A survey by Emarsys in 2016 reveals that 81% of all SMBs (Small & Medium businesses) consider business mail as their primary channel for content marketing and customer acquisition.

Small businesses and big organizations use business email addresses for 40x better results than Twitter and Facebook outreach combined. So, whether you have a successful business running or just starting out, creating a professional mail address seems to be an essential step forward.

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What Exactly is a Business Email?

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A business/professional email consists of the domain name of the business.

Professional email addresses are different from personal email addresses. Usually, personal/non-official mail addresses are structured like name@gmail.com, full-name@hotmail.com, and 123@yahoo.com. Although we use these mail copies for personal communication, these are unsuitable for professional outreach.

Business mails are structured like '(first name)@(domain name).com'. Not only do these outreach messages give a professional look to your outreach programs, but it also offers numerous benefits from security to reliability.

For example, mark@facebook.com or jeff@amazon.com.

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Professional Email Address: Simplest Way to Create One

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You will need a registered custom domain name and a website to create a mail id.

Even if you don't, you can always buy your desired domain name (if available) through domain registrars such as domain.com, Network Solutions, Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc.

You can create it in a few different ways, from using an Email Service Provider like Google Workspace (G Suite) and Microsoft Outlook to using Email Hosting Services like Hostinger, Zoho mail, Hubspot, Mailchimp, etc.

Assuming that Gmail is the most familiar email service, we'll discuss how to create a business email account through Google Workspace. You can also go for its free 14-day trial by providing your credit card credentials.

Here are the easy steps to create a business email address with Google Workspace:

• On your browser, check out Google Workspace website and go to the 'Start Free Trial'.
• Under the 'Let's get started' dialogue box, enter your business name, number of employees, and country.
• Provide your first and last name and current email address (generic email accounts).
• Next, you need to add the custom domain name (e.g. abcompany.com). If you don't yet have a registered domain name, you can buy one through Google Workspace.
• Fill up detailed information about your business, such as the business address and contact info.
• Select a suitable username and protect your Google Workspace account with a password.
• Choose a pricing plan that befits your business needs and proceed to checkout.

The best thing about Google Workspace is that the 14-trial period starts automatically upon registration.

Once you complete the process, the next steps are adding professional email signatures and mail integrations to your Google Workspace account. For example, you can add Calandly for online appointment scheduling and Smartlead for composing personalized content.

Here are a few suggestions for hosting providers if you opt for hosting plans–Hostinger, Bluehost, NameCheap private email, HostGator, Zoho Mail, etc.

These hosting providers offer business domain registration, custom business mail address, cloud storage, two-factor authentication, built-in tools, and some other additional services.

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What is the Need for Business Email Addresses?

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Professional email addresses are absolutely necessary for businesses for multiple reasons. These email addresses offer more control over your cold campaign outreach, from collaboration tools and online storage to spam protection and top-notch security.

Here are the main reasons why you must consider a professional email address:

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1. Business Credibility

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Imagine receiving an important official mail from a sender id called ‘roger1982@gmail.com'. You will automatically feel skeptical, right?

Personal email addresses don't look professional. Using a custom mail address is considered a good practice as it shows professionalism and builds the credibility of a business.

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2. Maintains Consistency

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Custom email accounts help you provide consistency to your existing customers and new ones who have shown interest in your product or service. Not only does it eliminate confusion among customers, but it also maintains brand consistency, increasing conversion rates.

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3. Mobile Optimization

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A study released by Campaign Monitor hints that mobile users tend to open almost half of the business mails they receive. Also, 33% of all global mail clicks happen on mobile devices.

This data clearly states that a majority of conversions come from mobile users globally. So, using professional mail addresses and mobile-optimized content helps increase conversion rates.

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4. Brings Customer Trust

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Using business mail addresses helps you keep your customers and prospects in a loop. Not only do they want to get updates and news about your product, but they also want to learn something new every day.

So, keeping your customers in the loop and providing them with informative guides can help you build trust among your company, leading to customer retention and new conversions.

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5. Security Measures

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Best of the mail service providers, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, HostGator, Zoho Mail, Hubspot, etc., offer enhanced security for business information and secure every mail with two-factor authentication.

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6. Seamless Management

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Most professional mail service providers offer a master mailbox for integrating each of your professional mail addresses. It helps marketers/business owners to control their email marketing campaigns from one place and keep track of progress.

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Best Business Email Practices for Increased Productivity

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1. Employ Email Etiquette

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Prepare a proper guideline for creating email copies. Imagine receiving an email with long paragraphs with no image or brand optimization. Not only will it take longer to read and grasp, but also it will automatically make the recipient lose interest.

Business mails should be short, crisp, and to the point. It should also contain bullet points for the highlights instead of long (and dull) paragraphs.

Here is some business mail guideline:

• Maintain a word limit for respective cold outreach campaigns based on the intent
• Absolutely no for long paragraphs; use bullet points instead
• Personalized email copy instead of a generalized template
• Plagiarism and spam-trigger check
• Brand optimization (brand logo, tagline, business address, images, etc.)
• TL:DR for a quick summary

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2. Set Specific Timing

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NO ONE likes to receive emails past work hours. And that applies to your employees as well.

According to a survey held by Adobe, employees worldwide spend approximately 3.1 hours sending, reading, and replying to emails on average. Well, the number might shock you, but it comes down to roughly 20 weeks in a financial year.

So, setting up a specific time for sending and replying to emails among your employees helps create a sustainable and productive workspace.

This applies to your clients as well. Send emails only during office hours. It helps create an ethical and professional image of your company and keeps your communication in order.

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3. Gather Useful Templates

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"Hope to see you soon', 'Glad doing business with you', 'Welcome to the team', or 'We are sorry to see you go' are some of the general statements that are repeatedly used in business emails.

To save your time and effort of creating emails manually, you can save generic email templates (such as onboarding email templates, cold outreach emails, customer support emails, etc.) and use them to save your time and effort.

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4. Use Email Automation and Writing Tools

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If you are doing cold outreach, do it well. Using an AI-integrated writing tool like Smartlead can help you save time and effort.

There are plenty of tools out there. You can create sales funnels and pipelines for future campaigns. The sales automation tool can help you send unlimited mails and follow up on time.

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5. Provide the Option to Unsubscribe

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The CAN-SPAM and GDPR act clearly states that emails sent from business mail addresses for marketing purposes should consist of a button/link to unsubscribe. This feature not only gives your customers the freedom to opt-out but also helps you identify and sort out mailing lists for better deliverability rates.

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6. 'Reply-all' Button is a No Go

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Just like generic mail templates, your employees and customers hate 'Reply-all' emails. When you hit 'Reply-all', it may include the users/subscribers who aren't active customers anymore or have no use of such emails.

To save your own time and respect your customers, always avoid using 'Reply-all'.

How to Compose a Business Email for Better Conversion Rates?

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1. Focus on Writing Compelling Subject Lines

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The subject line in a mail is the first impression to the receiver. In fact, whether your mail will be opened or not depends entirely on the subject line. You can even consider it as a promo or a trailer for a movie.

So, always focus on writing simple yet creative subject lines. Try to convey the gist of your message in a short subject line. However, do not confuse your subscribers with misleading subject lines. It will directly affect deliverability and conversion rates.

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2. Cordial Greetings Go a Long Way

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There's no charge for being nice. So, always try to be nice while greeting your existing customer or prospective client.

According to some experts, using the person's first name for salutation is necessary. Also, some people keep it simple by using 'Hi (first name)' or 'Good morning (first name)', which entirely depends on your professional relationship.

Examples

• Dear (First name)
• Dear Dr. (first names)
• To whom it may concern
• Good morning (first name)
• Dear Mr./Mrs. (last name)

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3. Set Up Custom Spam Triggers

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There's no use in your business mails if they are in the spam folder. No matter which mail service provider your clients use, spam filters mark mails with salesy words as spam.

So, refrain from using words like 'sale', 'free', 'discount', etc.

You can set custom spam triggers on your automation tool to make your job easier.

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4. Simple and Concise Wins the Race

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Emails with long paragraphs, spam words, and no CTA are less likely to improve conversion rates. McKinsey Global Institute surveyed that people spend around 13 hours every week managing their mails.

It's already a lot. So, don't make it complicated for your clients. Make your mail short and simple. Never use large paragraphs and use bullet points to improve readability.

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5. Proofread Your Content

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Have you already proofread your content? Do it again because the last thing you will want in your mail is a typo or a piece of wrong information. It not only portrays you as unprofessional but also irresponsible.

So, always check whether there are any typos, wrong facts, or punctuation errors in your mails.

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6. Give it a Proper Closure

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A mail without a proper closure seems abrupt. A good closing line works as a cherry on top. There are thousands of ways to do so, but asking them to reach out, adding a CTA, or complimenting them again can give your mail a good closure.

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7. Use Gender-Neutral Words

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Misgendering your prospect is the worst nightmare for your business. It is outright disrespectful and should be avoided at any cost. Write gendered pronouns or salutations only when you know your prospect's gender identity.

However, using gender-neutral words instead of gendered pronouns is always advisable. For example, you can use folks instead of guys in informal mail.

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8. Use AI-powered Writing Tool

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Writing emails, campaigns, and follow-ups can be hectic for marketing teams. You may consider using an AI-powered writing and proofreading tool to save time and effort.

Tools like Smartlead.ai writes personalized copies based on prospects' needs and proofread them.

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Wrapping Up

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Did you know that spam and phishing emails make up to 60% of all mails sent? So, standing out from the crowd and directly reaching your client's inbox is no easy job.

Using business mail will not only help you stand out from the crowd, but it will also help you in increasing conversion rates.

Here is a quick peek at the benefits of a custom email address:

• High deliverability IP address
• Professional appearance
• It will help you target the desired audience
• Keep you away from spam filters
• CRM integration
• Advanced email security
• Intuitive migration tools
• Multiple accounts management
• Contact management

So, if you are kicking off a new business or considering creating a domain-based email address, don't look back now. It is high time you enter the marketing game of convincing your clients and increasing conversions.

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FAQs

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1. Are business mails truly free?

Most hosting services (Zoho mail, Hostinger, etc.) or mail providers claim they offer free business mail. Although it's partially true, it's not entirely. To create a business mail address, you will need a registered custom domain and a live website.

If you want a single business mail address, it's free on business mail services like Zoho Mail and Google Workspace. Still, if you are looking for unlimited email addresses, it's best to opt for cheap hosting providers and choose from their basic plan or business plan.

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2. What kind of mail should a business use?

The standard format of business mails is (first name.last name)@(domain name)@(tld). However, for customer support or any other specific departments, you can use support/marketing/outreach@domain name.tld.