EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
BIMI in 2024: A comprehensive guide for marketers
A logo next to your email can increase open rates by up to 10%.
When you go into your inbox, have you noticed those brands that have their logo’s next to their name?
Get ready for a wild ride through the digital jungle of email marketing because today, we’re talking about BIMI, or as I like to call it, the “bling” of your email’s trustworthiness.
If you haven’t heard of it yet, buckle up, because BIMI is the unsung hero of your brand’s reputation in ever chaotic inboxes.
What is BIMI?
Brand Indicators for Message Identification
It adds an extra layer of authentication
So, what’s BIMI? In the simplest terms, it’s your brand’s logo popping up next to your email in the inbox.
It’s a shiny badge of authenticity that tells your subscribers, “Hey, it’s really us, and we’re legit!”
It’s needed in a world where phishing emails lurk around every corner like digital pickpockets.
BIMI adds a layer of trust and gives senders control over how their brand is represented by email clients.
The AuthIndicators Working Group leads the BIMI movement, and current members of the group include Google, Verizon Media, Mailchimp, and Valimail.
Why is BIMI so important for marketers?
An exciting change where marketers and security professionals come together!
Here’s why we think BIMI is just a fabulous tool for marketers in 2024.
AMPLIFIED SECURITY
BIMI is not possible without DMARC implementation. And this is going to become mandatory in the coming future so you’ll already be part the way there!
Digital deception is rampant so BIMI provides a shield against phishing scams. It’s integrated with DMARC to ensure that the sender’s domain is authenticated, preventing impersonation and building recipient trust.
ELEVATED BRAND PRESENCE
A logo next to your email can increase open rates by up to 10%!
This visual cue makes your brand instantly recognisable, cutting through the clutter of a crowded inbox.
TRUST AND CREDIBILITY
When users see a verified logo, it’s a signal that the email is authentic.
This can be particularly crucial for sectors like banking and retail, where email authenticity directly impacts customer trust.
It makes your emails stand out, and with billions of emails sent everyday, we know your brand needs it.
How does BIMI work?
To step up to the BIMI standard, a company sets up a fresh DNS record that points right to their logo.
Think of it as giving directions to your house—only it’s your brand’s house, and the mailbox provider is the guest checking the invite.
When they peek at your DMARC policy within your domain’s DNS TXT record, they’re on the lookout for your BIMI invitation.
This BIMI record isn’t anything fancy—just a snippet of text that says, “Here’s where to find our logo, and oh, by the way, here’s our Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) if we’ve got one.”
When the mailbox provider sees that everything’s in order, they roll out the red carpet for your logo, placing it front and center next to your email.
A note on VMCs
Have you ever used a screen reader before? Test your email through a screen reader to see what it sounds like.
Which inbox providers support BIMI?
Although a larger group of providers is developing BIMI, it’s not live in all inboxes right now. Verizon Media was the first big provider to support BIMI for Yahoo! And AOL inboxes and Google announced BIMI support for Gmail in July 2021.
- Apple Mail: Support coming to Apple Mail on iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura
- Yahoo: Pilot publicly available with no VMC requirement (right now)
- AOL: Pilot publicly available with no VMC requirement (right now)
- Gmail: Pilot publicly available with a VMC requirement (right now)
- La Poste: Pilot publicly available with no VMC requirement (right now)
- Netscape: Pilot publicly available with no VMC requirement (right now)
- Comcast: In the planning stages
- Fastmail: Working towards a pilot
- Microsoft: No BIMI support
How do you implement BIMI?
If you’re brand new to the world of DMARC and email deliverability, you can get in contact with us for free advice on how to set it up.
THREE STEPS TO SETTING UP BIMI
Getting BIMI up and running consists of three steps:
- Setting up DMARC compliance
- Setting up your logo
- Updating your DNS with the BIMI TXT record.
DMARC COMPLIANCE
Getting BIMI up and running consists of three steps:
- Setting up DMARC compliance
- Setting up your logo
- Updating your DNS with the BIMI TXT record.
The first and most important step towards BIMI is full DMARC compliance. That means SPF and/or DKIM for all mail must be authenticated using your ‘From domain’.
Once complete, that From domain also needs either a “reject” or “quarantine” DMARC policy.
This process shows receivers that you’re conscientious of the types of messages your brand sends and why you send them, building your reputation as a sender.
YOUR BIMI LOGO
Then, you’ll need to create your BIMI logo image.
The recommendations are an SVG formatted file designed as a perfect square, hosted publicly accessible via HTTPS.
Make sure there are no taglines or extra text in it since this logo will likely be displayed too small to render anything like that.
If you’re going to go the extra mile with a VMC, this is when you’d do it.
UPDATE YOUR DNS
Now comes the DNS changes to announce your participation in BIMI. The basic setup is “v=BIMI1; l=logoURL;” as a TXT record for default._bimi.yourdomain.
Some brands may want to have multiple logos for different use cases, but this “default” selector above works as-is for all mail.
How much does BIMI cost?
So far using BIMI is free! But, a VMC will cost brands around $1,500 per year.
BIMI troubleshooting
If you’ve followed the BIMI setup steps and still can’t get it to work, there are a few troubleshooting tools to use:
- Use a tool like DMARC Digests to ensure your authentication is working correctly
- Use a BIMI lookup tool to make sure your record meets BIMI compliance
- Check the BIMI FAQ page for resolutions to common issues
- Make sure your logo is in the proper format with an SVG conversion tool
How to build your BIMI Reputation
Even if you do all the technical things right, receivers won’t display logos from senders they don’t trust.
Right now there are two ways to build your BIMI reputation:
- Maintain an excellent sending reputation via high engagement with low bounces and spam complaints. Keep in mind that this reputation is subjective to each mailbox provider.
- Some mailbox providers may require you to obtain a verified mark certificate (VMC). That means you’ll need to work with a trusted authority which is then listed in your BIMI TXT record with your logo for the receiver’s reference.