Email remains the most important medium of communication. It is fast, easy, and very convenient especially in this day and age of mobile technology. You can check your email anywhere and in any place. All you need is an Internet connection.
If you own a business, you must have an email address. However, should you get a generic email – one that has an address such as @yahoo.com – or should you create an email has your own domain as its address?
The answer is actually quite easy. You should definitely opt for an email with your own domain name as its address.
It will not matter that Google is the biggest search engine on the Internet. Having a @gmail.com address will not have the same impact as having a @yourcompanyname.com email address.
Why? It all comes down to establishing an identity for your own business!
Here are 5 reasons why you need – and should have – a professional email address.
1. Creates a Strong, Professional Impression
Purchasing a domain name shows that you are deeply invested in your company. You take a professional approach to running your business.
You want your company to be unique; to stand out from the rest of the competition that still uses common email addresses.
Put yourself in the position of the recipient of an email. Which one would impress you more?
There is nothing unique about [email protected]. Once you sign up for a webmail account with an email provider, you automatically get a free address with the provider’s domain name.
Scammers, cyber-criminals who like to go on phishing expeditions can easily get an email account from Yahoo or Gmail.
However, [email protected] is exclusively only to John Smith as the proprietor of his own company. No one else can have an email address with the domain name @johnscompany unless it is authorized by John Smith.
2. Enhances the Value of Your Brand
Let us assume that after 6 months of persistent follow-ups, you were finally able to land a meeting with a big-time investor in property development.
When you get inside the reception area, you see your competitor and he is practicing for his sales presentation.
You notice that his email is prominently featured in the final PowerPoint slide. His email address reads [email protected] .
Meanwhile, your email address reads [email protected].
Given these circumstances, which email would generate the faster recall and longer-lasting impression? Your @gmail.com address or Michael Thorpe’s own professional email address?
Establishing your brand is very important because it creates recall with your customers, clients, and followers. Your business is your brand. Your brand is your business. You carry your brand wherever you go and in whatever you do.
A professional email address pushes your branding strategy deeper into the consciousness of your target market. It will make it easier to remember your domain name and to find your website.
3. Builds Trust and Confidence in Your Business
Your own car.
Your own house.
Your own business.
What better says that “You’ve Arrived” than ownership?
Ownership implies that you have independence. In order to achieve independence, you should have attained a status that other people have not. Independence makes you different from those who still depend on others.
For prospects, clients, and customers they would feel more confident dealing with someone who has embraced independence in business. An email address that has a common domain name is not unique.
Let us assume that you decided to run an email campaign. How would prospects respond to an email that had a generic address such as @gmail.com? Chances are it would be ignored or left unopened.
As we mentioned earlier, scammers and phishers are more prone to use a generic address than their own domain address.
By using the domain name of your business as your professional email address, you lessen the chances of your communication being ignored as it fosters greater trust and confidence with the recipient.
4. Improves the Level of Communication
The benefits of having your own domain extend beyond getting a professional email address. Likewise, it will make it easier to manage or organize the different functions of your business.
For example, if your business has departments for accounting, customer service, IT support, and recruitment, you can assign the following professional email addresses:
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
By simply designating a specific departmental email address, it will be easier for you to find communication that is related to a function of your company.
Thus, if you need to find the email thread regarding the latest invoice that was sent to a client, you can simply go to [email protected].
If you want to find out if your team members have any comments or suggestions about the company or the business itself, you can check out [email protected].
5. Encourages Unity and Teamwork
How did you feel when your employer assigned you a company email? We are sure you felt flattered and important. The same can be said about your team members.
Having a common email address encourages unity and teamwork. It makes everyone feel like they are part of your company because the address is unique and specific only to your company.
Assigning professional email addresses to your team members also makes it easier and more convenient to manage communication within the organization.
We should note that having your own domain as an email address is one thing. Having a professional local part of your email address is another.
The local part is the portion of the email that refers to its designated user or the name on the mailbox.
For example, in the email [email protected], “ted” is the local part.
When coming up with the local part of your email, choose one that exudes professionalism. The usual practice is to simply use your name – either the full version or just the first name.
Do not attempt to be cute and funny by coming up with a local part that may be inappropriate. You might end up offending the recipient and giving your company a bad name.
Conclusion
Working from home or telecommuting is fast becoming the way of employment nowadays. It is not uncommon to meet an entrepreneur working from his home office, his favorite coffee shop, or at the public park.
If you don’t have your own office space and instead, work from your neighborhood coffee shop, would you give out your business address as The Neighborhood Coffee Shop at XYZ Avenue along 123 Main Street?
Of course not! In the first place, the coffee shop is not your business address. Secondly, The Neighborhood Coffee Shop is not your business name.
Therefore, it is important to have your own business name. If you don’t plan on having an office, it is even more important that you should put up a website for your business. This way, the domain name will function as your business address.
Thus, you can issue calling cards or prepare business collaterals with your domain as the online address of your company. It will greatly enhance your branding strategy as a business that is committed, trustworthy, and legitimate.
Likewise, you can send and receive communication from third parties to and from an email address that has your own domain name on it. This makes you appear more professional to everyone who comes across your communication.
Before you can have an email address, you need to have your own domain name. We can help you set this up and build a fully-optimized and 100% mobile-responsive website for your business.
If you want to learn more about our services, give us a call or drop us an email. And if you are in the area, let us discuss your website and digital marketing needs over coffee!
