Is forwarding emails originating from Gmail through Salesforce Marketing Cloud considered Gmail impersonation?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit shares that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) policies can cause forwarded emails to fail authentication checks, potentially leading to deliverability issues or being marked as spam. Forwarding from Gmail could be problematic if the forwarding service doesn't properly handle DMARC.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that email authentication is key to ensure deliverability. Forwarding from a Gmail account through SFMC could lead to issues if the forwarding setup breaks the authentication chain, potentially being seen as impersonation.
Email marketer from Gmass shares that when sending mass emails from Gmail or using Gmail as a relay, it's crucial to adhere to Gmail's guidelines and authentication requirements. Forwarding through SFMC, in this context, should ensure it doesn't violate Gmail's policies to avoid being flagged as spam or impersonation.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce shares that following email deliverability best practices, including proper authentication and list hygiene, is crucial. Forwarding emails through different systems can impact these practices, so careful configuration is needed to avoid deliverability issues.
Email marketer from SuperOffice explains that email spoofing is when someone sends an email that appears to be from someone else. Forwarding from Gmail through SFMC might inadvertently trigger spoofing alerts if not configured correctly, potentially leading to deliverability issues.
Email marketer from StackExchange responds that forwarding email from a Gmail account through a system like Salesforce Marketing Cloud could potentially cause issues with SPF (Sender Policy Framework) depending on how the system is configured, it might be seen as impersonation if not handled correctly.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that when handling forwarded emails, it’s essential to ensure proper SPF and DKIM records are set up. If the forwarding process changes the original sender information, it might be flagged as impersonation, especially when forwarding from Gmail.
Email marketer from Sender Compliance says if you’re sending large volumes of email from Gmail via other systems, be aware of Gmail's sending limits. SFMC can help you avoid this but forwarding may still be problematic as it still originated from Gmail.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid shares that to avoid spam filters, ensure proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is in place. When forwarding emails, it's crucial to maintain authentication to prevent being marked as spam or as an impersonation attempt.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that if you're taking an email that originated from gmail and forward it to an internal system, you should be fine as long as that internal system isn't doing a DMARC check. Also, if you send email out with a gmail.com from address, and you're not sending it via Gmail, you're gonna have a bad time.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that if the recipient receives an email and the address in the From: header ends with @gmail.com then you are impersonating Gmail, and you need to stop doing that.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that forwarding can have problems as the forwarder might not have the authority to send emails that originate from gmail.com. This causes authentication failures and can be flagged as spam or impersonation attempts.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that forwarding can break DMARC authentication because the forwarder is not authorized to send on behalf of the original sender's domain. This can lead to emails being rejected or treated as spam. Therefore, forwarding from Gmail through SFMC could potentially be problematic if DMARC checks fail.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Salesforce explains that Salesforce Marketing Cloud uses Sender Authentication Package (SAP) to manage email deliverability, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Forwarding emails through SFMC might require specific configurations to ensure proper authentication and prevent being flagged as impersonation.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC policies are designed to prevent email spoofing and phishing. Forwarding mechanisms can interfere with DMARC checks, potentially causing legitimate emails to be rejected or flagged. Proper handling is needed to avoid these issues.
Documentation from RFC explains the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) prevents sender address forgery. Forwarding emails through a service like SFMC will require SPF to be configured so it doesn't look like impersonation.
Documentation from Microsoft explains SPF authentication when forwarding emails through Microsoft systems. Whilst not a direct relation to Gmail it can be used as comparison to how authentication needs to be applied for forwarders.
Documentation from Google Support explains that when forwarding emails, Gmail's settings can be configured to either keep Gmail's copy in the inbox, mark Gmail's copy as read, or archive Gmail's copy. However, it doesn't directly address the issue of impersonation through forwarding services.