The UK small business resource website, Startups.co.uk, shared results of a consumer survey of English subjects by the web hosting firm, Easily.co.uk. The survey asked consumers of their prospects of procuring services from businesses with and without exclusive email addresses. While the survey was done half a world away, the results may still be relevent to US businesses.
"Small firms are being advised to adopt 'professional sounding' e-mail addresses if they want to benefit from hidden profitability, in a new report. The survey, by web hosting firm Easily.co.uk, asked over 1,500 consumers, if they preferred fictional email address sales@londonplumbing.com or londonplumbing@hotmail.com."
"The results show that a massive 88 per cent favoured the first option, as they felt that it suggested a more professional and trustworthy organisation. Younger consumers were more likely to have this attitude, with 95 per cent of 16-24 year olds more likely to trust a domain specific address. Jonathan Robinson, director of business development at Easily, said: 'Email is an extension of a company's online presence, so it is unsurprising to find that consumers expect a professional business website to be complemented by domain name specific email addresses.'"
While the exclusive email addresses do come at a cost, the benefits for your business may prove a profitable investment to get the edge over the competition. It might be best to use your new "gmail" account to impress your friends but not your customers.
posted by Silentman, Henry C. @ 15:18 hours MT(GMT-7)
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