As a smart marketer, you already know that purchasers buy on trust. According to a study cited by Econsultancy.com, “72% of CMOs say they are facing pressure from management to secure brand trust and gain tighter ad controls.”
You probably already have some sort of web page for your business — even if it’s as basic as a domain forwarding to a Facebook page. Yet, one of the easiest opportunities to establish brand trust is ignored by so many smaller (sometimes established) businesses: the email address.
Consider a dental practice. You’ve just been told you have to have a procedure done. All other factors being identical, which establishes more trust in your mind: drsdentalpractice@gmail.com, or info@drsdentalpractice.com?
Fringe Benefits
Besides a more credible brand, there are some bonus benefits that come with a branded domain name:
- Security. If an employee leaves, you retain total control over that email, and can easily change the password and access archived emails.
- Email Marketing. If you plan on marketing via email (by the way, you need to), free email addresses such as @gmail.com and @yahoo.com come with limitations and policies that can send them to spam. A branded email carries its own reputation, which can be properly managed.
- Promotion. Kind of obvious, but the email promotes your website and drives traffic there! Paired with a well built website, this can increase the number of prospects who convert to customers.
How to Get Your Branded Email
Obtaining your branded email is not only easy, it’s inexpensive. There are many providers, but I religiously recommend G Suite (by Google). G Suite shares its interface with standard Gmail, so most users will find it familiar. A G Suite account also comes with tons of extras such as enhanced security, Drive storage space, and more.
Most small businesses will find that the basic plan is more than powerful enough, which is only $5 per user per month, and all you need to get started is a domain name.
Setting up your branded email should take you no more than 15 minutes, and it will pay dividends in increased brand perception.
P.S. :I often have access to G Suite promotional codes that offer 20% off the first year. Feel free to ask me for one!