Summary
Experts and marketers overwhelmingly recommend separating transactional and marketing emails using distinct domains, subdomains, or IP addresses. This segregation protects sender reputation, enabling swift identification and resolution of deliverability issues and preventing marketing problems from impacting crucial transactional emails. Using subdomains provides greater control over reputation management and facilitates traffic segmentation. Technical documentation highlights that separation aids sender identification, authentication, deliverability testing, and independent performance tracking. Maintaining separate email streams also ensures the prompt delivery of important notifications.
Key findings
- Enhanced Reputation: Separating email streams safeguards sender reputation, leading to improved deliverability.
- Problem Isolation: Segmentation allows for quick identification and resolution of deliverability issues affecting one email type without impacting others.
- Control and Tracking: Subdomains and separate IPs offer increased control over reputation and streamline traffic segmentation, while allowing independent tracking of performance.
- Improved Delivery: Separating email types ensures timely delivery of vital transactional notifications and assists with bulk mail deliverability.
- Authentication Benefits: Email separation improves sender identification and authentication processes.
Key considerations
- Domain/Subdomain/IP Choice: Decide whether to use separate domains, subdomains, or dedicated IP addresses based on resources, infrastructure, and the level of isolation required.
- Whitelisting Considerations: Changing the 'From' address might affect whitelisting, however, if email engagement is high, this may not be an issue.
- Proper Authentication: Ensure the SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings are properly configured for each domain, subdomain, or IP address to guarantee optimal deliverability.
- Continuous Monitoring: Monitor the reputation of each domain, subdomain, or IP address frequently, and promptly address any deliverability concerns.
- Base Domain Usage: Consider the domain usage. If a base domain is used for employees, separate subdomains may be preferable.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
The consensus among email marketers is that separating transactional and marketing emails, either through different domains or subdomains, is a best practice. This approach safeguards sender reputation, allowing for swift identification and resolution of deliverability issues. Isolating email types prevents marketing-related deliverability problems from impacting critical transactional emails. Segmentation offers enhanced control over reputation management and simplifies traffic analysis. Furthermore, separating email streams ensures timely delivery of important notifications.
Key opinions
- Reputation Protection: Separating email types shields sender reputation, crucial for deliverability.
- Issue Isolation: Segmentation allows quick identification and resolution of deliverability problems affecting one email type (e.g., marketing) without impacting others (e.g., transactional).
- Control and Analysis: Subdomains provide increased control over reputation management and simplify traffic segmentation.
- Timely Delivery: Separation ensures prompt delivery of important transactional notifications.
Key considerations
- Domain vs. Subdomain: Decide whether to use separate domains or subdomains based on resource availability and level of isolation required.
- Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor the reputation of each domain/subdomain to identify and address deliverability issues proactively.
- Authentication: Properly configure email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for each domain/subdomain to improve deliverability.
- Content Quality: Maintain high-quality content in both transactional and marketing emails to avoid triggering spam filters.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Medium says, "Never, ever send transactional emails from your marketing domain."
7 Sep 2021 - Medium
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus shares using subdomains gives you more control over reputation management, and enables you to more easily segment your traffic.
29 Apr 2023 - Litmus
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts recommend separating marketing and transactional email streams for improved reputation management and deliverability. If a base domain is used for employee email, isolating marketing and transactional emails on subdomains keeps non-1:1 communication separate. However, changing the 'From' address may impact existing whitelisting, although this is less of a concern if recipients generally welcome the mail.
Key opinions
- Reputation Management: Separating email streams enhances reputation management.
- Domain Organization: When the base domain hosts employee email, using subdomains for marketing and transactional emails organizes communication types.
- Potential Whitelisting Impact: Changing the 'From' address may affect existing customer whitelisting.
Key considerations
- Existing Domain Structure: Assess whether the base domain is primarily used for employee email.
- Whitelisting: Consider the potential impact on existing whitelisting agreements with recipients.
- Recipient Engagement: If emails are generally welcomed by recipients, the impact of address changes may be minimal.
- Deliverability: Separating email steams should improve overall deliverability
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that if a base domain is used for employee email addresses, it may be better to move marketing and transactional emails to their own subdomains to keep non-1:1 email separate.
12 May 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that changing the From: address may cause you to lose any customer-specific whitelisting you may have had, however, if your mail is generally welcomed it shouldn’t be a problem.
24 Apr 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Technical documentation consistently recommends separating transactional and marketing emails. This separation can be achieved through distinct IP addresses or domains to preserve the reputation of each email type. Maintaining separate email streams helps with sender identification, authentication, and facilitates better deliverability testing and performance tracking.
Key findings
- Reputation Maintenance: Separate IP addresses or domains help preserve the reputation of transactional and marketing emails.
- Sender ID & Authentication: Email separation supports effective sender identification and authentication.
- Deliverability Testing: Isolating email types simplifies the process of testing deliverability.
- Performance Tracking: Dedicated IP addresses enable independent tracking of transactional and marketing email performance.
Key considerations
- IP Address vs. Domain Separation: Decide whether to use separate IP addresses, separate domains, or a combination based on infrastructure and budget.
- Authentication Setup: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for each domain/IP address to ensure optimal deliverability.
- Monitoring and Analysis: Implement tools to monitor the deliverability and engagement metrics of each email stream separately.
- Scalability: Consider the scalability of your chosen solution as your email volume grows.
Technical article
Documentation from Amazon Web Services recommends using separate, dedicated IP addresses for transactional and marketing emails to maintain deliverability and track performance independently.
10 Oct 2021 - Amazon Web Services
Technical article
Documentation from MxToolbox answers separating marketing and transactional emails enables you to better test for email deliverability issues.
16 Jan 2024 - MxToolbox
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