Parties
Identify the legal entities, their contact details, and corporate representatives authorized to act for each party.
A clear Marketing Domain Agreement protects brand reputation, reduces email deliverability risk, and assigns technical responsibilities. It prevents disputes over registrar access, mitigates data-privacy exposure from tracking tags, and documents who can revoke or transfer DNS settings during and after campaigns.
Ensure signatory authority and technical contacts are identified up front so the document can be executed and enforced without delay.
Identify the legal entities, their contact details, and corporate representatives authorized to act for each party.
Define permitted subdomains, permitted marketing channels, types of campaigns, and any prohibited activities such as spam or harvesting.
Specify DNS delegation, who may modify MX/SPF/DKIM/DMARC, SSL certificate issuance, and expected response SLAs for changes.
Address tracking pixels, analytics, PII handling, applicable privacy laws, and any required privacy addenda or BAA for healthcare.
State effective date, notice periods, post-termination transfer or takedown procedures, and conditions for immediate revocation.
Allocate responsibility for deliverability issues, data breaches, trademark misuse, and costs of remediation or third-party claims.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| DNS delegation checkbox | Require explicit consent before granting delegation access |
| Email authentication fields | Collect SPF/DKIM hostnames and selector details |
| Signer authentication | Choose email-only, SMS code, or KBA as appropriate |
| Audit retention | Set retention to meet internal compliance and legal requirements |
Ensure exported signed copies and audit logs are retained in your document management system per retention policy.
Date the agreement enters force; actions should not be taken prior to this date.
Domain transfers between registrars can take 5–7 days depending on registrars involved.
Certificate issuance and validation typically require 24–72 hours.
New sending IPs or domains generally need 2–4 weeks of gradual traffic increases.
Retention periods begin on the effective date or last modification date, as specified.
| Criteria | Marketing Domain Agreement | Domain Transfer Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | limited marketing use | change ownership |
| Ownership change | no transfer of ownership | yes, registrar transfer |
| Registrar control | delegated or limited control | full control post-transfer |
| Revocability | often revocable per terms | typically requires formal transfer process |
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial, no card | Varies by vendor | Varies by vendor | Varies by vendor | Varies by vendor |
| Bulk Send | Yes (Premium) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Envelope Cap | No cap | 100 envelopes/user/year limit | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
An agency needs a subdomain to run email and landing page campaigns
A vendor will host tracking and analytics on a branded domain