Configuring Emails for Communication

Configuring Emails for Communication

Overview

Email communication plays a crucial role in engaging with prospects, students, and customers, ensuring smooth interactions and professional outreach. With Meritto's integration with SendGrid, you can authenticate your emails, improve deliverability, and maintain a branded email presence. Setting up an email account in Meritto allows you to:

  1. Send secure, authenticated emails that land in the inbox, not spam.
  2. Improve domain reputation through proper domain authentication.
  3. Customize branded links to match your organization’s identity.
  4. Manage sender details and unsubscription preferences effectively.

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to setting up and configuring a SendGrid email account in Meritto, including domain authentication, and CNAME configuration.

DNS Record: A DNS (Domain Name System) record is an entry in the domain's DNS settings that tells the internet how to handle different types of requests related to the domain. It helps in mapping domain names to specific IP addresses or services.

CNAME Record: A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS record that maps one domain name to another. In email authentication, CNAME records are used to verify ownership and establish trust between your domain and the email service provider (SendGrid). This record tells the DNS that emails sent via SendGrid on behalf of your domain are legitimate, reducing the chances of being marked as spam.

Creating and Configuring a SendGrid Email Account

  1. Create Email Account:
    1. Log in to your Meritto panel. Click on Settings from the dashboard.
    2. Navigate to Communication. Select Email and click on Create Email Account.
    3. Create a SendGrid Email Account. From the Partner drop-down menu, select SendGrid. Click on Create.
    4. A success message will confirm that your SendGrid email account has been created.
  2. Configure Email Account:
    1. Domain Authentication: 
      1. To authenticate domain, enter the domain through which emails will be sent (mandatory). If sending emails via a subdomain, enter it as well (optional). Example: If your main domain is xyz.com and you want to send emails from admissions@xyz.com, enter xyz.com. If sending from admissions@apply.xyz.com, enter apply.xyz.com as the subdomain. Click on Add.
      2. Meritto will generate CNAME records required for domain authentication. Copy the CNAME records and send them to your domain administrator to be added to the DNS settings of your domain provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap). Once the DNS records are updated, return to the Meritto panel.
      3. Verify Domain Authentication: Go to Settings > Communication > Email > Configure Email Account. Click on Verify. If verification fails, it means the CNAME records have not been correctly mapped.
  3. Configure Link Branding (Optional): 
    1. Link branding ensures that the tracking links in your emails appear to come from your own domain rather than SendGrid’s default domain, increasing trust and click-through rates.
    2. Example of a Branded Link Setup” If your domain is xyz.com, you may enter a branded tracking domain such as email.xyz.com. Click on Add.
    3. Provide these records to your DNS administrator for configuration. Once set up, return to Meritto and Verify the branded link configuration.
  4. Customize Unsubscription Text
    1. Navigate to Unsubscription Settings. Modify the Unsubscription text as needed.
    2. Do not remove the Unsubscription token, as it ensures compliance with email regulations.
    3. Click on Add to save changes.
  5. Configure Sender Details:
    1. Enter the Sender Name and Sender Email Address for both Transactional and Promotional emails.
    2. Once configured, you are ready to send emails from your authenticated and personalized email account.

Conclusion

Setting up a SendGrid email account within Meritto enhances your organization's email communication by ensuring authenticated, branded, and spam-free email delivery.
  1. Domain Authentication prevents emails from being flagged as spam.
  2. CNAME records establish trust and improve email deliverability.
  3. Link Branding reinforces your organization’s identity in email links.
  4. Custom Sender Details allow for more personalized and professional communication.
With the right setup, you can confidently send emails that reach your audience effectively and drive better engagement.

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