What is the best email address for business?
(And what your email address says about you…)
Did you know that there are 4 Billion email addresses on the web? And this number is due to climb to 4.6 billion by 2025. Source: Statista
That’s a lot of email addresses!
And your email address says a lot about you.
Here’s how…
Remember the days of AOL and other older email services? Well, if you’re trying to tout for business using older (and considered dated) email providers, you could be showcasing:
An inability to ‘change with the times’ AND ‘lack of technical knowledge’.
Likewise, having a quirky name at the start of your email such as ‘chatterbox123’ is not only impersonal but also a sign that your email hasn’t evolved from the days of MSN messenger.
And the last thing you want is to be considered unknowledgeable if you’re marketing yourself as an expert in your field.
Why is choosing an email address for business so important?
Brand Identity
Your business email address reflects your brand identity as it is displayed everywhere. On your socials, your website, your business cards, your flyers – everything.
It is also the start of your communication journey with your clients.
So it has to reflect you and your business in the right way.
The prefix of your email
This is the first part of your email address before the @ and gives your audience a specific idea of who they are contacting.
You can break this down into two sections. Personal or general.
Personal email prefix
A personal prefix will be your first name or first name + surname. This does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s more personal to your contacts and gives the impression you’re more approachable. Your potential client can also send an email written directly to you using your name and it starts the client/relationship process quite quickly.
General email prefix
A general prefix is a non-name specific email address such as enquiries@ or info@.
This is a good email address to have if you have multiple people in your business that look after new emails and enquiries or you receive a high volume of emails that need to be redirected to multiple people before a response can be sent.
Your email suffix
Once you have your prefix sorted, the next part of your email is arguably the most important. The email suffix comes after the @ and is your email provider.
Examples include external mail provider services such @gmail or @hotmail or you can choose to link your email address to your own business domain eg @charlottepink.co.uk
I would always recommend that your email suffix be the same as your website (your domain name). You’re instantly perceived as more professional to others.
However, if you don’t yet have a website or registered domain name, the most preferred external mail provider that gives the best impression of professionalism is gmail.
Remember, it’s not just an email address…
In summary, your email address represents your business and brand and should be displayed everywhere – on your socials, website, flyers, business cards and promotional material. So it is arguably just as important as your business name.
Think carefully about how you want your clients to perceive you because impressions definitely matter.
With every website I design, you will receive a free email address linked to your website domain along with free hosting for 1 year. If you are interested in getting a website for your business, contact me here
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