You spend hours crafting emails, perfecting content, and segmenting lists within HubSpot—only for your message to get overlooked in a crowded inbox. That disconnect often comes down to trust. If your email doesn’t immediately appear credible, recipients may never bother to open it.
One underutilized—and highly effective—way to gain instant credibility is through BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). BIMI lets your verified logo appear alongside your emails in supported inboxes like Gmail and Yahoo. It tells people, at a glance, that your messages are legitimate and safe to click.
But setting up BIMI isn’t straightforward. The process touches your DNS records, a VMC, authentication protocols, and your HubSpot setup. If you miss a step or misalign a record, nothing shows up—and marketing performance takes the hit.
This guide walks you through using BIMI with HubSpot, including how it works, where to configure it, step-by-step instructions to set it up, common misfires to avoid, and how to track results in HubSpot’s reporting tools.
Everything HubSpot Users Need to Know About BIMI Branding
BIMI—short for Brand Indicators for Message Identification—is an email specification that allows you to display your official, verified logo next to authenticated emails in recipients’ inboxes. To qualify for BIMI, your domain must be configured with email authentication standards like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. HubSpot relies on your domain’s DMARC records to determine BIMI eligibility.
There’s no BIMI-specific toggle inside HubSpot. Instead, BIMI works through your authenticated sending domain. Once your DNS includes all the necessary BIMI components, HubSpot honors those records when sending emails—meaning your messages can show your logo in compatible inboxes.
Here’s how it all fits together inside HubSpot:
- Domain Settings: Found at Settings > Domains & URLs > Email Sending Domain. This is where you authenticate your domain for HubSpot emails.
- Email Tool: Where you create and send marketing and sales emails.
- CRM Data: Helps track engagement lifts, like higher open and click rates after your BIMI logo goes live.
While HubSpot checks DNS records during domain setup, your brand logo and VMC file are hosted outside the platform. HubSpot facilitates the connection but doesn’t generate or host the necessary files.
How it Works Under the Hood
BIMI connects a verified brand identity with secure, authenticated emails. Here’s the technical breakdown of how it delivers your logo to inboxes:
- Input – Email Authentication Records:
In your DNS settings, configure the foundational records:
1. SPF defines which mail servers can send on your domain’s behalf.
2. DKIM adds an encrypted signature to every outbound email.
3. DMARC ensures alignment between SPF and DKIM and instructs mailbox providers on how to handle failed email messages.
- Input – Verified Mark Certificate (VMC):
A VMC, purchased from a certified authority, validates your brand across inboxes. To be eligible, your logo must already be registered as a trademark. Your SVG logo and VMC file must be hosted on a secure, publicly accessible HTTPS location.
- HubSpot Email Sending:
When HubSpot sends an email using your authenticated domain, mailbox providers examine the DKIM signature and DMARC policy. If everything checks out, the system continues to the next step.
- Output – Logo Display in Inbox:
Once the receiving provider (like Gmail) confirms DMARC compliance and verifies your BIMI record, it fetches your logo and certificate. If valid, your brand logo appears nicely alongside the subject line.
Importantly, BIMI display decisions ultimately rest with the mailbox provider. HubSpot’s role is to send authenticated emails that pass SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. As long as your DNS setup is airtight, HubSpot emails will qualify.
Keep in mind:
- Certificate authorities may require annual VMC renewal.
- If you send emails from different subdomains, each one needs its own SPF/DKIM/DMARC/BIMI chain.
Main Uses Inside HubSpot
Improve Email Trust and Open Rates
Trust is visual and immediate. When users see your logo in Gmail or Yahoo next to an email subject line, they recognize it’s from a legitimate brand—not a spoof. BIMI helps you achieve that trusted-first impression faster.
For example, if you’re running retail campaigns in HubSpot, implementing BIMI could lead to a measurable bump in email performance. Users are more likely to open polished, credible messages from the inbox view alone.
Strengthen Brand Consistency Across Campaigns
BIMI visually extends your brand identity across inboxes, reinforcing consistency before a user even clicks. When paired with HubSpot’s templates and automation—where your tone, colors, and layout stay uniform—BIMI ensures the experience begins the moment your email hits the inbox.
Say you’re a SaaS company sharing regular product updates via HubSpot. With BIMI configured, your subscribers see the same icon or wordmark they associate with your app or website—even if they haven’t opened the message yet.
Support Deliverability and Domain Integrity
Email authentication isn’t just about branding—it’s a frontline defense against spoofing. By implementing BIMI in HubSpot after tightening your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, you show mailbox providers that you take message integrity seriously.
A B2B team, for instance, might roll out BIMI after moving to a “p=reject” DMARC policy. Their internal data then shows a steady decrease in emails landing in spam, and HubSpot metrics confirm more consistent delivery rates due to that strengthened domain trust.
Common Setup Errors and Wrong Assumptions
Spot these missteps early, so your BIMI configuration actually works:
- Missing DMARC Record
No DMARC, no BIMI. For logos to display, your domain needs a DMARC policy of at least “p=quarantine” or “p=reject.” Without it, mailbox providers ignore BIMI records entirely. - Incorrect or Unqualified Logo File
Only SVG Tiny PS files hosted over HTTPS qualify. Using other formats or ignoring size/styling requirements? Your logo won’t display. Stick to the official BIMI specs. - Unlinked or Mislinked VMC Certificate
Forgetting to add the VMC URL or misformatting the BIMI TXT record breaks the chain. Be meticulous when updating DNS syntax. - Mismatch Between Domain and Subdomain
If HubSpot sends mail from a subdomain (like “email.yourdomain.com”), but your BIMI record only applies to the root, your logo won’t display. Check domain alignment carefully before deployment.
Step-by-Step Setup or Use Guide
Before you begin, make sure you:
- Own a trademarked logo
- Have admin access to your domain’s DNS and your HubSpot portal
- Can publicly host SVG and certificate files on HTTPS
Then follow this exact process:
Step 1: Verify your email sending domain in HubSpot.
Inside HubSpot, navigate to Settings > Domains & URLs > Email Sending Domain. Add your domain and follow HubSpot’s steps to authenticate SPF and DKIM.
Step 2: Confirm email authentication in DNS.
Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are live and accurate. You can use tools like MXToolbox or DMARC Analyzer to verify the configuration.
Step 3: Prepare your BIMI-ready logo.
Save and optimize your logo as a compliant SVG Tiny PS file. Host it securely online at a publicly accessible HTTPS URL, such as:
https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg
Step 4: Get a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC).
Request a VMC from a valid authority (like Entrust or DigiCert). Your logo must already be registered as a trademark in a recognized jurisdiction. Once approved, host your VMC file at an accessible HTTPS path.
Step 5: Add BIMI TXT record to your DNS.
Create a TXT record at:
default._bimi.yourdomain.com
With this value:
v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/bimi/vmc.pem
Step 6: Test your BIMI setup.
Use a BIMI inspector tool (like BIMI Inspector from Valimail or Agari) to validate each piece: DMARC alignment, file integrity, and record syntax.
Step 7: Send a test campaign from HubSpot.
Create and send a test email to a Gmail address. It can take a few hours or even days for your logo to appear. Patience is part of the process.
Step 8: Monitor engagement metrics in HubSpot.
Don’t just watch opens—track changes in clicks, deliverability, and inbox placement over the next two weeks.
Measuring Results in HubSpot
You can’t control when or where mailbox providers display your logo—but you can track what happens once they do.
In HubSpot, use these tools:
- Email Performance Reports: Compare open rates and deliverability before and after BIMI implementation. Look for upticks in verified sender recognition.
- Campaign Analytics Dashboards: Group similar campaigns by date, target audience, or subject matter to isolate the BIMI impact.
- Contact Properties + Workflow Segmenting: Filter for contacts with recent opens or clicks. Automatically feed that behavior into engagement-based workflows.
- Dynamic Lists: Build lists of contacts engaging with newly BIMI-enabled campaigns. Use those lists for retargeting or follow-up nurture efforts.
What to monitor:
- Open rate changes pre- vs. post-BIMI
- Spam folder volume reductions
- Stable DMARC alignment results
- Higher click-through or reply rates, indicating increased trust
Revisit these insights monthly. Your BIMI setup isn’t “set it and forget it”—it’s part of your broader email health system.
Short Example That Ties It Together
Let’s say you send a monthly newsletter via HubSpot from “news@yourbrand.com.” Your domain is already set up with SPF, DKIM, and a DMARC policy of “p=reject.” You host your SVG logo publicly via HTTPS and secure a VMC.
After rolling out the BIMI DNS record, you send your next campaign. A few days later, Gmail shows your logo next to your subject line. Inside HubSpot, you compare recent campaigns and spot a healthy jump in open rate. Spam issues drop. Clicks increase.
Now that BIMI is configured, every part of the email experience looks and feels aligned with the brand—from the inbox to the CTA. It’s a lightweight trust signal with heavyweight returns.
How INSIDEA Helps
BIMI setup requires a rare mix of technical accuracy, brand compliance, and DNS expertise. If your DNS records don’t match your HubSpot send domain—or your VMC isn’t validated correctly—your logo won’t appear.
INSIDEA helps you configure BIMI the right way—once. Our experts manage the entire email ecosystem, ensuring domain-level trust is established from the start.
We support clients with:
- HubSpot onboarding: All the right settings from the outset
- Ongoing HubSpot management: Clean domains, clean data, consistent workflows
- Email automation support: Smarter sequences that drive action
- CRM and reporting optimization: See what’s working, align marketing and sales
- Full BIMI configuration and verification: From DNS to VMC to testing
Your brand deserves to be seen and trusted at every digital touchpoint. Let us help you make it happen.
Ready to configure BIMI in HubSpot the right way? Reach out to our team or check out INSIDEA’s HubSpot consulting services.
