While email marketing plays a key role in brand building, it has become more challenging than ever. Emails may go unnoticed among the others in the inboxes. Then there are phishing and spoofing attempts. And yes, the infamous spam folder and a thousand other challenges that businesses tackle every day.
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) overview
Enter BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). It is an email authentication standard that lets businesses show their official logo next to email messages in recipients’ inboxes. It also works with standard protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance).
If an email meets all BIMI requirements, it will show the brand’s logo instead of the default avatar or initial. Here’s a breakdown of its other important advantages:
- Enhanced brand visibility: Your company’s logo shows up in inboxes, making sure that you maintain brand image and that your branding is uniform.
- Increased email trust: Recipients are more likely to have trust in emails that show the brand from which they come.
- Enhanced email deliverability: Since BIMI helps create a trusted brand presence in an inbox, it is less likely that a serious email from a company will land in the spam folder.
4 ways implementing BIMI boosts brand recognition
The average office worker receives 121 emails per day. So it’s really difficult for businesses to stand out. Implementing BIMI is a game-changer in this regard since it gives brands a solution to be recognizable in a full inbox.
Increases brand exposure
BIMI ensures that your brand logo appears next to your email messages in Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Fastmail. This visual reinforcement increases exposure and helps your brand stay top of mind with recipients. A study by Red Sift reports BIMI adoption can lead to a 21% increase in open rates—because recipients are more likely to engage with an email that looks legitimate and recognizable.
Imagine receiving two emails about a discount offer—one from a generic sender name and another from Nike, with its iconic swoosh logo displayed. Most users would go for the one with a clear brand identity, and that’s exactly how BIMI works.
Consistent branding
Studies show that consistent branding across all channels can increase revenue by up to 23%. BIMI helps businesses to ensure that their logo remains consistent across different email providers.
Apple ensures its branding is seamless—whether it’s an ad, a website, or an email, Apple is easily recognizable. BIMI enables businesses to achieve this same level of branding continuity by making their email communication visually aligned with other brand assets.
Enhanced trust and engagement
Getting recipients to open and engage with your messages is one of the most significant hurdles. That is the reason why so many marketers will spend so much time on the perfect subject line and perfect email. Because of BIMI, users will see your verified brand logo in their mailbox. The uncertainty about whether the email is spam or legitimate reduces.
Verizon Media found that emails displaying brand logos see up to a 10% increase in engagement rates compared to those without.
Early adoption gives you an edge and a competitive advantage
Despite its benefits, BIMI adoption is still somehow new. Many businesses haven’t implemented it yet, giving early adopters a significant edge over competitors in terms of visibility and trust. Check BIMI Radar and you will be surprised at the readiness levels.
4 ways implementing BIMI boosts email deliverability
Email marketers face a constant challenge: getting emails delivered to the inbox instead of the spam folder. As email providers continue to ramp up security, businesses will need to demonstrate that their emails are legitimate, trustworthy and meaningful to recipients.
BIMI, although recognised widely for its brand recognition benefits, also plays a large part in improving deliverability by enforcing email authentication, supporting spam reduction and improving sender reputation. Here, we’ll detail the specific ways BIMI boosts email deliverability, and why it’s something businesses should adopt today.
Enhanced email authentication
A constant struggle faced by email marketers: having emails delivered to the inbox rather than to the spam or promotions folder. As email providers elevate the security levels to new heights, businesses need to prove their emails are genuine, credible and valuable to recipients.
It’s dependent on strict email authentication protocols—most specifically DMARC enforcement (policies set to “quarantine” or “reject”). This lets email providers such as Gmail and Yahoo! Know that your emails are sent from an authorized source and not impersonators or spammers. Without DMARC, even genuine emails from you could be marked suspicious.
Without DMARC, your emails could be flagged as suspicious, even if they are legitimate.
Lower spam risks
One of the main tasks of email marketers is avoiding spam filters. BIMI helps businesses build a positive sender reputation, reducing the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam.
Since BIMI requires SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, your domain is less likely to be used for phishing or spoofing. When email providers see that your domain is properly authenticated, they are less likely to route your emails to the spam folder.
Higher open rates
Emails that include a visible brand logo through BIMI are more likely to be opened than those with a generic sender icon. When recipients instantly recognize the sender, they feel more confident about opening the email. Higher open rates directly contribute to better engagement and stronger email performance.
Better engagement metrics
Email providers track sender reputation based on engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints. Higher open rates and lower spam complaints signal to email providers that your emails are valuable and wanted. Over time, email services prioritize your emails for inbox placement because they recognize your domain as trusted.
5 steps to start implementing BIMI for your brand
Step 1: Ensure your domain has DMARC set up
- Your domain must have a DMARC policy of “quarantine” or “reject” for BIMI to work.
- Set up SPF and DKIM alongside DMARC for proper email authentication.
Step 2: Create and host a BIMI-compatible logo
- The logo must be in SVG format and meet BIMI specifications.
- Host it on a secure HTTPS server.
Step 3: Publish a BIMI TXT record in your DNS
- This record tells email providers where to find your logo.
- Example BIMI DNS record: default._bimi.yourdomain.com TXT “v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/certificate.pem”
Step 4: Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)
- Some email providers require a VMC to confirm logo ownership.
- VMCs can be obtained from DigiCert or Entrust.
Step 5: Test and monitor your BIMI implementation
- Use BIMI testing tools to validate your setup.
- Monitor email engagement rates and deliverability metrics.
How combining BIMI and Warmy.io can transform your brand and business
BIMI helps in enhancing brand trust, authentication, and visibility in email inboxes. However, depending on BIMI alone is not enough to guarantee that your emails consistently land in the inbox. That’s where Warmy comes in.
Warmy is an AI-powered email deliverability platform that ensures your emails avoid spam filters, build sender reputation, and maintain high inbox placement rates. By integrating BIMI with Warmy, businesses can maximize their email marketing impact while ensuring that their authentication efforts lead to real, tangible results.
Here’s exactly how Warmy and BIMI work together and why businesses that implement both will have a competitive advantage in email marketing.
Warmy ensures your emails land in the inbox, not spam
BIMI helps businesses display their brand logo, but email providers still use complex algorithms to determine whether an email reaches the inbox or is flagged as spam. Warmy’s email warmup technology ensures your domain builds credibility, so your BIMI-authenticated emails consistently reach recipients.
Essentially, as Warmy gradually increases your email sending volume, your sender reputation becomes more positive. When you land in inboxes, BIMI then helps receivers visually authenticate your emails.
Warmy’s free deliverability test tells it like it is
Warmy’s free email deliverability test shows you the percentages of emails that make it into spam, promotions, inbox, etc. It will also show you if your domain or IP has been blacklisted—and where. Think of it as a great starting point to your email deliverability journey because you get to uncover what’s working and what’s not.
Warmy’s email warmup aligns with BIMI’s trust-building approach
BIMI helps businesses appear more legitimate in inboxes, but email providers still track engagement signals to determine whether emails are trusted. Warmy uses real mailboxes (not fake accounts) to warm up emails, creating authentic engagement that aligns with BIMI’s trust-based model.
For example, here are some of Warmy’s trust-building features that enhance BIMI:
- Uses real email interactions (up to 5,000 emails per day) to increase engagement and avoid spam filters. Warmy’s Seed Lists generate authentic engagement and faster warmups and better inbox placement—this means avoiding both the dreaded spam and promotions folders.
- Mimics human behavior, ensuring emails are marked as “read,” “important,” or replied to—boosting reputation.
- Automatically archives warmup emails, keeping inboxes clean while improving sender reputation.
Warmy’s SPF Generator helps authenticate email servers and DMARC Generator creates DMARC policies for domain protection. BIMI requires these records, and your business will also benefit from them anyway.
Final thoughts: Why BIMI + Warmy is the ultimate email deliverability combo
If your emails don’t reach the inbox, they can’t generate conversions. If recipients don’t trust your brand, they won’t engage with your messages. This is where the powerful combination of BIMI and Warmy transforms the way businesses approach email marketing.
BIMI is a groundbreaking authentication protocol that boosts brand trust, recognition, and email security by displaying your logo in recipients’ inboxes. However, BIMI alone doesn’t guarantee inbox placement. It only provides a way for recipients to visually authenticate your emails once they are already in their inbox. So how to be sure the emails will land in the target inboxes? You need Warmy’s AI-driven email deliverability solutions.
To summarize:
🔴 BIMI authenticates your brand.
✅ Warmy ensures those emails land in the inbox.
🔴 BIMI builds trust with recipients.
✅ Warmy optimizes engagement and sender reputation.
🔴 BIMI makes it easy for customers to recognize your emails.
✅ Warmy ensures those emails aren’t marked as spam.
Implement BIMI with Warmy today and take your email marketing success to the next level. Sign up for a free trial today.
