Digital Marketing Terms
Everything you need to know about email and digital marketing
Trying to decode some corporate email jargon? We got you. The Reply Two glossary spells out most digital marketing terms in language we can all understand.
Allowlist
An email allowlist is a pre-approved list of trusted senders that bypasses standard filtering. It ensures your emails land in subscribers' inboxes rather than spam or promotions folders. Every major email provider (Gmail, Microsoft, Apple) uses allowlists, as do most companies and ESPs.
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DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is your newsletter's digital signature that proves emails actually came from you, not some sketchy impersonator. It works by adding an invisible cryptographic signature that receiving servers can verify. Your DKIM record in your DNS proves you're legit so you can skip the spam folder.
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DNS (Domain Name System) acts like the internet's phone book. It translates human-friendly domain names (acme.com) into computer-friendly IP addresses that computers use to find each other. For email, DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC tell receiving servers your emails are legit. Key email-related DNS records include: A: Points your domain to a specific IP address MX: Directs incoming mail to your mail server TXT: Stores text information, used for SPF and other verifications SPF: Lists authorized email senders for your domain DKIM: Adds a digital signature to verify email authenticity DMARC: Sets policies for how receivers handle authentication failures CNAME: Creates domain aliases, often used for ESP verification
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A dedicated IP is a unique Internet Protocol address used exclusively by one sender for email distribution. Unlike shared IPs where multiple senders use the same address ranges, a dedicated IP gives you complete control over your sending reputation.
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Shared IP means your newsletter sends from an IP address used by multiple senders through your email service provider. It's like sharing an apartment building's mailing address with other tenants. Your reputation depends partly on how well your neighbors behave with their sending practices.
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Two-factor authentication is your newsletter's bouncer at the door. Password? Great. Now show me your phone's temporary code too. It's like having two locks instead of one. Your password might be "ryangosling123", (hope not), but without that second verification from your phone, hackers have a harder time breaking in.
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