At 2wtx consulting we work exclusively with WordPress (for normal websites and blogs) and Moodle (for community websites with members-only areas, and e-learning environments). Our clients are extremely happy with the easy-of-use WordPress offers for content updates. If you don’t yet use WordPress and are considering building a new website or redesigning an existing one, you should read this article to learn why WordPress is probably the best solution for your needs:
Do you make money having customers come to your physical location?
If so, read the new post at IT’S BROKEN, and go check your website. You may be surprised with how many obstacles your customers could be facing to do business with you.
Or is it your website content numbingly banal?
Why Is Business Writing So Awful?, asks Jason Fried in his article for Inc. Magazine.
When you write like everyone else and sound like everyone else and act like everyone else, you’re saying, “Our products are like everyone else’s, too”.
A great example of compelling writing that sets the company apart is Saddleback Leather from San Antonio, mentioned in the article. Learn from them not to hide behind jargon and tell your story well.
If you are a Gmail user, using Gmail to manage your business email may become a great time saver.
Instead of having to open two mailboxes to check personal and business messages, you can redirect everything to your Gmail account, while still keeping your personal emails separated from your professional ones (we will teach you how to create filters to keep your business and personal emails separated on Gmail on the next post).
In order for this configuration to work, you must use a hosting/email provider that offers authenticated SMTP support.
Configure your professional email (e.g., contact@yourbusiness.com) to forward your emails to your Gmail account (e.g., yourname@gmail.com)
In most providers, you will be able to choose between keeping a copy of the messages received in the original mailbox in addition to forwarding them to your Gmail account, or just forwarding them without keeping them in the original mailbox (you may prefer the second option to avoid going over the storage limit for your original mailbox).
To configure the forward, you will have to log on to your account with your hosting provider and change your email settings. If you are unsure how to perform this forward, contact your hosting provider (or, if you are a client of 2wtx Consulting, just talk to us and we will be happy to do it for you).
At this point, the emails sent to your business email will start to show up on your Gmail account.
Now that you are receiving your business emails on your personal Gmail account, you will want to be able to reply to them using the same address (e.g., From: contact@yourbusiness.com , instead of From: yourname@gmail.com).
Step 1: Figure out what is your SMTP server and the port it’s configured to use.
You should be able to get this information from your hosting provider’s FAQ or visiting the Email Settings area of your email hosting account. Note that email services that provide POP or IMAP support also offer authenticated SMTP support, and you can likely find your SMTP server configuration instructions alongside information about POP or IMAP.
Step 2: Configure Gmail to send out emails with your business email in the “From” field.
Here are the steps to do that:
a. Sign in to Gmail.
b. Click Settings (the link is found next to your email address, on the top right of the screen) and select the Accounts and Import tab.
c. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address.
d. Enter your business name and business email address in the appropriate fields.
e. There will be two options to choose from:
* Use Gmail’s servers to send your mail (this is easier to set up, but not as professional, since the messages you sent will be seen by the recipient as “From yourname@gmail.com on behalf of contact@yourbusiness.com.”)
* Use your other email provider’s SMTP servers (this is what you want to show just “From: contact@yourbusiness.com” in the From: field).
f. When you choose the second option, Gmail will ask you to enter the SMTP server (e.g. smtp.provider.com, which you should have gotten on step 2), your username on your business domain (e.g., contact@yourbusiness.com), and your password for that account. You may also need to adjust your port setting or SSL setting (Gmail provides a default value; check if it matches the information you got on step 2, and adjust the port setting accordingly).
g. Click Add account >>
h. You should get in your Gmail inbox a message sent by Gmail to confirm that you are authorized to use the business email account you just added. Either click the link in the message Gmail sent or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail settings to confirm.
From then on, when you reply to a message sent to your business email account, Gmail will automatically use this account in the From: field. If you are sending an email that is not a reply to a received message, you will be able to select in the From: field your business account (it will be available on a drop-down menu).
Leave your comment below and we will be happy to help you.
Stay tuned for the next post, which will teach you how to keep your business and personal emails separated in Gmail.
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