Imagine Sarah, a creative business owner who is launching her first shop. For months and months, she planned every detail and worked on getting her website live to sell her amazing products. She planned to reach out to bloggers she had followed for quite some time. She hoped that they would feature the items she now sold and was banking on the relationships she built with them. So she contacted a handful using her long-time personal email: ‘[email protected].

Then crickets. Weeks passed, and no one replied, and it left Sarah puzzled because she built engaging relationships with all. So she privately reached out to a few on their social accounts, and that was when she discovered her initial email didn’t make it to some inboxes and was dismissed by those who did receive it. The bloggers had assumed it was just another spammy message under a generic email address.

This hit Sarah hard. Her expertise, her brand’s reputation, her professionalism – all overlooked because of a simple oversight: not using a professional business email address. It’s a tough lesson learned, but one that could easily be fixed and rectified.

It’s a common dilemma for business owners. An unprofessional email address undermines credibility, no matter how amazing the proposal is. Even if the message is real, the lack of a proper business email makes you think twice.

That’s why having a professional business email address is a must for any business owner aiming to be taken seriously. Your business email conveys your brand and credibility. It also provides a centralized hub for all your vital business communications in one place.

But with so many email providers and options, how do you choose the right solution tailored to your business needs? This article covers the key factors to consider when establishing a business email to add to your credibility.

The Power of Professional Business Email

Statistics show over 80% of consumers are more likely to engage with a company using its own domain instead of a public provider. And 58% of executives said they’d most likely dismiss an initial outreach if not sent from a company address.

That’s why establishing a branded, dedicated business email is crucial for projecting an image that inspires confidence in partners and customers.

Key Benefits of a Professional Business Email

Credibility: Using a custom email domain enhances credibility; it appears more legitimate and professional than generic personal accounts
Privacy: Maintain boundaries by keeping personal and work emails separate, ensuring privacy and organizational focus.
Security: Business emails provide advanced security features, safeguarding against spam, phishing, and potential data breaches
Continuity: A business-branded email reinforces your brand’s presence and commitment to professionalism across all customer interactions
Integration: Single sign-on streamlines access across multiple services and platforms, creating a cohesive and efficient environment

Take Terry, a small content writer, who said, “When I started, I used my personal Gmail for business needs. This became a nightmare, with important client emails buried between my family updates. I couldn’t share my inbox with my assistant because it was a mess of personal and business to-do items. “

6 Must-Have Features in Business Email Services

Many email providers offer the same benefits, but here are the top six to look for.

Reliability and Uptime: Dependable access to your email is crucial. Opt for providers known for their consistent service, supported by multiple data centers and strong uptime records. Industry-standard uptime is approximately 99.9%, a benchmark for reliable service.
Robust Spam Filtering: Efficient management of spam is key to maintaining a clean inbox. Look for services with superior spam detection and automatic sorting capabilities, especially considering the staggering 200 billion spam emails sent daily worldwide.
Email Continuity: If you switch providers or go out of business, you don’t want to lose access to all your communication history. Seek services that provide email continuity and redirection if you switch platforms.
Storage Space: With inboxes handling everything from contracts to newsletters, storage limits fill up fast. Aim for services providing at least 10-15 GB of storage per user, considering the average email storage need of about 150 MB per employee per month.
Security Protections: Robust security measures are non-negotiable. Your email host should offer proactive security features like anomaly detection, encryption, and two-factor authentication to protect against phishing scams and cyber attacks, which account for 67% of data breaches.
Mobile Optimization: With 61% of emails opened on mobile devices in 2022, mobile-friendly email access is necessary. Choose providers offering fully responsive and user-friendly mobile apps, ensuring you can manage your emails effectively from any device.

Additionally, top providers like Google Workspace bundle integrated cloud storage, document collaboration, video conferencing, shared calendars, and more.

Comparing Top Business Email Solutions

Email hosting options vary widely, from free services to comprehensive enterprise packages exceeding $20 per monthly user. It’s important to balance your actual needs against potentially unnecessary features.

For early-stage businesses, a basic custom domain email with sufficient storage (a few GBs), reliable deliverability, essential functionalities like contacts and calendar management, and robust security might be enough. Starter options like Zoho Mail are popular in this budget segment, usually costing around $3 per monthly user.

As your business grows, mid-level plans priced between $5-10 per user per month become more suitable. Providers like G Suite or Office 365 offer these plans, enhancing functionality with team file sharing, video conferencing, expanded storage, and a suite of robust applications.

For larger companies with more complex needs, higher-end plans are advisable. These often include unlimited storage, advanced compliance features, and premium support. However, it’s important to be cautious of extra fees for add-ons.

Provider	Starting Price	Storage	Standout Features
Google Workspace	$6/user/mo	30 GB/user	Video meet, robust security, top spam filtering
Office 365	$5/user/mo	No included storage	Outlook integration, compliance offerings
Zoho Mail	$3/user/mo	15 GB/user	Affordable, HIPAA compliance

table of top three small business email providers

Based on multiple user experiences, Google Workspace offers the best all-in-one value with its competitive pricing, ample storage, seamless integrations, built-in video conferencing, and high reliability. Unless already reliant on Microsoft products, Google Workspace strikes the ideal balance.

Choosing the Right Business Email Provider: What to Look For

When you are ready to establish that professional branded email presence for your company, here is a streamlined way to get set up:

Select a provider that aligns with your budget and priorities.
Choose an email name that matches your brand (hello@, support@, etc.).
Verify the domain ownership and update DNS records.
Use tools to migrate existing messages into your new account if needed.
Update all points of contact with your updated business email.

With your professional email in place, it’s time to put it to work growing your business while keeping your inboxes clean and organized.

The right email presence conveys professionalism at a glance to help you build partnerships and clientele. It centralizes and safeguards communication so you don’t lose touch amidst busy days. It moves exchanges seamlessly from reaching out digitally to connecting face-to-face using integrated video chat tools.

The bottom line is that prioritizing a properly branded, hosted business email tailored to your needs helps supercharge your company’s credibility and efficiency. The results directly impact your bottom line.

What email will contacts see when you reach out with your next game-changing proposition? Ensure it leaves the perfect first and lasting impression.

free checklist

Professional Business Email Setup Checklist

Get your professional business email setup right with our concise checklist. It’s your guide for a smooth and effective setup, covering domain selection, email configuration, and security steps.

Get The Checklist