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Do you want your brand's official logo to appear in email inboxes, but aren't quite sure how to implement BIMI? This easy-to-follow guide will get you started and walk you through every essential step of BIMI implementation.

Although it's not directly related to email deliverability and it's not exactly one of the email authentication protocols, the way you set up your DMARC policy is critically important. Additionally, BIMI logos could have a significant impact on email engagement.

Use the infographic below as a map to guide you through the different steps in setting up BIMI. We have also highlighted some of the obstacles or challenges you may face along the way. Get even more advice in our exclusive e-book, The Path to BIMI Implementation. It includes insights from email marketing veterans and BIMI Group members.

Follow the path to get a BIMI logo

BIMI implementation infographic with stepsClick on the graphic to view a larger image

How to implement BIMI in seven steps

If you need further explanation, we have described each of these steps in more detail:

1. Find the right partners

BIMI implementation can get a bit difficult for non-technical email marketers. Regardless of your skills and experience, you will likely need to work with IT and find people who can help you add and edit DNS records.

When Email on Acid needed help, we were fortunate to have folks from BIMI Group help us troubleshoot and answer questions. If you're part of the Email Geek community on Slack, this is another great resource.

There are also companies with DMARC-related services that are expanding their offerings to include BIMI setup support. This includes Red Sift, which offers help with BIMI certification as part of its OnDMARC product. There is also Brand Protection from Agari, which includes BIMI features.

2. Identify your sending domain

Your email authentication protocols and BIMI record must be published to the domain name server (DNS) that your organization uses to send email. This may be different from the main domain that hosts your brand's website.

Find out if your emails are sent from a subdomain like mail.brand-name.com or marketing.brand-name.com. It is also possible that transactional emails come from a different domain than marketing emails.

3. Customize email authentication

This might be the most important part of understanding how to implement BIMI. One of the reasons this email specification came about is to encourage mailbox providers and other senders to adopt strong email authentication.

To display a BIMI logo, you need a DMARC policy set to either p=quarantine or p=reject. A DMARC policy of “p=none” is not BIMI compliant.

DMARC looks for SPF and DKIM alignment. If an email fails to authenticate, it will not be delivered. This is the best way to prevent email spoofing of your brand.

4. Creating a BIMI logo

Figuring out how to implement BIMI also requires following specific guidelines for the logo itself.

To design a BIMI compatible logo, your image file must be in SVG P/S Tiny 1.2 format. Because inboxes display logos in your chosen style, you also need to make sure the logo looks good when cropped in different ways.

truncated Bimi logosCourtesy: BIMIGroup.org

You will probably need a graphic designer to make certain changes to the SVG file. For more information, see our guide to creating a BIMI logo.

5. Obtaining a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)

Another important step in BIMI implementation is getting your logo trademarked and verified by the right authorities.

Note: If you don't already have a trademarked logo, this process can take months. So start as soon as possible and plan the time required for it.

Once you have a trademarked logo, you will need a Verified Brand Certificate (VMC) to use BIMI logos in Gmail. Other inbox providers like Yahoo Mail may use VMCs to assess your sender reputation – even if they don't require the certificate.

Currently, the two companies providing VMCs are Entrust and DigiCert. A certificate from these organizations proves that your brand is the legal owner of a logo. However, don’t forget to trademark your brand’s official logo first.

6. Publish your BIMI record in DNS

A BIMI TXT record is very simple, but you can also find tools to help you create the record, which looks something like this:

default._bimi TXT “v=BIMI1; l=https://cdn.mydomain.com/bimilogo.svg;”

The most important part of the BIMI record is the location/URL of your logo file. As soon as an email is authenticated, the receiving mail servers look for the logo at this point. If you have a VMC for your logo, it must also be part of the BIMI record.

The location of the VMC file follows “a=” in the following example.:

default._bimi.example.com in txt “v=BIMI1; l=https://www.example.com/path/to/logo/example.svg; a=https://www.example.com/path/ to/vmc/VMC.pem;”

Of course, you also need the correct DMARC policy settings. So don't forget to check and update your email authentication records before publishing the BIMI record.

7. Check if BIMI is working

The final step is to try things out to make sure everything is set up correctly. Therefore, you need to verify compliance with established BIMI standards.

You can find several tools on the Internet that you can use to check whether you are “BIMI-ready”. This includes the BIMI Inspector tool from BIMI Group. Similar tools are available from MxToolbox, OnDMARC from Red Sift and others.

Use these tools or work with your partners to troubleshoot issues. Find out what part of the BIMI implementation process you missed and work to fix it.

BIMI and email previews from Email on Acid

Another way to keep your BIMI logo top of mind is during the email preparation process.

If you review Email on Acid's Campaign Precheck test results, you can see if BIMI logos appear at the message level. Simply look for your logo in the email previews for customers where you expect a BIMI logo in the screenshot.

Want more advice on implementing BIMI? Don't forget to download our free e-book. Find out the backstory and benefits of BIMI and learn from experienced email marketers.

Author: Kasey Steinbrinck

Kasey Steinbrinck is Senior Content Marketing Manager for Sinch Email, which includes the Email on Acid, InboxReady, Mailgun and Mailjet brands. He understands how email and content work hand in hand to create a strong strategy. Kasey has also spent time working in traditional media, e-commerce marketing and for a digital agency.

Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps

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