{"id":4392,"date":"2021-06-14T09:16:51","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T07:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lowgravitysolutions.com\/?p=4392"},"modified":"2021-06-15T18:02:28","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T16:02:28","slug":"setting-up-dmarc-spf-dkim-mailchimp-klaviyo-avoid-spam-folder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lowgravitysolutions.com\/setting-up-dmarc-spf-dkim-mailchimp-klaviyo-avoid-spam-folder","title":{"rendered":"Setting Up Your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM In MailChimp & Klaviyo to Avoid the Spam Folder"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Making sure your domain is set up properly is the first step to avoiding your emails ending up in the spam folder. The three things you really need to be concerned with if you\u2019re planning on using MailChimp or Klaviyo are your SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and then you can publish your DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019ll be discussing what exactly each of these things are, why you need to set them up, and how to do it in MailChimp<\/a> and Klaviyo<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Full disclosure on this post: it\u2019s fairly technical, and while I do walk you through step by step, if you\u2019re not comfortable getting set up, LGS can do it for you<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Sender Policy Framework (SPF)<\/span><\/h2>\n

Why you should care about SPF:<\/span><\/h3>\n

SPF records tell a receiving email server that your domain is legit and that it\u2019s okay to accept your email to their inbox. Without setting this up, your domain can be <\/span>spoofed<\/span><\/a> (someone can <\/span><\/i>pretend<\/span><\/i> to send emails as you) <\/span><\/i>and damage your brand and reputation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s like going to an invitation-only event and not having one or any other kind of identification. Then the bouncer looks at you, laughs, and tells you to step aside and go home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting up SPF in MailChimp<\/span><\/h3>\n

MailChimp have removed SPF, and instead use two layers of DKIM which I will talk about a little further down. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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How to set up SPF in Klaviyo<\/span><\/h3>\n

In Klaviyo, setting up an SPF record means <\/span>creating a dedicated domain<\/span><\/a> for sending out your email. The steps below outline how to do this in Klaviyo.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. In Klaviyo > Go to your account name > open the Account page<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Go to Settings > \u201cDomains and Hosting\u201d > Click on \u2018Get Started\u2019 under Dedicated Sending Domain<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

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3. Input your domain and subdomain name > click \u201cContinue\u201d and a new pop-up will have a list of all the DNS records needed to create\/edit your DNS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Go to your DNS hosting provider > Create new DNS records that match the ones given to you by Klaviyo<\/span><\/p>\n

Note<\/i><\/b>: In Klaviyo you need to set up your DKIM during this process before you can verify your domain, so I\u2019ll move onto that now.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)<\/span><\/h2>\n

What is DKIM?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Your DKIM is like stamping a unique signature on your email to verify who you are. Just like a fingerprint. It does this by creating two authentication keys: a private one in your SMTP (Sender Mail Transfer Protocol), and the other in a public DNS zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, when you send out an email, it\u2019s sent with your email domain\u2019s private key. Once your receiver gets your mail, they verify the authenticity of your key by comparing it to the one on the public server. Once it\u2019s verified, with no falsifying or tampering, you\u2019re allowed to go to the inbox.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t set up your DKIM, much like SPF, someone can pretend to be you and spoof your account.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to set up DKIM in MailChimp<\/span><\/h3>\n
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  1. In MailChimp go to \u2018Website\u2019 > \u2018Domains\u2019 > Click authenticate<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This will give you the domain information you need in a pop-up window. Including the CNAME records you will need to create.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n