When sending emails on a mass scale, the authority and trust of your organisation’s name is paramount to the success of your email campaigns. To avoid high bounce rates, it is essential that you have implemented SPF and DKIM as part of your MA platform to Domain Name Server (DNS) relationship.
What is Sender Policy Framework (SPF)?
SPF is a form of email authentication that defines the process of validating an email as having been sent from an authorised email server.
For example, the Clevertouch domain is clever-touch.com, and our email sends can be sent from a variety of platforms. For emails to be sent from a Marketing Automation platform and to be successfully delivered to their intended audience, we need to identify that Marketing Automation platform as an authorised sender. SPF protocols are what facilitate this authentication through the inclusion of an SPF record entry on the DNS.
Without SPF, our email sends from Marketing Automation platforms may not land in the recipient’s inbox, and we could be suspected of phishing and other such issues because our emails wouldn’t have the necessary authority and trust.
What is Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM)?
In much the same role as SPF, DKIM is another form of email authentication that allows an organization to claim responsibility for their email sends in a way that the recipient can validate. DKIM uses ‘public key cryptography’ to verify emails are being sent from authorised mail servers.
SPF and DKIM are essential in ensuring your email sends make it through to their intended recipients. But more importantly, they protect your brand reputation.
To receive more top tips from the world of martech, sign up for our mailing list below.
