I’ve been toying with the idea of switching from my personal gmail account to a business email account for years. After my Tuesday’s Together meeting this week, I was convinced that I needed to make the switch. What took me so long? Well, I think it was because I was scared of the unknown. I wasn’t sure how to make the process seamless and simply put it on the back burner because my personal email worked just fine for me. I wondered, “So if my personal account works for me, why switch?” What if I missed a client’s email because I didn’t set it up right? My email is elizabethnord@gmail – it’s not like I’m saying my email is blueyedfille18@hotmail” … yeah, that was my high school email/AIM screenname, y’all. It happened. You know you had a cutesy one too! 😉

My advice? DO IT. Just switch already! Much to my surprise, it was incredibly seamless and so much easier than I anticipated, (Thanks Godaddy!) PLUS you can easily set it up to forward to your current e-mailing service so you can have all of your emails in one place. I wanted to share this advice with you guys to give you the reasons why I made the switch and help you make the decision for yourself!

If you use GoDaddy and need help setting up your email for the first time, read this! I also just called their support line and they walked me through the process. I just LOVE their customer service! 

 

 

So why did I finally make the switch?? Here are some reasons why.

1. It looks more professional. Let me ask you this…What do you think looks more professional? elizabethnord@gmail.com or elizabeth@elizabethnord.com … Definitely the one that includes my website instead of gmail, right?
2. It keeps your online brand presence consistent. Professionalism builds trust, guys. This is so important! We only get one first impression. I want my first impression to be professional… don’t you? Branding is key to building trust and showing professionalism, so keep all of your social media links and contact information consistent online and offline.
3. It’s super inexpensive (if not, free!) – There’s a ton of ways that you can set up a business email. Since my website domain is hosted through GoDaddy.com, there’s one free email that is included with my account. So for me, this was free! This was a major DUH moment and really made this decision a no-brainer. I also learned about an email service through Google called Gsuite that starts at $5/mo (Thanks Amber!). I’m sure there’s tons of other ways, but there’s just a few options for you.
4. You can maintain a better work-life balance. Setting up a business email account allows you to separate your personal and business related emails, and therefore, maintain a better work-life balance. While I (personally) forward all of my emails so that my personal and business emails are in one place, I still have the option of checking JUST my business account if I wanted and then checking my personal emails whenever I have more time. I love that I have the option!

 

BONUS Tip: If you’re a one man show (no shame, y’all! I am right there with you for now!) use your name instead of info or hello. Ex: elizabeth@elizabethnord.com instead of hello@elizabethnord.com. The reason why I suggest this is because it’s more personal when you include your name. However, if you have a team – this may not apply to you as much. For you guys, it (having a sales, info, hello, etc) might be a great fit so that the appropriate contact person is answering those specific emails and so you can prioritize certain emails over others.

 

When did you know that switching from a personal to a business email was the right move for you? Let me know in the comments below if you know of another way people can sign up for a business email account! I’d love to hear from you.