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How to Use Gmail to Run Your Business

John Jantsch Founder, Duct Tape Marketing Recent Posts

10 Comments

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January 11, 2011

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“Joseph, I agree that there are many hosted ...”

ALLEN FALCON

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Gmail has become a powerful and inexpensive way to run a companies’ email. I moved each of my domains there last year and found it to be extremely helpful. As Google continues to add features and collaboration tools, Gmail might be a useful service for your small business to consider.

Here is my suggested plan of action:

1. Set up your domain mail to be hosted by Google.

First, get a Google Apps for business account. Move the MX records for your domain from your previous server to Google’s servers (this isn’t as difficult as it sounds). In doing this, you can use Gmail and it's functions while still having your mail come from john@yourdomain.com.

You can also create custom emails for your staff. This service costs $50 a year and allows you to share calendars, tasks and contacts throughout your team. (Most web hosts these days give you access to the mail server for making this change.)

2. Create and use labels and filters

You can create an infinite number of labels (like folders) in Gmail to store and organize your email. I recommend trying Google Labs and the Nested Label feature, which allows you to create a sub topic within a parent label. To create these, simply connect the parent label to the sub label (ie: clients/nameofclient).

Filters allows you to automate how your email is handled and sorted. If you get a lot of email from one service, then create a filter and the mail will go straight to that folder, relieving the clutter in your inbox.

Another recent addition is the Priority Inbox. This feature sorts your email and learns from your actions (you can direct it manually as well) which emails are the most important. They will appear first in your inbox.

3. Create multiple feature rich signatures

I use a Firefox add-on, Wisestamp, to create different signatures for work and home purposes.

Want more tips on useful web tools? Check these out:

4. Sync the offline feature

Gmail allows you to access a copy of your inbox when you’re offline, especially useful when you're on an airplane or out of Wi-Fi range. You access a synced copy of your email that is stored on your computer, but you're not actually using your inbox. Download a browser plugin called Google Gears and turn on the offline option in 'Settings' to use this service.

5. The Delegation function

Delegating email might sound impersonal but there are many practical uses for the tool, like when you want to create company mailboxes for things like sales, customer service, advertising, media requests, etc. Administrators must first enable mail delegation by checking the 'Mail Delegation' checkbox under 'Email Settings' in the administrator control panel.

To enter a delegate, users can select the 'Accounts' tab under 'Settings' in Gmail and click 'Add another account' to enter their delegate's email address.

Once the delegate is signed into their own own Gmail account, they can then access their manager's account from the account selection menu at the top of Gmail.

6. The Canned Responses settings feature

In Google Labs (click the science beaker icon above your mail to access this) you can turn on a host of options that will enhance Gmail’s functionality. One that I like is the Canned Responses, which allows you to store email copy that you frequently use. Whenever you need to use the copy, you can insert it with one click.

7. Explore the App Marketplace

When you create your Google Apps account, you become integrated with Google Calendar and Google Docs, both of which can function as company-wide. More add-ons like this can be found at the Google Apps Marketplace.

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant and author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine.

Image credit: kowitz

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John Jantsch, Article, apps, e-mail, Gmail, Google, web tools

What do you think?

Join the conversation ( 10 )

ALLEN FALCON 1 year 4 months and 13 days ago

Joseph,I agree that there are many hosted email solution providers that offer a great range of features and functions. Businesses should start with their requirements and work from there.Allen
JOSEPH TOMAN 1 year 4 months and 13 days ago

You're right, my mistake. I just see so many micro and small businesses who think they can run their businesses using free Google tools that it has become a knee *** reaction for me. Mea culpa. Still, I maintain that any credible email provider offers similar services and has for a while. You could make the argument that Google puts a friendlier UI on these services than many other providers, though I think the other providers are starting to wake up and no longer allowing their developers to do interface design. :)
LEVI SMITH 1 year 4 months and 14 days ago

Useful summary of the key features of gmail for a small business. I ran a start-up on the entire google enterprise suite and was very pleased.In addition to gmail, there are some other web services that are really helpful for a small business or start-up trying to get setup with minimal expense and maximum feature. Checkout my blog series on this topic for links and recommendations: http://bit.ly/gQ62Cthttp://www.itsworthnoting.com
Stephanie Sammons 1 year 4 months and 14 days ago

Thanks for the article on Google Apps John! It is no doubt a great small business tool. I've been using Wisestamp for quite some time and am also a big fan of http://rapportive.com which allows you the ability to get rich contact profiles inside of gmail.
ALLEN FALCON 1 year 4 months and 14 days ago

How is Jon's advice off the mark? He is advising folks to sign up for Google Apps for Business, the paid service. It is the only hosted email service to have both SAS 70 Type II and the more stringent Type I certifications for operations, security, and privacy.Google only mines free gmail and Google Apps accounts in order to present ads in the inbox. The paid version is completely private.
JOSEPH TOMAN 1 year 4 months and 15 days ago

Wow. It always amuses me when folks from the Windows world move outside their little shell and "discover" things that have been possible in the Unix world since the early 90's . Any competent email offering can do most all of these things, and most email hosting firms also have some online document storage solution. Without the worry of your email being mined for data or the service disappearing because Google's marketing team has decided to take a new direction. Google has to pay for those servers somehow. My advice: don't be a tightwad, pay the yearly nickel for your email and online storage solution and have some guarantee that the service will be there the next time you log in.John, your advice is usually good, but this one is way off the mark.
ALLEN FALCON 1 year 4 months and 15 days ago

With respect to Privacy, Google Apps for Business (the paid service) is completely secure and private, as represented in the Terms of Service and the Service Level Agreement. Your information is not scanned or used by Google unless you specifically mark it as "public" or you turn on the "show me ads" feature.If you are nervous about leaving "Outlook", the Google Apps Sync for MS Outlook tool lets you keep using Outlook, just with your Google Apps account.
Tia Peterson 1 year 4 months and 15 days ago

This is excellent. I've been using gmail for years and was not aware of all of the capabilities here. Thanks also for the Wisestamp recommendation. That will come in very handy!
Al Kernek 1 year 4 months and 15 days ago

I have been using Gmail to consolidate several email accounts for ease of access when I travel. While using Gmail for all my businesses and staff sounds attractive, it could get expensive. Also, I and others are concerned about Google privacy issues, a subject that Google would do well to clarify. But overall, Gmail is an excellent, feature-rich tool.
BRIAN WILLINGHAM 1 year 4 months and 15 days ago

If you have been using Microsoft Outlook your whole life (like most of us), the transition to Gmail can be challenging, but its powerful, collaborative and has a multitude of incredible features that seems to increase every day. I couldn't be happier with Gmail. It's a must have for any small business.