If you’re responsible for running a business of organization, chances are you already know the significant benefits to having a relevant domain name. You know, that unique web address that enables people to find you on the web – such as “acmecompany.com.”
While there are lots of online resources that enable you to get a website and domain name cheap, you generally get what you pay for. For example, if you use a website service such as WordPress, chances are you’re going to end up with a domain name (using our previous example) that looks like “acmecompany.wordpress.com.” That not only looks cheap and amateurish, it’s awkward and difficult to remember – and easy visibility and recall is what good marketing is all about.
So let’s assume that you’ve already made the right decision and bought a unique domain name that’s genuinely yours and professionally hosted so no middleman has their name stuck in the middle of yours. Now it’s time to get your email addresses set up. Some might think, “Hey, I already have a free personal Gmail account, why not just go ahead and set one up for my business?” The short answer is: don’t even think about it.
First and foremost, it doesn’t allow you to have consistency between your business and email – what marketers call “brand continuity.” In other words, your business address ends in “acmecompany.com”, but your business email ends in “gmail.com.” What kind of message does that send to customers and clients? Businesspeople and other professionals assume that a legitimate organization is going to have emails associated with its domain name so that everything is consistent and professional, as well as easy to remember. Even better, when your emails show up in their in-boxes, recipients see your domain name, not some giant, generic email service name. It’s subtle, effective, and FREE advertising for your company.
Domain name email addresses also enable you to create a variety of unique, flexible, and versatile email addresses to help customers and clients connect with the right parties inside your organization, such as “sales@acmecompany.com” and “customersupport@acmecompany.com.” Think how effective and efficient that can be.
So if you’re in the early stages of setting up your web presence and have a unique domain name, make sure you take full advantage of it and use it for your email addresses – the benefits are enormous.