The benefits of using a branded email address for business

UPDATE: This email address post was originally published on 17 August 2018 and updated on 19 April 2021.

When you own a business, you need to have a professional way of keeping in touch with your customers. For many small businesses, this is email. But have you thought about what that free email address you’re using says about your business?

Using a free email such as YourName@AOL.com can make your company look less professional.

Your company’s email address says a lot about your business — after all, it’s the first thing customers see in their inboxes. The wrong email address can derail your marketing efforts. The solution? A branded email address with your business name in it.

That’s why it’s always best to use an email address with your company’s distinct domain name in it. The general email address for The Bank of Montreal is Feedback@BMO.com, for example. Canadians who see "BMO.com" in their inbox know that the email is actually from The Bank of Montreal, not a spammer.

A professional-looking email address gives you and your company more authority when you’re corresponding with existing and potential customers, helping you close the deal more often.

4 things you won’t get from free email

Many small businesses start out using free email accounts simply because they haven’t given it much thought. Unfortunately, you can’t use your own domain with free email accounts. You’ll need to open a paid email account to reap these rewards.

Here are four benefits to setting up a branded email address for your business.

1. More authority

Anyone can create an AOL or telco email account for free. In fact, most of your consumers probably have free email accounts.

If your business uses the same type of email account as your consumers, you’re not really positioning yourself as an authority in their eyes.

Having a branded email address shows you’re serious enough to own a domain name and a matching email account.

This means you’re not just another person using free email. You represent a real company that means business. Branded email will also increase your credibility when responding to customer complaints or managing online business reviews.

2. Better branding

Using the domain of your company’s website in your email address will help the customer remember the name of your company and your web address. If they’re already familiar with the name of your company and want to find you online, the first thing they’ll type into Google is YourBusiness.ca. Likewise, if they see your web address on a sign, they can quickly guess your business name.

For as long as you own YourBusiness.ca, you are the only one who may use it.

Using this domain name for your website and all company email addresses helps boost brand awareness, integrating your company’s efforts into one consistent strategy.

Related: How successful startups choose a brand name

3. Less distraction

Using domains like “AOL.com” and “Yahoo.com” in your email address promotes those companies rather than yours. Regardless of what industry your company is in, your email address will be tied to another company’s identity if you continue to use a personal (i.e. free) email address.

With your own domain-based email, you’ll reinforce your business identity with every email you send. One glance will tell loyal customers this is a message they want to read.

4. Better results

Your email marketing campaign isn’t going to get very far if it comes from a free email address.

Sending out an email newsletter is an effective way of keeping in touch with your customers, but every email needs to exude professionalism.

Using a personal email address can quickly derail your email marketing, because some of your users might inadvertently delete it. They could become suspicious of your emails, equating them with spam or some kind of virus. Mass emails sent from a free address could easily end up in the recipient’s spam folder.

You’ve worked hard to collect these email addresses and you don’t want to lose subscribers by looking like spam. A branded email address will give your campaign the legs it needs to grow your base of subscribers.

How to set up a branded email address

You’ll need to register a unique domain in order to set up a branded email address. Most small businesses already have a website; if you do, then you already have a domain name you can use.

If you’re still looking to build a website, you can use GoDaddy's Website Builder to get started. They give you the tools you need to quickly customize your website by adding categories, images, videos, graphics, and text. Once you’ve set up your account and built your website, adding a professional email address is a cinch.

How to get branded email

Almost every web host offers some kind of branded email service. Let’s use GoDaddy as an example. To set up your branded email address, do the following:

1. Visit the email page of the GoDaddy website.
2. Choose from Business Email or Microsoft 365 Suite. Select your plan.
3. Click Continue and enter your payment details to purchase the plan subscription.
4. Once you receive an email confirming your new account, go to Manage.
5. Fill out the username of the account, the password, if you want to link to another email account and other settings.
6. That’s it! You’re all set. You can send yourself a test email to make sure it’s working properly.

Setting up a professional-looking email address for your company shouldn’t take more than a few minutes of your time. With just a few easy steps, you can elevate your business image.

Now you’re ready to start interacting with your customers as a professional company. Best of luck!

Editor's note: Have a domain that's registered with another registrar? Domains can be transferred to GoDaddy so you can manage all services from just one place.