Email marketing is a constantly evolving field. Email providers are constantly seeking for new ways to improve their user experience or add a layer of protection. And email marketers must constantly be willing to adapt.
When Google announced that they will enable BIMI, a new feature on the horizon that promises to improve user experience while also increasing security, marketers began to wonder if this was the next big thing.
What is the solution?
It’s time to study every new feature in the email marketing landscape. Let’s look at what BIMI is, how it works, and how you can use it to improve your email marketing approach.
What is BIMI?
Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is an acronym for Brand Indicators for Message Identification. In a nutshell, BIMI displays your company’s logo next to marketing emails you send to your subscribers while they are in their inboxes.
BIMI has a couple of distinct functions. By putting the sender’s logo next to the emails, it first establishes brand familiarity. This establishes a strong visual connection.
Second, BIMI functions as a safety feature. Your logo next to your message confirms to your subscribers that this is, in fact, a message from you and not an imposter.
In an era when it’s more difficult than ever to stand out in an inbox, and phishing emails are on the rise, it’s easy to understand why this would be a very enticing feature to email marketers. You get better control over your subscribers’ experience, more brand recognition in the inbox, and more security over your brand reputation.
How do you implement BIMI?
To get BIMI to work with Gmail, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:
- Set up DKIM authentication for your mail streams with your domain.
- Create a DMARC record with a different policy than p=none.
- Your logo is protected by copyright.
- Get a VMC for that logo.
- Make an SVG Tiny PS version of your company logo.
- In your domain’s DNS, create a BIMI TXT entry.
- Check to check if your setup is working properly.
After that, your logo can be shown alongside your emails in a Gmail inbox.
What does BIMI mean for you?
For marketers, the opportunity to give email validation and increased brand presence in the inbox is intriguing.
So, how can you know if it’s the correct fit?
- Take a look at a breakdown of your subscribers’ email client usage to check if the BIMI-supporters you listed are well represented.
- Examine each provider’s requirements to discover which ones you already have in place.
- Consider how much time it would take to put up the remaining pieces. Note: If you need help getting started, consider BIMI-setup-assistance services.
Remember, because the requirements are currently per email provider, the implementation option does not have to be all or nothing.
If you’ve decided to get started, start by meeting Yahoo’s standards and testing with those users. If you’re getting good results, it might be time to invest in the setup needed to use BIMI for Gmail users as well.
Finally
Email security and validation have never been more important in the history of email, and BIMI offers a fantastic opportunity to supply both.
Whether you decide to go ahead with it or not, it’s crucial to keep in mind that new technology features perform best when they’re combined with good list management.
If BIMI appears to be a good fit for you and your company, then getting started is a no-brainer. If the required authentications and copyrights aren’t already in place, it can take a long time to obtain them. It may, however, be well worth it in exchange for a more secure and trusted user experience.