How do SPF, DKIM, and DMARC affect email deliverability with Cvent?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from SparkPost explains that sender reputation is a key factor in email deliverability. Consistently sending authenticated emails with good engagement rates (opens and clicks) through Cvent helps build a positive sender reputation. Negative signals, such as spam complaints, can harm your reputation and lower deliverability.
Email marketer from Email on Acid details that DMARC policies tell mail servers how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. If your DMARC policy is set to 'reject' and Cvent's emails fail authentication, those emails will be blocked by receiving mail servers. Monitoring DMARC reports is crucial to identify and resolve any authentication issues.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Cvent supports email authentication via DKIM, but it may require contacting support to enable it. Suggests direct messaging account information for assistance.
Email marketer from Litmus emphasizes the importance of monitoring your email authentication results through DMARC reports. These reports provide insights into which servers are sending emails on behalf of your domain and whether they are passing authentication checks. Regular monitoring can help identify and resolve deliverability issues with Cvent.
Email marketer from SendGrid details that gradually increasing your sending volume (IP warm-up) when starting to send emails through Cvent can improve deliverability. Sudden spikes in email volume from a new IP address can trigger spam filters. Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration is crucial during the warm-up process.
Email marketer from StackOverflow highlights that DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to verify the authenticity of an email. To effectively use DKIM with Cvent, ensure that your DKIM key length is sufficient (typically 2048 bits) and that the public key is correctly published in your DNS record. Incorrect DKIM setup can lead to failed authentication and deliverability issues.
Email marketer from EmailGeek Forum shares that issues with SPF records are a common cause of deliverability problems with platforms like Cvent. Ensure your SPF record includes Cvent's sending IPs or domain. A poorly configured SPF record can cause receiving mail servers to reject your emails or send them to the spam folder.
Email marketer from Mailjet suggests using a dedicated sending domain or subdomain for your Cvent emails. This isolates your marketing email reputation from your primary domain, minimizing the risk of deliverability issues. Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup on the dedicated domain is still essential.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for ensuring Cvent emails reach recipients' inboxes. Without proper authentication, emails are more likely to be flagged as spam. Setting these up correctly tells receiving mail servers that Cvent is authorized to send emails on your behalf.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that if DMARC is set up to quarantine or reject all and Cvent is trying to send from your domain, it could cause issues. Recommends using a DMARC monitoring tool to see systems sending from your domains.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that regularly analyzing DMARC reports is crucial for understanding and improving email deliverability when using Cvent. These reports highlight authentication failures, potential spoofing attempts, and areas where your email setup may need adjustments. Ignoring DMARC reports can lead to continued deliverability problems.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that some businesses have settings that reject emails claiming to be from their domain unless they originate from their corporate MX servers. Suggests testing by sending an email to a personal Gmail account.
Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes that it's important to maintain your SPF record and update it as your sending infrastructure changes, including any changes to how Cvent sends emails. Regularly reviewing and updating your SPF record ensures it accurately reflects authorized sending sources, preventing deliverability issues.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from RFC explains that SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. If Cvent is used to send emails, you must include Cvent's mail servers or IP addresses in your SPF record to ensure deliverability. The SPF record is a TXT record in your DNS settings.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC allows domain owners to specify how recipient mail servers should handle messages that fail authentication checks (SPF and DKIM). DMARC policies can be set to 'none,' 'quarantine,' or 'reject,' each affecting deliverability differently. 'Reject' offers the strongest protection but can also block legitimate emails if misconfigured.
Documentation from Cvent Knowledge Base explains that Cvent supports DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), which is an email authentication method designed to detect email spoofing. Setting up DKIM involves generating a DKIM key pair within Cvent and then publishing the public key in your domain's DNS records. This allows receiving mail servers to verify that emails claiming to be from your domain are actually authorized by you.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a policy framework for email authentication. A DMARC policy allows the sender to indicate that their emails are protected by SPF and/or DKIM, and tells the receiver what to do if authentication fails, such as reject the message. This helps prevent phishing and spoofing attacks, which can indirectly improve deliverability by protecting your domain's reputation.