Chances are, you probably have a Gmail account. [email protected], right? Now, this is all well and good—perfect for emailing your friends, connecting to your Facebook account and signing up for promotional offers. But, it’s not really the appropriate communications channel for small business inquiries.

For starters, your email address makes more of an impression than you might imagine. For example, using a free email address for commercial transactions may have a negative impact on your reputation as a small business owner, and it might even affect your creditworthiness.

Here’s a look at why you should consider investing in a branded business email account:

It’s More Professional

Simply put, using a domain-based email makes you look more like you’ve got a “real” business than if you used a Yahoo, Gmail, or AOL email extension.

Think of it this way—you’re spending a lot of time and energy making sure your website is just so. Or you’re curating your brand’s social media accounts, putting your best face forward.

All that hard work can be undone if your first contact with a new prospect is done through your Gmail account. With the first impression via inbox, new connections might assume that you don’t quite have your stuff together—or that your company isn’t trustworthy.

Alternatively, when that first email is sent from a domain name that matches your website, it helps communicate that you’re detail-oriented, established, and professional—even if you’re running an operation out of your garage!

Creditors Might Take Your Email Extension into Consideration

Yes, seriously. While an unbranded email address likely won’t completely derail your shot at securing a loan all on it’s own, it certainly might make or break a creditor’s decision to take you on as a borrower.

One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is using a free email service provider for their small business communications. A Gmail, Outlook, or Comcast email signifies that you haven’t gotten into the nitty gritty branding stuff that makes you seem legitimate.

Creditors will ask for your email on every application you fill out. Any signs that you might not have a solid business plan in place can put a damper on your ability to get the capital you need to grow your business.

Ultimately, there are a lot of factors that go into determining a funding provider’s assessment of your ability to repay your small business loan or capital advance. Why not take care of the easy little items that really do make a difference? You can help your business by obtaining a business email account that showcases your website domain. In fact, you probably already have access to free or cheap branded emails if you already own your company’s domain name!

A Cohesive Brand

Your website acts as a central hub for where you do business, and your email should be tied to that central hub. [email protected] lends some weight to your branding efforts and makes it easy for your customers to remember you.

Think of it this way: if your primary method of communicating with customers is through email, they may need a subtle reminder that your website exists. When it’s right there in your email address, customers can easily find your site or pass it along to friends and family. An unrelated domain tied to your company email address breeds confusion on the customer side.

Where Do I Get a Branded Domain Name?

Google for Business accounts start at $5 a month (and comes with a 14-day free trial), so there’s no real excuse to avoid this small but impactful detail. Plans like Zoho Mail and Bluehost start at less than 3 bucks a month. While they don’t come with the complimentary 30GB of cloud storage that Google for Business provides, there are some other perks—Bluehost, for example comes with free Google and Bing Facebook ad credits, plus the ability to do 1-click WordPress installation.

Why Having a Branded Email Domain is Critical for Your Small Business

In the end, companies know that reputation is everything and that sweating the small stuff like email can have a major impact on how customers and creditors view you and your business.

Ready to go with a branded email address? Apply for a capital advance!