In the era of privacy-centric marketing brands are focusing on
direct communication; dominantly an email. With overflowing inboxes
and phishing scams, email branding and authentication have never
been more important. Showing your company logo (and demonstrating
that it’s been verified) next to your email messages can help your
business.
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Establish credibility
Recipients recognize at a glance that your email is genuinely from
your brand.
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Increase engagement
A recognizable logo increases the likelihood that subscribers will
open and interact with your emails.
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Enhance deliverability
Email providers reward authenticated senders with improved chances
of landing in the inbox rather than the spam folder.
Below, we explore various methods to elevate your brand’s visibility
and trustworthiness in email, starting with BIMI—the industry-wide
standard—then Apple’s approach, Outlook’s features, and other
branding options.
BIMI: Brand indicators for message identification
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification)
is an emerging industry-standard solution designed to help your
verified logo appear next to your emails in participating inboxes
(like Gmail, Yahoo, Fastmail, and more). Here’s how it works:
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DMARC enforcement
BIMI requires you to have a valid DMARC (Domain-based Message
Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) policy in enforcement
mode (p=quarantine or p=reject). You must also have SPF (Sender
Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) correctly
configured.
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SVG logo and VMC
You’ll need an specific type of SVG file of your logo, formatted
per BIMI guidelines. A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), issued by
a certificate authority (at the time of writing only DigiCert and
Entrust issue these at annual price tag of approximately €1300),
further authenticates that you own the trademark and the brand
assets. For some mail services VMC is not mandatory in order to
display a logo, but implementing in increases deliverability as
VMC certified email messages bypass some checking mechanisms. So
it is highly advisable to go for Verified Mark Certificate.
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DNS configuration
Once you have the above components, you publish a BIMI record in
your DNS. When emails pass DMARC checks, participating email
clients display your approved logo, letting recipients know this
email is genuinely from your brand.
Benefits of BIMI
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Cross-platform visibility
As BIMI adoption grows, your logo can appear in multiple email
clients.
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Phishing mitigation
Your verified logo helps recipients distinguish legitimate
messages from phishing attempts.
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Improved brand recall
Reinforces brand identity with every inbox impression.
Apple’s Email Branding: Business Connect
While Apple has not officially labelled it “BIMI,” they’ve
introduced similar functionality through Apple Business Connect.
This program allows businesses to:
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Verify ownership
Confirm your brand identity so Apple recognizes you as the
official owner of the business. This can be done through
documentation upload or DNS record verification. The process takes
several days.
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Upload logo & Business info
Through Business Connect, you submit image of your brand’s logo
and metadata. These details can appear on Apple Maps, in Siri
responses, and importantly, in Apple Mail, where a verified
sender’s brand logo may be showcased.
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Apple ecosystem focus
Currently, the branding feature is exclusive to Apple’s native
Mail app on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. If a large portion of
your customer base uses Apple devices, this is a valuable tool for
standing out in their inboxes.
Benefits of Apple Business Connect
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Direct Apple integration
If your audience is heavily on Apple devices, you gain immediate
trust in the native Mail app.
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Consistent branding
Aligns your Apple maps listing, Siri responses, and email branding
for a unified presence.
Microsoft Outlook: verified logos and BIMI
Microsoft is also moving toward adopting BIMI, and Outlook has
implemented several features for verified senders:
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Outlook BIMI support
Microsoft announced BIMI support for online service outlook.com,
and it’s in various stages of rollout. Setting up BIMI for your
domain ensures your logo appears in Outlook for validated
messages—just as it does for Gmail or Yahoo.
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Microsoft 365 verified sender program
For enterprise users, Microsoft 365 offers a Verified Sender
Program that can display organization details in Outlook.
Verification typically involves strong email authentication (SPF,
DKIM, DMARC) and adherence to Microsoft’s compliance rules.
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Branding in Microsoft Dynamics 365
If you use Dynamics 365 Marketing, you can embed logos and brand
elements in email templates. While these are not header-level
logos like BIMI or Apple’s verified logos, they still deliver a
consistent branded experience in the email body.
Other Considerations & Platforms
Yahoo, Gmail, and Fastmail
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Yahoo and Gmail are among the
earliest adopters of BIMI. If your brand has implemented BIMI
correctly, your logo will appear in these inboxes.
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Fastmail also supports BIMI, further expanding
your brand’s reach.
Email Service Providers (ESPs)
Popular ESPs (e.g., Mailchimp, SendGrid, Campaign Monitor) while not
supporting incoming mail inboxes, can assist you with setting up
DMARC and preparing for BIMI. Check if your ESP provides advanced
tools or guidance to streamline the authentication process.
Manual branding
Even if you’re not ready to set up BIMI or other verification
methods, you can include your logo within the email body—in the
header design or signature block. Although it doesn’t provide the
same level of verification, it still offers consistent branding.
Conclusion
As email continues to be a primary channel for customer engagement,
ensuring you have both strong authentication and visible brand
elements is key to building trust and boosting deliverability.
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Start with BIMI
It’s the broadest standard, helping your verified logo appear in
Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Fastmail, and more.
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Leverage Apple Business Connect
If a chunk of your audience uses Apple devices, take advantage of
Apple’s native branding mechanism.
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Explore Outlook verified icons
Microsoft’s BIMI support and Verified Sender Program can further
reinforce trust for Outlook users.
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Consider Other Platforms
Each major email provider has unique features; aligning with these
can help your brand stand out everywhere.
By using these tools and strategies—properly authenticating your
domain, securing a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), and registering
for Apple or Outlook’s brand programs—your company can project
legitimacy and consistency in most inboxes. Not only does this
create a better experience for your recipients, but it also helps
ensure your messages reliably land in the inbox, boosting engagement
and loyalty.
Ready to take your email branding to the next level?
Contact us
today, and we’ll help you implement these
strategies to ensure your logo stands out in every inbox!
