Improve Email Deliverability with Verified Mark Certificates

In today’s digital-first world, email remains a critical communication tool for businesses and individuals alike. Email is one of the most widely used communication methods globally, with over 4 billion users and an estimated 347.3 billion emails sent daily in 2023. It’s a powerful medium for businesses to engage with their customers, clients, and prospects. However, with the growing importance of email communication comes significant challenges surrounding security, authenticity, and trust.

Today, email accounts for a large share of cyberattacks, particularly phishing, which remains a persistent threat. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, phishing attacks reached record highs in recent years, with the number of phishing websites detected peaking at over 1 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. This makes email one of the primary targets for malicious actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in digital communication.

For brands, ensuring their emails reach the inbox, are authenticated, and can be trusted is more important than ever. Enter Common Mark Certificates (CMC) and Verified Mark Certificates (VMC), two innovative solutions that enhance trust and improve the credibility of email communication.

The Challenge of Email Authentication

One of the primary challenges with email is that it was built on protocols (such as SMTP) that do not inherently verify the sender’s identity. Over the years, technologies such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) have been developed to mitigate the risks of email spoofing and phishing.

While these technologies provide a layer of email authentication, they aren’t necessarily visible to the end recipient. This makes it difficult for users to distinguish between legitimate emails and those designed to deceive. That’s where Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) comes in – a visual layer that allows companies to display their logo in the recipient’s inbox, helping build immediate trust. To implement BIMI, brands need to meet specific email authentication standards, and this is where Common Mark Certificates (CMC) and Verified Mark Certificates (VMC) play a crucial role.

What is BIMI?

Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is a standard that allows companies to display their brand logo in supported email clients, helping recipients quickly identify and trust the sender. BIMI acts as a visual trust marker by providing a clear and recognizable symbol alongside the email itself, making it harder for malicious actors to impersonate a brand.

To display a brand logo via BIMI, companies must meet specific authentication requirements such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Once these are in place, businesses need to secure either a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) or a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) to validate the ownership of their logo and further protect their email communications.

What are Common Mark Certificates (CMC)?

Common Mark Certificates (CMC) are a foundational step in implementing BIMI. These certificates help validate a company’s email by confirming that the brand owns the logo being displayed and has passed basic email authentication standards such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

CMC certificates ensure that only legitimate businesses can display their logos in email clients that support BIMI. This process not only enhances email security but also improves the visibility of a brand in crowded inboxes. Although CMCs are easier to obtain compared to VMCs, they provide a significant trust factor by enabling businesses to visually authenticate their emails.

What are Verified Mark Certificates (VMC)?

Verified Mark Certificates (VMC) offer a higher level of verification compared to CMCs. While both certificates serve to validate a brand’s logo for use with BIMI, VMCs require the brand to have a registered trademark for their logo. The VMC process involves more stringent verification, including proof of trademark ownership and deeper scrutiny by the certificate authority.

This additional verification step provides even greater security and trust. For example, companies in highly regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce may find the added security of VMCs crucial for building customer confidence. VMCs make it much harder for malicious actors to impersonate a brand, offering a strong defense against phishing attacks and email fraud.

Key Differences Between CMC and VMC

• Logo Ownership
  Both CMC and VMC require the brand to demonstrate ownership of the logo they wish to display in emails. However, VMCs also require the logo to be a registered trademark, while CMCs do not.
• Verification Process
  CMCs provide basic validation by confirming that the brand meets BIMI’s email authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and owns the logo. VMCs undergo a more stringent verification process that includes verifying the legal status of the trademark, making it harder for malicious actors to forge.
• Level of Security
  While both certificates improve email security, VMCs offer a higher level of trust and are more challenging to spoof, making them ideal for businesses that prioritize the highest level of email authentication.

Benefits of Using CMC and VMC

1. Increased Brand Visibility
   BIMI allows brands to display their logo directly in the inbox, making emails more recognizable. This visual branding sets companies apart from competitors and gives recipients confidence that the email is legitimate.
2. Enhanced Trust and Authenticity
   CMC and VMC provide visual indicators that emails are authenticated, reducing the likelihood of phishing attacks. Recipients can easily see a brand’s logo and trust that the email is from a verified source. This increases engagement and helps build long-term trust between businesses and their customers.
3. Improved Email Deliverability
   Emails from authenticated senders are more likely to reach the inbox instead of the spam or junk folder. With BIMI, CMC, and VMC in place, email providers have a clear signal that the sender is legitimate, improving email deliverability and engagement metrics. 
4. Competitive Advantage
   In an overcrowded inbox, having your brand’s logo displayed can make a significant difference. Emails with verified logos stand out and give the sender a competitive advantage, as recipients are more likely to open and engage with those emails.

Real-World Applications of CMC and VMC

1. Financial Institutions
   Banks and financial institutions often face phishing attacks. By adopting VMCs, these institutions can ensure their emails are trusted and secure. The visual logo next to the email acts as a trust signal, helping customers differentiate between legitimate communications and potential threats.
2. E-commerce and Retail
   For e-commerce businesses, email marketing plays a critical role in driving sales. Implementing CMC or VMC helps these companies increase open rates, build customer trust, and improve deliverability by ensuring that their emails stand out from the competition. 
3. Healthcare Providers
   Healthcare providers handle sensitive patient data, making email security paramount. By adopting VMCs, they can ensure that sensitive information sent via email is trusted by patients and partners, minimizing the risk of phishing and fraud.

The Future of Email Authentication

As cyber threats evolve, so too will the solutions designed to combat them. CMC and VMC represent just the beginning of a broader movement to enhance email security and brand trust. In the coming years, we can expect to see greater adoption of BIMI and the associated certificates as email clients increasingly support these technologies.

Why You Should Consider Adopting CMC or VMC

Email security and deliverability are critical to any business’s success, especially in today’s digital-first world. Adopting CMC or VMC offers a way to increase brand visibility, boost email engagement, and build trust with your audience. In a world where phishing attacks and email fraud are growing more sophisticated, these certificates provide an essential layer of protection.

By adopting these technologies, your brand can create a more secure, trusted, and engaging email experience for your recipients.

Ready to Make the Move?

If you’re ready to take your email strategy to the next level, now is the time to explore implementing BIMI with a Common Mark Certificate or Verified Mark Certificate. Start by improving your email authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and take the step towards full verification to boost your brand’s email trustworthiness and engagement.

Schedule a deliverability consultation today to discover how a Common Mark Certificate or Verified Mark Certificate can help improve your email deliverability, security, and engagement.