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Guide to Setting Up a BIMI Certificate: Display Your Brand Logo in Emails

This guide will teach you how to display your brand logo in recipients’ inboxes using a BIMI Certificate (Brand Indicators for Message Identification).

 

The Importance of Brand Recognition

Brand recognition is crucial, as email recipients typically spend only 11 seconds reviewing a message. According to a 2023 report by the Data and Marketing Association (DMA), three out of five recipients consider brand recognition the primary factor in deciding whether to open an email. Moreover, a recognizable logo is the third most important factor influencing this decision.

 

What Will You Learn in This Article?

This article will guide you on how to:

• Configure BIMI and DNS records
• Manage your brand logo
• Select the right brand certificate (such as a BIMI Certificate)
• Take the necessary steps to send emails displaying your logo in the sender field

BIMI Certificate in 60 Seconds: What You Need to Know

The certificate enables your brand logo to appear in the sender field of emails, making it visible in recipients’ inboxes before they open the message. This can improve open and engagement rates.

 

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Step 01: Meet DMARC Requirements

• Set up SPF and/or DKIM records for all services you use to send emails (MailChimp, AWS SES, etc.).
• Ensure you have a DMARC record with a policy set to p=reject or p=quarantine.
• Start with a p=none policy to identify legitimate senders before enforcing stricter policies.
• Use tools like Valimail to visualize DMARC reports.

 

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Step 02: Format Your Logo File

• Format: SVG file.
• Aspect Ratio: 1:1 (square).
• Background: Solid and non-transparent (white is recommended).
• Structure: Ungroup all layers and avoid linked files.
• Size: Maximum of 32 KB.

Validate the Logo with a Brand Certificate

• Common Mark Certificate (CMC): For unregistered logos.
• Verified Mark Certificate (VMC): For registered trademarks.
• Trusted authorities like DigiCert can manage these validations.

 

Set Up the BIMI Record

• Generate a BIMI DNS record linking your SVG file and brand certificate.
• Tools like BIMI Group can help create this record.

Below is a quick comparison showing the difference between how it looks when using (or not using) BIMI and a branded certificate:

 

Steps to Convert Your Logo to SVG P/S:

1. Prepare Your Logo in Adobe Illustrator

• Ensure your logo is ready in Illustrator, using the latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud.

 

2. Export Your Logo to SVG

• Location: Go to File > Save As.
• Format: Select .svg as the file type.

3. Configure the SVG Tiny 1.2 Profile

In the SVG Options window:

• Choose the SVG Tiny 1.2 profile.

 

4. Set the Image Location

• In the SVG export options, click the drop-down menu next to Image Location and select Keep.
• Click OK to save your file with these settings.

Note: From this point on, you will need to make manual adjustments to the SVG file code.

 

Manual Review and Editing of the SVG Code

• Open the SVG File in a Text Editor
• Use a text editor such as Notepad++ to open your SVG file.

Important: Make sure you can open, edit and save the file without modifying the .svg extension or the file format.

 

Edit and Verify the Code

• Make the necessary adjustments according to BIMI’s SVG P/S specifications.
• Check attributes, remove unnecessary layers and make sure paths are on a single level.
• Remove references to external files or linked images.

Using a TXT editor allows you to display the image TXT file to see if the file code shows the Tiny-PS 1.2 profile information in the baseProfile= and version= elements. This information should be displayed near the top of the file, as shown in the screenshot below:

 

Once you have exported the SVG file from Illustrator, you need to manually adjust certain elements in the code to comply with the SVG Tiny P/S format. Follow the steps below:

1. Update the Base Profile.

Locate the line where the base profile appears as “tiny” and change it to “tiny-ps”. This change ensures compatibility with the BIMI standard.

 

2. Add a <title> Element

Include a title element at the beginning of the file to identify your logo. Place your company name inside this field to make it easier to identify the logo. For example, add something like “Your Company Name” in the title.

 

3. Remove the x= and y= Attributes

If you find attributes like “x” or “y” in the SVG code, remove them. These are not allowed by BIMI certificate standards.

 

4. Remove External Links and Unnecessary Elements

Check the file to make sure it does not contain external references or elements such as scripts or additional interactions that are not necessary. Keep the XML namespaces intact so that the file is valid.

After making these changes, save the file making sure it retains the .svg extension. Use validation tools such as those from BIMI Group to confirm that your file meets all requirements before implementing it.

Okay, now your code should look similar to the following example:

 

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Step 03: Purchase a trademark certificate (BIMI certificate)

After preparing your logo according to the BIMI certificate specifications, the next step is to purchase a brand certificate. This is digital and authenticates your logo, required by email providers such as Gmail to display it on messages sent from your domain. There are two main types:

1.Common Mark Certificate (CMC):

• Ideal if your logo is not registered as a trademark.
• It allows modifications to the logo if it is already a registered trademark.

2. Verified Trademark Certificate (VMC):

• Necessary for logos registered as trademarks or government trademarks.
• Adds a blue check mark in Gmail, similar to social media.
• Key Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Certificate

 

Is your logo registered as a trademark or governmental mark?

• If it is not, you will need a CMC.
• If it is, you can opt for a VMC and get additional benefits such as the blue check mark.

 

Will you use a logo for a single domain or multiple domains?

• For multiple domains, you will need separate certificates for each logo.

 

Do you have variations of the logo?

• Each version of the logo (e.g., regional or holiday logos) will require a unique BIMI certificate.
• Requirements to Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)
• If you choose a VMC, make sure your logo is registered with one of the 17 approved trademark offices.
• If it is not registered, it is recommended to opt for a CMC.

 

Publication of the BIMI Certificate

Certificate Format:
The BIMI certificate must be saved as a .pem file.

 

Certificate Storage:

You can host the file on a public server with a secure URL (HTTPS).
Alternatively, some certificate authorities (such as DigiCert) offer hosting services.

 

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Step 4: Issuing CA Validation

The certificate authority will verify the following before issuing the certificate:

• Legitimacy of your organization.
• Ownership of the sending domain(s).
• Ownership of the logo by: Trademark or government (for VMC) and Use of the logo for at least 12 months or as a modified trademark (for CMC).

 

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Step 5: Set up your BIMI Registry

Create the BIMI TXT Record:

• Include the record in your DNS.
• Easily generate your registry using tools such as those from BIMI Group.

 

Basic Elements of a BIMI Registry:

A typical registry contains the following tags:

• Version Tag (v=): Specifies the version of BIMI used.
• Logo URL Tag (l=): Specifies the secure URL where the logo SVG file is located.
• Assertion Record Tag (a=): Specifies the secure URL of the certificate’s PEM file (for VMC only).

 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I configure DMARC gradually?
  Yes, you can start with a lower percentage and increase it progressively until you reach 100%.

 

• Which Certification Authorities issue BIMI certificates?
  Only DigiCert and Entrust are approved to issue CMCs and VMCs.

 

• Can I get a VMC if my country is not approved by DigiCert?
  No. VMCs are only available in approved countries, but CMCs are available in most other countries.

 

• Do I need a separate certificate for each logo or domain?
  Yes, each logo variation requires its own certificate, and multiple domains may require separate certificates.

Below is a quick overview table to help you determine which type(s) of VMC or CMC you need and how many:

 

With this guide, you will be ready to successfully implement your BIMI logo and enhance your brand identity in emails.

Thanks for reading! If you need more information or support, visit our website or subscribe to our YouTube channel for practical guides and tutorials.

We look forward to helping you achieve your goals!