Setting up a business email address is an important part of your overall branding strategy, but it’s a relatively simple and inexpensive task. Below, we will discuss the options available to you and explain why you should give careful consideration to the account provider and business email address you choose.
If you need to set up an email address for professional purposes, it’s far better to go down the branded route, rather than setting up a generic named account with Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail, for example. This is an effective way to establish a brand image and create a level of corporate prestige and professionalism.
To set up a branded business email address, you will need to purchase a custom domain extension from a domain registrar or web hosting provider . In fact, many web hosting packages include domain name registration and business email accounts, meaning that you can set up and manage your company’s web presence in one place.
Creating different email addresses with the same custom domain extension is also an effective way to organise your business internally. Rather than having just one address where all emails are delivered, you can set up different addresses for each department or service, such as:
Registering a domain name will enable you to create a professional online presence for your company. A domain name is a unique website address that can also be used as a domain extension for email addresses. For example: our company name is Rapid Formations , and the domain name for our web pages and email addresses is rapidformations.co.uk.
This kind of uniformity is a really effective way to establish a strong web presence and brand image. It will impact the way your company is viewed by potential clients, it will add legitimacy and help to build trust in your business, and it makes your emails instantly recognisable to recipients.
You can register a domain name with any accredited ICANN registrar in the UK. Ideally, check that your proposed company name is available to register as a domain name before setting up a company . By doing so, you can ensure that your domain name and company name are the same.
As far as free providers go, Mail.com is particularly good because you can choose from over 200 domains to create a personalised email address that is relevant to your work.
Many of these domains are suitable for lots of different professions – @lawyer.com, @deliveryman.com, @consultant.com, which is a great option if you are not quite ready to establish a full web presence by registering a domain name and setting up a website.
Sole traders will often use this kind of email account, particularly those who are just starting out.