If you send emails to your customers, it’s not only about what you say in your emails, but what your email address says about you. If you use a generic email like Gmail or Yahoo for your business, it might be time to consider something more professional and specific to your business. For example, what dental practice would you choose to contact, one that uses an email address like info@pearlybrightsmiles.com or toothymike88@gmail.com? It’s probably safe to assume you’d pick the first one. Yet, in 2015, almost half of U.S. small businesses still did not have a company-branded email.1
Here are a few myths about a customized email address that may be holding you back from growing your online brand:
Myth #1: A branded email will not help my business.
A branded email can help give your business added credibility and professionalism with customers. Seventy-four percent of consumers in a 2015 Verisign survey would trust a company-branded email address more so than a free email address.2 One reason may be because a branded email shows your customers that your business is legitimate and established. Not to mention, every time you send out an email, you’re promoting your business’s name, not your free email provider’s name. It grows your brand.
Myth #2: I think my free email service is sufficient for my needs.
A free email might be ok for now, but what about as your business grows? A branded email allows you to target your communications. You can use multiple email addresses for different aspects of the business (e.g., info@bobscakefactory.com, sales@bobscakefactory.com, support@bobscakefactory.com), so that customers reach the right person in your company. And, if you want to do email marketing in the future using a third-party service like Constant Contact or MailChimp, a custom email address is recommended to avoid spam filtering.
Myth #3: Getting a branded email is expensive.
Typically, the cost and effort for branded email is low. It can often be bundled with the registration of a domain name or added on later for a monthly fee. You’ll typically pay by user, so the expense depends on how many email addresses you’ll need. Start small and build on, if needed. According to the Verisign 2015 U.S. Online Survey, 71 percent of small business respondents believed using a company-branded email made their business appear more credible3, so don’t discount the value of trust.
Myth #4: Setting up a branded email is too complex.
You don’t need a degree in IT to set up and start using a branded email. Many domain name registrars and email providers offer custom domain names for professional email as an added service, and make it easy to set up. If you already use an email provider that you like, here are step-by-step directions from some of the most popular email services:
What are you waiting for? Get an email custom to your business.
Before you get started, do you have a domain name? Registering a domain name is your first step to setting up a branded email address. If don’t have one, visit our Domain Name Search page. Remember, your domain name will be the part of the email after the “@” sign, so think about your brand and read How to Choose a Domain Name for ideas. And for more tips on optimizing your online presence, read our e-book, How to Grow Your Business Online.
1 Verisign 2015 Online Survey.
2 Verisign 2015 Online Survey.
3 Verisign 2015 Online Survey.
