Switch to a Branded Email to Boost Business Trust (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: If you're still using a Gmail address for your business, it might be costing you more than you think. For a lot of clients, the first impression isn't your website or your profile, it's your email address. And a Gmail address can subtly make your business feel less legitimate. Hi, I'm Garrick, and in this video, in partnership with Hostinger, we're gonna see how a simple switch to a branded email address can instantly boost your credibility, build trust, and give you full control of your brand. Now, Gmail isn't bad, it's just not great for serious business use. If a client sees a Gmail address, it can make your business look more like a side project than a real venture. You might have a great website and brand, but if your email doesn't match it, there's an instant disconnect. And it's not just Gmail, this applies to any free email provider you're using for your business communication. The fix, though, is actually really simple. Set up a domain branded email address, and you can do this in just a few minutes. If you already have a website and your own domain, like yourname.com, you're actually most of the way there. Setting up a branded email at the same domain is just the next step that ties it all together. But even if you don't have a domain name yet, you can still set that up and get your branded email in minutes. If you wanna try Hostinger's email solution, point your browser at hostinger.com slash Garrick email, and here click Start Now to check out the plans. Now, the starter business plan works if you only need one email address, but in many cases, you'll probably wanna create multiple business addresses. For example, a customer service address, an address for general questions, and so on. The premium business email deal gives you up to five mailboxes, as well as a free domain for one year. So if you don't yet have a domain name for your website, you can get one for free. You also get access to several AI-powered tools to help you write and manage emails more efficiently. I'll choose that plan for this example. On this next page, make sure you keep the 48-month period selected for the best deal. This is also where you can add additional storage space if you think you'll need it, but you can always add it later as well. And if you don't have a domain name to associate with your email address yet, be sure to enter the name you want here to check its availability and add it, since you can't have an email address without a domain name. Also be sure to click Have a Coupon Code, and add the code garrickemail for an additional discount. Once you've purchased your email account, you'll be walked through the setup process. On this first screen, you're asked to choose the domain name for your email. You can select any existing domains you have or the one you just purchased. I'll select the one I own called Downtown Chow. Then click Next. Here, add the name you want for the email address. So one of the other advantages of creating your own email address on your own domain is you'll probably be able to use just your first name, which is most likely something you couldn't do when creating your Gmail address, since someone else with the same name had probably already claimed it. But I can enter my own name here. So the address will be garrick at downtownchow.com. Then enter the password you want for this account, making sure it meets all the criteria listed here. Then click Create Mailbox. And that's it. There's nothing technical to set up. I'll click Open Inbox to go to my inbox, which you can see looks very similar to other web-based email boxes you're probably already familiar with. And at this point, you're ready to start sending and receiving messages with your new address. Now, down here in the lower left, you can walk through the setup guide to customize your experience. The first screen lets you choose how you'd like your inbox displayed, either as rows or columns. I prefer columns, so I'll leave that selected. I'll click Next. Here we can pick the theme for our inbox. We can go with the system settings, dark, or light. And this screen gives us a couple more options. Here we have Add Sender Name. And this determines how the name of this account will show up for people who receive your email. I'll enter my full name in this case. But if you were setting up a customer service email address, you might wanna call this customer service, or CS, or another name that lets people know from whom this message is coming. I'll click Save Changes. And I'll open the setup guide again. Next, we can click Add Signature. And this is where you can add a short message or other info that will appear automatically at the end of your emails. For your business, you might wanna put your phone number or other contact info here. Now, you're always free to remove the signature from any email you send, but having a set signature can save you time from having to type your contact info manually each time, and it makes your emails look a little more professional. I'll go back to the setup guide. Next, you can connect apps and devices. So having a business email address doesn't mean you have to give up the emails you already use. You can connect and access your account through clients like Apple Mail, Outlook, or even the Gmail app on your computer or mobile device, because hosting your email works with all of those and more. Just click your preferred client and follow the step-by-step instructions to access your email through it. And once that's done, you can send, receive, and reply to messages just like any other email, but now you're actually doing it with an address that reflects your business. Instead of looking like a side project, you're showing up as something more credible, more consistent, and easier for clients to trust. And as you just saw, it only takes a few minutes to set up. So this really is one of the easiest upgrades you can make to positively affect how your business is perceived. If you wanna try it out for yourself, check out the link in the description and use my code for a discount on hosting your business email. And if you found this useful, give it a like and subscribe for more practical tips like this.