You have several options for adjusting the FROM address you use in campaigns (and also through JangoSMTP).
Basically, you have:
– the default, which is your username@jangomail.com (which we strongly discourage the use of, and this option will be removed in the near future),
– a branded subdomain option, where you can make the address whomever at your sub-domain.com, and finally,
– an editable field, where you can use whatever you want (as long as it is a valid address).
The image below shows an example of the third option – using your own domain name in the “Email Address” address field.
Replies can be forwarded to an address you specify in Settings > Reply Management > Reply Handling, provided you use a branded subdomain. Otherwise, replies will be sent to the address you used as your FROM address in the message you sent. If you use a REPLY-TO address, that will override the FROM address.
If you are using your own domain name as part of your FROM address in JangoMail/JangoSMTP, we strongly recommend that you use an SPF record and a domain key.
We also recommend that you use your own custom tracking domain.
If you are using a public email service provider such as Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo, AOL, and Gmail:
If you are sending using, for example, some_name @ gmail.com, you are not really sending from gmail, and when gmail sees the incoming message, it will look at the message header information and detect that it (gmail) did not send the message, but someone else did. Gmail is likely to treat your message as a spoofing attempt – someone using gmail.com as their FROM address, but the real sender was someone else (JangoMail/JangoSMTP in this case). Your message is probably going to the recipient’s spam folder. This applies when you send using a FROM address of hotmail.com, yahoo.com, etc. when sending to those domains as well (i.e., you @ hotmail.com sending through us to someone @ hotmail.com).
Gmail may also show a “via” tag in the FROM address display of the message when the FROM address display name does not match the actual sender in the message header. Do you want your recipients seeing your message as having come from you or someone else?
This also applies when you are sending as you@your_domain.com to you or someone_else@your_domain.com. Your mail exchanger reads the incoming message’s header details and may block it because it knows it did not do the actual sending itself. Adding an SPF record to your DNS settings typically clears up this problem. If it does not, then your mail exchanger may have a rule in place to block messages like this, and if so, you can try whitelisting jangomail.com.
You cannot add a domain key and SPF record to gmail.com because (obviously) you do not own gmail.
In summary, if you have your own domain/company name, send using that domain as your FROM address domain, and to help optimize delivery into an inbox, add an SPF record and domain key to your domain/DNS settings.
Are you just getting started?
If you own a domain and have a website for that domain, you can easily add a mail plan to your account at any number of hosting providers. From a marketing perspective, your email campaigns can help with your branding. Add more professionalism to your campaigns by allowing users to reply to you @ your_domain_name.com instead of you @ gmail_or_some_other_free_service_provider.com.