If email marketing were a party, BIMI would be the name tag that not only tells people who you are but also makes you look way cooler than everyone else in the room. BIMI – which stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification (pronounced: Bih-mee) – is the new(ish) kid on the email authentication block. In simple terms, it’s a way for your company’s logo to show up right next to your emails in your recipient’s inbox. Think of it as your profile picture, but for your brand’s email messages.
Sounds fancy, right? Let’s break it down so it’s not just “another tech acronym” you feel like you should understand but secretly don’t.
BIMI is like a VIP pass that says, “Yes, this email really came from us and here’s our official logo to prove it.” It works by building on top of existing email authentication standards you may have heard of: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (the security bouncers at the email club). If those are set up correctly and DMARC is at a strict enough policy (must be p=quarantine or p=reject), BIMI can display your verified logo in email clients that support it (like Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo, and a few others).
To make it happen, you need:
Why would you go through the trouble? Well, here’s why:
1. Brand recognition on steroids
Every time someone sees your logo in their inbox, it reinforces your brand. It’s like free billboard space in the busiest street in town – their email feed.
2. Instant trust boost
People are naturally more likely to open an email if they recognize and trust the sender. Seeing your logo next to your name signals legitimacy and reduces that “Hmm… is this spam?” hesitation. Also, Gmail displays a blue checkmark next to the sender’s name when the sender has authenticated both their email and brand logo using the BIMI protocol paired with a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). This indicates to recipients that the sender genuinely owns the domain and logo—helping users distinguish legitimate messages from impersonators. This visual verification builds on BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) by adding an extra layer of trust, leveraging strong email authentication to enhance security and brand recognition in Gmail:
3. Competitive edge
Let’s be honest, most brands still don’t use BIMI – just look at your Gmail inbox sometime. Showing your logo where your competitors don’t, can give you a subtle edge.
4. Better engagement (potentially)
While BIMI itself doesn’t guarantee higher open rates, the trust and brand recognition it builds can tip the scales in your favor.
Will adding BIMI improve my inbox deliverability and reputation?
BIMI by itself will not directly improve your deliverability or sender reputation. Deliverability & sender reputation are primarily determined by your sending behavior – things like complaint rates, spam trap hits, list hygiene, bounce rates, and sending to engaged recipients. BIMI is purely a visual trust signal layered on top of existing authentication. It doesn’t change how mailbox providers score your sending reputation.
That being said, BIMI may indirectly help: The presence of your logo can increase brand awareness and recipient trust, which could mean higher open rates. Higher engagement (opens, clicks) and lower spam complaints can improve your sender reputation over time. BIMI can also reassure mailbox providers that you are a legitimate brand, which might help in edge cases – but it’s not a magic fix.
Before you run out and grab your digital toolbox, it’s helpful to be aware of a few considerations.
1. Setup costs The Verified Mark Certificate alone can run $1,000–$1,500 per year. (Note: Yahoo does not require VMC and Gmail will also accept CMC as an alternative but does require VMC to display the Blue Checkmark.)
2. Time & technical expertise BIMI isn’t a “click one button and you’re done” project. You’ll need:
If that all sounds like alphabet soup, you’ll probably need outside help, check out BIMI Group’s Implementation Guide for guidance.
3. Limited email client support Not all inbox providers display BIMI yet. Your logo will look amazing in Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Fastmail and Apple, but some others will show nothing. Here is a current list of providers that support BIMI as well as those considering implementation: https://bimigroup.org.
4. Ongoing monitoring Authentication settings can break if someone updates DNS records incorrectly. You’ll need to monitor BIMI, DMARC, and your email deliverability over time to ensure your logo keeps showing.
BIMI, along with Gmail’s Blue Checkmark, is like dressing your email marketing in a sharp, tailored suit. It makes you stand out, look professional, and earn trust before the recipient even opens your message. But it’s not a magic bullet, it’s not free, and it’s not effortless.
You’ll need a good logo, solid authentication, and a willingness to maintain it over time.
If you’re a brand that sends a lot of emails and wants to boost credibility, BIMI can be worth every penny.
Bottom line: BIMI won’t fix bad email content or poor sending practices, but paired with great marketing, it can help you make a great first impression and create brand awareness that can create loyal customers. Need more information? Let’s talk about it.
John D. Bollinger is an email deliverability expert with over 20 years of experience helping brands maximize their ROI through ethical, data-driven email practices. He has led deliverability and compliance teams at leading ESPs and actively contributes to industry groups like M³AAWG and ESPC and is a frequent writer on email best practices. He loves dogs, enjoys cooking and BBQing, and spending time with family and friends.