The Benefits of Implementing BIMI and Why It Is Important

While email marketing is still one of the most effective avenues for contacting clients and customers, the increased access over time means it's more complicated to cut through the clutter than ever, as people are inundated with hundreds of emails in their inboxes every day. Yet, with proper direction, a company can carve out its niche and establish credibility within a message-sent audience via Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI). BIMI allows brands to display a verified logo beside their email message in a consumer's inbox. It increases brand awareness and legitimizes the campaign so the customer knows exactly who they're talking to - and that it's an actual email. Plus, tools like Warmy.io and others help with email deliverability, as verified BIMI emails end up in the inbox (not the spam folder) when proper authentication is met. This article explains the benefits of implementing BIMI, how it works, and why you need it for your email marketing.

What Is BIMI?

BIMI - Brand Indicators for Message Identification is a relatively new standard to enhance email authentication and branding. It allows companies to include a logo within the body or intended inbox rendering of the email message, granted messages sent from compliant brands take the proper steps and the message is received on compliant platforms like Gmail and Yahoo.

Yet brands must still authenticate email via BIMI through standard email authentication first. This includes SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These three standards allow the logo to populate only on such legitimate messages from authenticated senders. BIMI isn't just an authentication process. It's an added layer of security and brand awareness. That logo is a tangible symbol of legitimacy, something familiar that makes it more likely the recipient will open it and engage with the communication.

Why Is BIMI Important for Businesses?

In an age where trust and transparency matter, nothing is more precious than what BIMI can provide to a company. When a company gets its logo on an email that goes out, it indicates that it's a legitimate email. When a customer sees an enterprise logo of an established brand in the subject line or sender box right away, they're more likely to open and read the email since this image lends even more authority. Furthermore, this helps combat the ever-growing risk of phishing and scam emails that have taken the internet by storm. Since only those companies with DMARC can receive BIMI, the addition of BIMI to an organization's email repertoire further ensures that any email sent by a legitimate company is not subject to being a phishing scam. This helps the customer and the brand of the company, in the end. If you've already got Warmy.io for email deliverability in place for your business, BIMI just makes your success even better. The best positioning in inboxes on top of brand recognition is a match made in heaven for maximum engagement.

The Branding and Security Benefits of BIMI

BIMI creates branding and security for companies. As far as branding is concerned, BIMI gives a company the chance to see its logo in the inbox of potential clients. Such frequent exposure in a controlled environment fosters branding initiatives and keeps a company in the mind of customers for supplemental purchases. In addition, a company's email is more likely to be opened than one without a corresponding logo, putting it in line for a reply.

As far as security is concerned, BIMI means less email spoofing and phishing. Since a company needs DMARC to authenticate its email, only those companies can send the emails with logos and graphics. This authentication secures the brand of the sender from being used inappropriately down the line. When you add branding to security, there isn't a better email upgrade for a business devoted to effective email marketing. BIMI establishes the integrity and reliability of your email, so it wants to arrive at its destination and is pleased when it gets there.

How BIMI Works with Existing Email Strategies

BIMI isn't the ultimate requirement. Instead, it's a precautionary measure of what's already happening with email. The first business requirement for implementing BIMI is that email authentication exists, to begin with, via SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These DMARC policies validate that the person sending the email is who they say they are, and the email comes from an appropriate account linked to a legitimate business attempting to transact and not some random scam artist attempting to cold contact unwitting customers.

Thus, once authentication is complete, the businesses in question need to create an SVG version of their logo and apply for a Verified Mark Certificate. This is from a recognized certificate authority and validates that the mark belongs to them on the unique domain and allows the email clients to display the logo for authenticated emails. It's a complicated fix but a fix well worth it, especially when paired with Warmy.io. With even more enhanced email deliverability and peace of mind that these branding efforts are actually received in inboxes, entrepreneurs are sure to get the most out of their branding communicative endeavors.

The Role of BIMI in Improving Email Engagement

Another metric for assessing the success of email marketing involves engagement. Regarding engagement, BIMI is directly related to greater engagement. When someone gets an email and sees a logo image in the inbox, they're more inclined to trust that email and engage with the body versus a typical click-through. For example, branded emails have a higher open rate than non-branded emails because if people see an image, it equals trust and at the very least compels them to engage with the communication. The more engagement, the more click-throughs, the more conversions, and ultimately, the more revenue generated from the campaign. If you already have email deliverability, the integration with BIMI is a nice bonus. Getting the email to the inbox and then making sure your logo can stand out via compliance only helps make each email sent to your ever-growing list that much more effective.

Long-Term Benefits of Implementing BIMI

But the advantages of BIMI go beyond just increasing open rates and simplifying deliverability. Companies enjoy developing a relationship with their customers over time based on trust and validity. If a recipient constantly sees a logo in their inbox, they know this is a legitimate company, and the product/service rendered is valid and trustworthy. In addition, BIMI does wonders for sender reputation. Since getting a BIMI is a bonus to having DMARC compliance, this means that companies that want to engage with BIMI are already making the precautionary decisions needed for effective email authentication.

This helps ensure that your domain is not blacklisted and helps maintain consistent deliverability over time. In addition, BIMI is an element of the burgeoning trend for increased security and transparency in messaging. The more prolonged the wait for email clients to adopt BIMI, the more companies that get on board now will have a leg up and be seen as secure and forward-thinking.

Steps to Implement BIMI for Your Business

Implementing BIMI requires careful planning and execution to ensure success. Here are the steps involved:

1. Set Up Email Authentication Protocols: Start by configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain. These protocols are prerequisites for BIMI and ensure that your emails are authenticated.
2. Create a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC): Work with an authorized certificate authority to obtain a VMC for your logo. The certificate links your logo to your domain, enabling email clients to display it for verified messages.
3. Upload Your Logo: Convert your logo to an SVG format and upload it to your DNS records as specified by the BIMI standard.
4. Test Your Implementation: Use tools to verify that your BIMI setup is working correctly. Ensure that your logo displays properly in compatible email clients.

Once implemented, monitor your email performance to measure the impact of BIMI on engagement and deliverability.

Conclusion

BIMI is the game-changing branding opportunity that every sender needs for their email marketing efforts. Centered around branding and security, BIMI is the chance to enhance trust, loyalty, and engagement the triumvirate on which every modern marketer relies. BIMI is even more effective when combined with other services used on the path to secure sender status. The ability to consistently land in the inbox with a warranted logo is like icing on the cake that makes every campaign that much stronger.

By implementing BIMI, your company joins the ranks of innovation and up-to-date branding standards in a growing digital emailing universe. You'll be able to remain visually consistent in your audience's minds hopefully as you create better connections and a better tomorrow.