What are the costs and steps for implementing BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification)?
Summary
What email marketers say15Marketer opinions
Email marketer from OnlyMyEmail shares a step-by-step guide including: checking your current DMARC, DKIM and SPF settings, generating a DMARC record, update the DMARC record, get a VMC if your provider requires it and then create the BIMI record.
Email marketer from Entrust shares that the cost of a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) can vary depending on the vendor and any promotions. Expect to pay in the range of $1,300 to $1,900 per year per domain for a VMC. They suggest checking with multiple providers to see which offers the best deal.
Email marketer from StackExchange says that BIMI can improve your deliverability by telling ISPs to display your brand logo alongside the email. If the email can prove it's from you, and you're a trusted brand, then the deliverability rate could improve.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that VMC will cost ~$1900 annually per domain from a certificate vender.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that self-asserted BIMI should work with Yahoo, and for Gmail, a certificate and trademark are needed. He also mentions pre-registration for the certificate.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester suggests that BIMI provides a good ROI, even though there are some expenses involved. They suggest that the increased visibility and brand recognition make the investment worthwhile for companies looking to boost their email marketing efforts.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that implementing BIMI requires a DMARC policy set to either 'quarantine' or 'reject'. This ensures that unauthorized use of your domain is managed and improves deliverability. Setting the DMARC policy is a critical step for BIMI compliance.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that a trademark can be obtained for $250 using TEAS Plus, or $350 without the Plus categorization. A paper application costs around $600, lawyer fees not included.
Email marketer from AuthSMTP explains the BIMI DNS record creation, the record is TXT record under `default._bimi.yourdomain.com`. The value points to the URL where your SVG logo can be found. (e.g. `v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg;`)
Email marketer from Email Geeks estimates the certificate cost for BIMI to be around $1000 per domain, but notes it is not yet confirmed, and there may be additional trademark fees.
Email marketer from Valimail shares that BIMI enhances brand visibility in email inboxes, builds trust with recipients by showcasing verified logos, and improves email deliverability as mailbox providers favor authenticated emails. It also provides a competitive edge by making your emails stand out.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that self-asserting BIMI is fine for testing, but will not work with Gmail. He suggests using `default._bimi.<domain>` and enforcing DMARC.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that the cost is about $1900 per domain and Google may implement during the summer. First steps are dmarc and non vmc bimi and get your trademark in order.
Email marketer from Email Geeks notes that logo is shown for both Yahoo Mail as well as AOL Mail in various places.
Email marketer from Mailhardener explains the main cost of BIMI is the VMC or Trademark. They approximate a trademark to cost $225 - $400 and a VMC to be $1200 - $1500.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that BIMI implementation requires careful planning, and it is important to consider your current sender reputation and the impact on email deliverability. He also suggests starting with a small segment of your audience to test the implementation.
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of maintaining good email hygiene and sender reputation before implementing BIMI. They advise ensuring consistent email authentication practices and monitoring deliverability metrics to maximize the benefits of BIMI.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DigiCert explains that a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) is a digital certificate that validates your logo and associates it with your domain. It is required by some mailbox providers like Gmail to display your BIMI logo. The logo must be a registered trademark and the certificate must be issued by an authorized Certification Authority.
Documentation from GlobalSign explains that SVG files need to meet certain constraints, such as being a square aspect ratio, having a solid background color (no transparency), should be under 32KB and being accessible via HTTPS. They should also be a 'SVG Tiny Portable/Secure' profile.
Documentation from BIMI Group explains that to implement BIMI, you need to authenticate your emails using SPF and DKIM, enforce a DMARC policy of 'quarantine' or 'reject', obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) from a recognized Certification Authority for your logo, and publish a BIMI DNS record.
Documentation from Fastmail explains that BIMI allows companies to display their logos in Fastmail inboxes, and that they ensure that no tracking of any kind is enabled when displaying BIMI logos.
Documentation from Gmail explains to display a BIMI logo in Gmail, senders must authenticate their emails with SPF or DKIM. It is recommended that senders set up DMARC authentication for their domain, including the quarantine or reject policy. In addition, your brand logo must be validated with a VMC.