Have you been having trouble sending out bulk emails and email blasts recently?

Are you suddenly having deliverability issues with clients and vendors you've been emailing for years?

If so, you're not alone — Google and Yahoo rolled out new DMARC requirements in February, creating headaches. We have heard that many of our small business owner clients and their IT departments are having such headaches.

To investigate this issue, we have leaned on IT expert and long-time TAG peer board member Fred Moore of Moore Computing. Fred has walked us through changes to DMARC and offers advice on how small business owners can get their emails back into the inbox. While DMARC changes have thrown many into a temporary tailspin, the changes represent a move to safer and more secure email communication for all parties.

Let's discuss what small business owners need to know about DMARC, how they can ensure their emails reach customers' inboxes, and how to keep their business digitally secure.

What is DMARC?

Cybersecurity measures are similar to cars: most of us drive one daily, but most are unable to lift the hood and understand exactly how it runs. Most of us rely on cybersecurity measures to keep our businesses safe online, but we may need help understanding the technical elements that keep us safe. That said, all small business owners should have a general background in cybersecurity, and DMARC is a great place to start.

DMARC stands for "Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance." The idea behind DMARC is to limit the volume of scams and phishing on the internet. DMARC works with SPF and DKIM.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a list of services and servers that are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain, and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a digital seal that verifies the content of your email hasn't been altered or tampered with. DKIM is also able to withstand email forwarding, whereas SPF can not.

Senders and Recipients

At its core, DMARC validates the authentication of the sender of an email message. When there are deliverability issues with a message, it usually falls back on the sender. Small business owners know the importance of getting marketing campaign emails and other communications into their customers/clients' inboxes; to accomplish this, it is crucial to follow all protocols to ensure you have the best chances to reach customers' inboxes at an optimal place (i.e., not the spam folder), and avoid spam complaints.

How does your email make its way to recipients? It follows a basic flow:

● The email is composed and sent

● The sending mail server will add DKIM

● The email is sent to the recipient's server

● Validation tests begin, checking DKIM, SPF, and DMARC policies

● The email either passes, is quarantined, or is blocked/deleted

● If the email passes, it goes through the recipient's user filters and inbox rules