to connect effectively with consumers on their individual journeys. This group is perfect for anyone in FinServ looking to learn from peers and find solidarity in shared challenges (and solutions!). Creative Collective This group is a space for innovators to explore and share creative strategies that push the boundaries of customer engagement. For too long, there’s been a misconception that creativity and performance are at odds. Research from WARC and Cannes Lions shows that the best brands drive customer acquisition, engagement, loyalty, and retention by leveraging award-winning, data-driven creative campaigns. Join this group to connect with others who are committed to marrying creativity with technology and setting new standards for innovation. Small but Mighty We’re bending the rules a bit with this one: Small but Mighty has technically existed since Bonfire’s inception. The big change? Now, anyone can join this group, which was previously private. By opening access, we hope even more small teams can leverage the collective power of the Bonfire Community and elevate their customer engagement strategies. Bonfire Expert Council While this group operates on a “request-to-join” basis, it plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Braze Bonfire! Apply to become a founding member and be instrumental in helping the community team build our roadmap, introduce new programs and features, and enhance the overall community experience. As a trusted member of the Bonfire Expert Council, you’ll also help answer questions, provide solutions, and share your expertise with the rest of the community. We envision these groups as just the beginning of many more to come. Visit the Community Groups page to find the group (or groups!) you’d like to join, and kick things off by posting a hello or sharing your thoughts on what you’d like to see in the future, or even a current challengeCommunity Groups you’re facing, or a question you have. If you’re interested in leading a Bonfire Community Group of your own, we want to hear from you! Reach out to us at community@braze.com , or mention one of our community managers in a reply on this post— MaggieBrennan, EmilyCalderon, and I are always here to help!Tech for an Equitable Future - Cohort 5 Application Launch!
What a week! Today, we announced the opening of applications for the fifth cohort of our Tech for an Equitable Future product grant program today at Forge. We’re partnering with BET+, the premium streaming entertainment service and valued GSA customer, to break down barriers for underrepresented founders by offering 12 months of free access to Braze technology and services. 🌟 About: Applications are open through January 17, at which point we’ll select 20 startups across APAC, EMEA, and North America to join Cohort 5. 🤝 BET+ x Braze: Through this partnership, BET+ will provide select participants of the program with 1:1 mentorship, access to a BET+ branding masterclass, free email advertising, and more 💡 Why It Matters: In 2023, Black-founded startups received less than 0.5% of U.S. venture funding, and women-founded startups just 2.2%. Braze is committed to leveling the playing field for underrepresented founders. Through this program, we’ve donated over $900,000 in product value to startups in FY'25 alone. 📢 Apply or Share the Word: Applications are open now through Jan. 17, 2025. Apply HERE by clicking the Apply Now button.Welcome to the New and Improved Braze Bonfire!
Hey Bonfire friends! You may notice things look a little different around here. We took your feedback over the last year to heart and have been hard at work behind the scenes to make your experience even better. These updates will make navigating our community simpler, more engaging, and a whole lot more fun.Site under maintenance Thursday, July 18
The Bonfire community will be going through an upgrade Thursday, July 18 from 8am PT - 5pm PT. Please note that the community will not be accessible during that time. If you need assistance with your Braze instance, please submit a Support Ticket via the Braze dashboard. We look forward to you experiencing our upgraded community once the update is complete. Let us know if you have any questions by dropping a note to community@braze.com.
