The benefits of using a branded business e-mail address
Your business e-mail address says a lot about your company or freelance offering. After all, it’s the first thing customers see in their inboxes. The wrong e-mail address can derail your marketing efforts. The solution? A branded e-mail address with your business name in it.
Using a free e-mail such as YourName@gmail.com can make your company look less professional. That’s why it’s always best to use an e-mail address that includes your company’s distinct domain name.
A professional-looking business e-mail address gives you and your company more authority when you’re corresponding with existing and potential customers, helping you close the deal more often.
Don’t have a domain name yet? Read this post for help choosing a business domain name.
Four things you won’t get from free e-mail
Many small businesses start out using free e-mail accounts simply because they haven’t given it much thought. Unfortunately, you can’t use your own domain with free e-mail accounts. You’ll need to open a paid e-mail account to reap these rewards.
1. More authority.
2. Better branding.
3. Less distraction.
4. Better results.
Learn how to make the right impression on your customers by setting up a custom e-mail address for your business.
What custom e-mail delivers
When your company interacts with clients online, it’s important to instill confidence in
them. Whether the person you’re messaging is looking for more information about your products and services or wants to complain about a bad experience they had, every aspect of the interaction needs to be positive.
But using a business e-mail address that end with “@gmail.com” or “@YourISPName.co.za” can give consumers the impression that you’re not serious. They might even wonder if the e-mail is coming from a legitimate business. Here are some of the benefits to setting up a branded e-mail address for your business.
1. More authority
Anyone can create an e-mail account for free. In fact, most of your consumers probably have free e-mail accounts. If your business uses the same type of e-mail account as your consumers, you’re not really positioning yourself as an authority in the eyes of your consumers.
Having a branded business e-mail address shows you’re serious enough to own a domain name and a matching e-mail account. This means you’re not just another person using free e-mail. You represent a real company that means business. Branded e-mail will also increase your credibility when responding to customer complaints or managing online business reviews.
2. Better branding
Using the domain of your company’s website in your e-mail address will help the customer remember the name of your company and your web address.
If they’re already familiar with the name of your company and want to find you online, the first thing they’ll type into Google is YourBusiness.co.za. Likewise, if they see your web address on a sign, they can quickly guess your business name.
For as long as you own YourBusiness.co.za you are the only one who may use it. Using this domain name for your website and all company e-mail addresses helps boost brand awareness, integrating your company’s efforts into one consistent strategy.
3. Less distraction
Using domains like “gmail.com” in your e-mail address promotes those companies rather than yours. Regardless of what industry your company is in, your e-mail address will be tied to another company’s identity if you continue to use a personal (i.e. free) e-mail address.
With your own domain-based business e-mail address, you’ll reinforce your business identity with every e-mail you send. One glance will tell loyal customers this is a message they want to read.
4. Better results
Your e-mail marketing campaign isn’t going to get very far if it comes from a free e-mail address. Sending out an e-mail newsletter is an effective way of keeping in touch with your customers, but every e-mail needs to exude professionalism.
Using a personal e-mail address can quickly derail your e-mail marketing, because some of your users might inadvertently delete it. They could become suspicious of your e-mails, equating them with spam or some kind of virus. Mass e-mails sent from a free address could easily end up in the recipient’s spam folder.
You’ve worked hard to collect these e-mail addresses and you don’t want to lose subscribers by looking like spam. A branded e-mail address will give your campaign the legs it needs to grow your base of subscribers.
How to set up a branded business e-mail address
You’ll need to register a unique domain in order to set up a branded e-mail address. Many small businesses already have a website; if you do, then you already have a domain name you can use.
If you’re still looking to build a website, you can use GoDaddy to get started. They give you the tools you need to quickly customise your website by adding categories, images, videos, graphics, and text. Once you’ve set up your account and built your website, adding a professional e-mail address is simple
Get started
- Visit the e-mail pageof the GoDaddy website.
- Choose from Professional or O365 E-mail, which comes with the O365 suite of tools. Select your plan.
- Click Continue and enter your payment info to purchase the plan subscription.
- Once you receive an e-mail confirming your new account, go to Manage.
- Fill out the username of the account, the password, if you want to link to another e-mail account and other settings.
- That’s it! You’re all set. You can start sending test e-mails to make sure it’s working properly.
Setting up a professional-looking business e-mail address for your company shouldn’t take more than a few minutes of your time. With just a few easy steps, you can elevate your business image.
Now you’re ready to start interacting with your customers as a professional company. Best of luck!
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