With the digital sphere becoming more integral to our work, it’s crucial we stay abreast of changes that impact how we connect with our couples and our industry. Today, I want to demystify a term that’s been floating around and is about to become even more significant: DMARC.

Starting February 2024, the email authentication protocols – DMARC, along with SPF and DKIM, will shift from best practice to a requirement, especially for those sending hefty email volumes. But before you dismiss this as “techy stuff” not applicable to you, let me tell you, this is just the start. Even if you’re not sending 5,000 emails daily, Google and Yahoo’s revised guidelines are a heads-up for all of us with a domain name to get our ducks in a row.

Why Can’t You Ignore DMARC?

Email is a lifeline in our business. We connect, confirm, and celebrate through it. If you’ve ever had an email bounce back or, worse, not reach a client at all, you know the frustration and potential for missed opportunities. That’s where DMARC comes in. It’s like the bouncer at the club, ensuring only the VIPs (legit emails) get through and keeping the party-crashers (phishing and spam) out.

The Benefits of DMARC for Your Celebrancy

DMARC isn’t just another hoop to jump through. It’s a protective shield for your brand’s reputation. By implementing it, you:

  • Boost Email Deliverability: Your legitimate emails won’t be mistaken for spam.
  • Protect Your Brand: Prevent scammers from using your domain to send malicious emails.
  • Gain Visibility: You’ll see who is sending emails on behalf of your domain.
  • Build Trust: Couples and vendors will know your communications are secure, enhancing trust.

What’s DNS?

Domain Name System (DNS) is the system that tells your web browser that https://celebrant.institute is actually a website hosted at 110.232.143.87 and your email software that if you want to send email to someone @celebrant.institute then it should send that mail to aspmx.l.google.com, our mail exchange server.

What’s SPF?

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a validation system that allows ISPs (Telstra, Aussie Broadband, Optus etc) and webmail servers (Gmail, Yahoo, etc) to check if the mail message has been sent from an authorised server.

So you most likely don’t have your own email server, we don’t, we have a few for different purposes. This email was sent from [email protected] but not only did we not send the email from the celebrant.institute mail server, we outsourced it to Buttondown who outsources it to Mailgun.

SPF is some metadata we put in our DNS record to let your email software know that we authorise Mailgun to send email on our behalf.

What’s DKIM?

The acronym DKIM stands for “Domain Keys Identified Mail”. It is an encryption authentication method that is used by many ISPs to establish if the email originated from an authorised system and prevents spammers from stealing the identity of legitimate entities.

What’s DMARC?

DMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is an email authentication protocol that enhances the security of email communication by preventing email spoofing and phishing attacks.

How Will You Be Impacted?

If you own a domain from which you send emails, this change affects you. The last thing you want is your beautifully crafted wedding confirmations getting snagged in spam filters or impersonators souring your good name.

How should you respond?

There’s never been a better time to get your own domain name – like iamareallycoolcelebrant.com.au – if you don’t already I recommend Aussie company, VentraIP, then to use a really good email host like Melbourne’s Fastmail to host your actual email – and follow all their setup guides – and then if you do bulk emailing like we do, call it email marketing or email letters to all clients, I recommend Buttondown.

“I’m Not Tech-Savvy, What Now?”

Fear not! I’m not just here to preach; I’m here to guide. If terms like SPF and DKIM sound like alphabet soup, and the thought of tinkering with your domain’s DNS settings gives you the heebie-jeebies, we’ve got you.

At the Celebrant Institute, we’re all about empowering and equipping. If setting up DMARC feels daunting, reach out. We’ll help you step by step, ensuring your email communication is as reliable and trustworthy as your service. Because at the end of the day, it’s about making sure our connections – digital or otherwise – are authentic and secure, allowing us to focus on what we do best: creating memorable ceremonies.

Let’s not wait until this becomes a fire drill. Reach out if you need help, and let’s get your email security sorted. Your brand, your peace of mind, and your clients deserve it.