Email is still currently the number one method businesses use to communicate with their customers and suppliers.
Whilst there are plenty of free options available, such as Gmail and Hotmail, these generally compromise your professionalism and are not suitable for professional communications.
What is a branded email address?
A branded email address uses the same domain name as the overall business for the email address.
For example, using our fictitious company Harbour View Logistics, the website address would be harbourviewlogistics.com and a branded email address for a staff member could be [email protected]
Why use branded email addresses?
Whilst [email protected] may have served you well for many years, a branded email address such as [email protected] is far more professional.
Using the branded domain address creates continuity between your website address and email. This in turn demonstrates the legitimacy and professionalism of your communications and builds trust with the recipient.
How to get a branded email address
You would first need to ensure that you have registered the domain name for your business.
Once this is in place you would then need to choose an email service provider to host your branded email service.
Many website hosting platforms include this as part of their package. However some caution needs to be exercised with these services as they can sometimes be unreliable, or provide unrealistic limits on email storage.
What email services are recommended for small/medium sized businesses?
At Studio JERO we have been specifying and setting up branded email accounts since the 1990s and have worked with many providers. Whilst there are loads of options, we currently only recommend two providers.
Both options provide excellent packages that are comparable in terms of services, security, costs and benefits.
For both of these providers, the key reason that makes them more desirable than cheaper alternatives is that they include cloud based productivity software, collaboration tools and communication tools for video conferencing and messaging.
For most businesses the choice between the two options comes down to which provider fits best with your existing base of hardware and experience.
Microsoft's approach builds on its Office suite, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. Whereas Google's Workspace is perfect for those already used to working with tools such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Meet for conferencing and Chat for secure messaging.
Source image by Olga Serjantu composite image by Studio JERO
