Email Marketing Acronyms: Essential for Email Deliverability Success

In this video, Steve Robinson dives into the weeds on four acronyms in email marketing that every marketer needs to know. He explains what DNS, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are, and how they affect email deliverability.

Key Points:

  • DNS (Domain Name System): Steve describes DNS as an address book that is public on the internet. It can be used to look up a domain name and get relevant information, such as the server that responds to email requests.
  • SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF is an authorization that specifies which servers can send email for a domain. Steve explains that without SPF or DKIM, anyone can send an email as anybody else, and receiving servers won’t know if it’s legitimate or not.
  • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM does the same thing as SPF, but it uses encryption to prevent spoofing or trickery. Steve notes that it’s currently impossible to trick email servers with fake DKIM information.
  • DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): DMARC is a way to give receiving email servers instructions on how to handle emails that don’t comply with SPF and DKIM. Steve explains that DMARC can be helpful for measuring and understanding email delivery, and can be used to specify what to do with illegitimate emails.

The internet is a vast and complex system that relies on several protocols to ensure its smooth operation. Among the most critical protocols are DNS, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Understanding these protocols is crucial to maintaining a safe and efficient online experience. While there is always the possibility of new threats emerging, the continued development and implementation of protocols like these help to mitigate those risks and ensure the internet remains a reliable tool for communication and commerce.

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