Should I use subdomains or a single domain for email marketing after a brand merger?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Quora explains that separating email streams onto different subdomains allows for better reputation management. This is beneficial after a merger as it prevents the reputation of one brand from negatively affecting the other. You can carefully monitor the deliverability of each domain.
Email marketer from SparkPost emphasizes that domain reputation is crucial for email deliverability. After a brand merger, assessing and potentially separating email streams via subdomains can help protect the primary domain's reputation if the acquired brand has a questionable sending history.
Email marketer from GMass suggests that after a brand merger you use a subdomain to send campaigns, because this will allow you to track deliverability with less impact to your primary domain.
Email marketer from Email Geeks recommends using sub-domains instead of cousin domains, but acknowledges there might be reasons to do otherwise, such as reluctance from different country teams to be under the same 'hat' or potential complications if the brand splits. Benjamin also notes that as long as you send relevant emails to people who asked for them, the domain choice shouldn't matter much.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that they've seen benefits in isolating different types of email (transactional vs. marketing) on separate subdomains to manage reputation more effectively. This is especially useful post-merger when dealing with potentially varying email practices.
Email marketer from Email on Acid discusses the importance of warming up new IP addresses and domains. They suggest that after a merger and domain change, gradually increasing email volume from the new domain or subdomains is crucial to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that using dedicated IP addresses and subdomains can improve email deliverability by isolating your sending reputation from other senders on a shared IP. This allows you to manage your reputation more effectively, especially after a brand merger where legacy email practices might affect your overall domain reputation.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests doing a single brand domain and leave the separation to the Friendly From: names. They also point out that *.<http://example.com|example.com> will be blocked by URIBL, MAPS, Spamhaus, etc. if you get blocked for any reason.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends using subdomains for email deliverability and segmentation. This allows for better control over sender reputation for different types of emails or different brands after a merger. Subdomains can help you segment your email traffic and maintain a good sender reputation for each segment.
Email marketer from StackExchange shared that using subdomains provides better tracking capabilities and helps isolate deliverability issues, which can be beneficial when integrating email systems from different brands after a merger.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum highlights the potential risks associated with using a single, shared domain for all email marketing activities after a merger. They mention that if one brand's email practices are poor, it can negatively impact the deliverability of all emails sent from that domain.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that splitting up domains/traffic is usually a bad idea as countries with little traffic would never be able to build up reputation, when they could be contributing to the overall reputation.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Spamresource.com explains the benefits of using subdomains for reputation separation. It gives you greater control of what might happen if you have any issues with your main sending domain.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that reasons for treating different regions differently in a hostname sense could include disconnecting reputation, easier measurement, or branding in the From: header.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests keeping everything under the same organizational domain, potentially with subdomains for different regions.
Expert from Email Geeks provides the argument that using email-pt.example.com allows for separate tracking of Google Postmaster Tools per subdomain, enabling easier monitoring and reputation management.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that subdomains offer a way to isolate reputation. If one brand has a poor sending history, using a separate subdomain for their email marketing activities after a merger prevents their reputation from negatively impacting the main domain's deliverability.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Mailchimp provides details on setting up and authenticating custom domains, which is critical for ensuring email deliverability. Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) helps build trust with ISPs, especially when transitioning to a new domain structure after a merger.
Documentation from Microsoft details the process of setting up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) for custom domains and subdomains in their email services. Correct DKIM configuration is essential for ensuring that your emails are authenticated and trusted by receiving mail servers. This becomes important when migrating to a new domain after a merger.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains the importance of implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) policies to protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. Setting up DMARC for both the main domain and any subdomains is crucial for maintaining trust and deliverability after a brand merger.
Documentation from ietf.org (RFC 1035) outlines the technical specifications for domain names and subdomains. It is important to ensure that any subdomains created for email marketing adhere to these standards to avoid technical issues with email delivery and authentication. This should be checked when setting up for a new brand.
Documentation from Google explains that when using subdomains for email, it's essential to configure SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records for each subdomain. This helps ensure that emails sent from the subdomain are properly authenticated and less likely to be marked as spam. It is critical for deliverability after a brand merger.