An email address is just an email address, right? Looking at it superficially, it would be easy to think so. But just as not all lawn care, plumbing, and remodeling services are of equal quality (as many homeowners learn the hard way), not every email address or service brings the same value to your brand and business. In the same way that you should really spend some time researching lawn maintenance companies, plumbers, and remodelers before laying down your hard-earned money, you really should think twice before paying for just any email hosting service or taking advantage of a free one that, upon closer examination, might not be up to par.
For small business owners looking to build a brand presence in particular, their choice of email service and provider can be a significant one. You want to find them a professional email hosting option that is low cost, that matches their domain name, and that includes key features that make their life easier every day. But before we dive into what you should look for from a professional email service, let’s first explore why you should get one to begin with.
Credibility First
First impressions are everything. If someone makes a sales pitch to you, and the first thing they do is mispronounce your name (or, worse yet, use someone else’s name), fail to explain what they are actually offering, or accidentally insult you in the first sentence of their pitch, chances are you won’t be doing business with them.
In a similar vein, if the first thing a potential customer sees when they look at a website, ad, or business card is a cheesy college email address from a generic provider, chances are it will look like spam. They won’t take the email seriously, leading to lower response rates.
A professional email does wonders for a small business’s credibility by immediately establishing the person and the business as more credible than the casual competition. It’s a subtle but significant distinguishing factor that demonstrates that a person is serious and pays attention to the details. Among more tech-savvy audiences in particular, an unprofessional email can leave a big dent in credibility. In that sense, a professional email address really is table stakes for small businesses these days.
Having a professional email address that matches a business website’s domain helps you build credibility with potential customers, and that alone makes acquiring one worth your while.
Safe and Secure
Beyond just establishing credibility for the business, a professional business email helps employees to stay safe and secure online. The key features you should be looking for here are enhanced spam and virus protection. Spam emails are more than a nuisance; they often conceal phishing attempts, harmful attachments, and links to malicious websites.
Because of the ubiquity of these threats, any professional email solution you recommend or purchase should include enhanced spam and virus protection. It’s important for protecting a business, and yes, they’re sure to love cutting down on all the spam emails as well.
Features to Look For
There are several features you should look for when shopping around for a professional email solution. Perhaps the most important are the security features we mentioned above. But in addition to those, you should look for an email solution that includes an integrated calendar, contacts, documents, email templates, and customizable mailboxes to help you stay organized.
You should also look for an affordable solution. While professional email solutions add serious value to your business, they really shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Find a professional email hosting option in a reasonable price range that delivers those key productivity and security features that will help you make the most of email campaigns and daily communications.
Going Pro
For many small business owners, purchasing a domain name is the first step on the path to establishing an online presence. Once you’ve helped them select and purchase a domain, your next step should be to set up an email address using that domain. Establishing the email address early allows you to create logins and sign up for many other important services they will need for their business without using a personal email address. Get a professional email with the modern productivity and security features needed and that match a business domain.
Think about how much time is spent sending and reading emails as part of running a local business. With the right professional email service on your side, everything about those daily email routines will be faster, easier, and more secure.
From credibility to security to convenience, professional email is the right choice for small business owners looking to take their brand to the next level. Do your research, find a fully featured, affordable professional email hosting solution, and see for yourself the many benefits of going pro with SMB business email.
