Glossary of Key Terms
API (Application Programming Interface)
A developer interface that allows applications to connect with BetterMail programmatically. It supports tasks such as sending transactional messages, syncing contacts, and checking campaign status.
BML (BetterMail Markup Language)
BetterMail’s extended version of MJML, optimized for creating responsive, compliant, and brand-consistent email templates.
Campaign
Any outbound communication sent from BetterMail, including both marketing and transactional messages.
Campaign Slug
A short, unique identifier for a campaign (e.g., WELCOME_SERIES ). Used in API calls and workflow automation.
Compliance
Practices that ensure your messages follow legal, regulatory, and ethical standards. BetterMail enforces permission-based sending, unsubscribe handling, and proper sender identification to help you comply with applicable anti-spam laws and regional communication regulations worldwide.
Contact
An individual stored in BetterMail’s system, representing a customer, subscriber, or prospect. Contacts include details such as email address, subscription preferences, and engagement history.
Contacts Database
The central repository in BetterMail where all contact records are stored and managed. The Contacts Database contains details such as email addresses, phone numbers, profile attributes, subscription preferences, and engagement history.
It serves as the single source of truth for who you can communicate with and under what permissions. Contacts are organized into Lists (which represent consent for specific types of communication) and can also be segmented into Groups for targeting.
By managing all data in one place, the Contacts Database ensures campaigns respect permission-based sending and comply with applicable anti-spam laws.
Custom Domain
A domain name you own and authenticate (via SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for sending branded and trusted email.
Dedicated IP
An IP address reserved for one sender only, ensuring your deliverability reputation is not shared with others.
Deliverability
The likelihood of your email reaching the inbox rather than being filtered into spam. Deliverability is influenced by reputation, authentication, and sending practices.
Groups
A subset of contacts used for targeting.
Lists
In BetterMail, a List represents an explicit set of contacts who have given permission to receive a certain type of communication. Each list is, in effect, a permission list: it defines what kind of messages those contacts have agreed to receive (for example, newsletters, promotions, or product updates).
Using lists helps enforce compliance with anti-spam laws by ensuring campaigns are only sent to audiences who have provided the necessary consent.
Liquid+
BetterMail’s enhanced version of the Liquid templating language. It supports advanced personalization, conditional logic, and data lookups inside emails and SMS.
Marketing Campaign
Bulk or scheduled communication designed to engage an audience, such as newsletters, promotions, or announcements. Typically one-to-many.
Omnichannel
BetterMail’s ability to send across multiple channels - email, SMS, and API-driven notifications - from a unified platform.
Permission-Based Sending
A compliance safeguard ensuring campaigns are only sent to contacts who have opted in or are on approved permission lists.
Profile Data
The stored attributes of a contact (such as first name, location, or purchase history) that can be used for personalization.
Shared Infrastructure
The default sending environment where multiple customers share IPs and resources. Optimized for reliability and inbox placement.
Spam Complaint Handling
An automated process where recipient complaints (via ISPs and feedback loops) are captured, logged, and used to suppress future sends to those recipients.
Subdomain
A unique branded address (e.g., yourbrand.onbettermail.com ) assigned during account setup.
Subscription Preferences
Settings that allow contacts to choose which types of campaigns they want to receive, supporting compliance and audience targeting.
Template
A reusable design for emails or SMS messages. Templates may be built using BML, the drag-and-drop editor, or imported HTML.
Transactional Campaign
An automated, real-time campaign triggered by user activity or system events. Examples: order confirmations, password resets, shipping updates. Typically one-to-one.
Unsubscribe Handling
Automatic processing of unsubscribe requests. BetterMail inserts links and headers into every message and ensures preferences are respected in future sends.