If your small business is still using the email address that your Internet provider supplied you with ten years ago you’re missing out on some free online marketing leverage.
Every time we give out our business cards at meetings, every time we send an email, every time we place an advertisement or create a flier or leaflet, we are giving out our email address and it should be marketing our business. Some people even have it emblazoned across their car or van along with their web site, or have it on their company polo shirt. The point is – we use our email address a lot and we should be using it to promote our small business name – not Bigpond’s or Optus or any of the other internet providers out there.
What I mean is that your email address should be [email protected], not [email protected] or [email protected].
At best the last 2 email addresses look unprofessional and may make your small business look tiny or quaint; at worst they can lock you into staying with your Internet Service Provider(ISP) because you have used their email address on all your printed material and stationery, not to mention any signage you’ve had made and past customers who you’ve given your details to; it’s on all your marketing gear.
It’s not difficult to change your email address and the beauty of it is that once you register a domain name (that’s the yourcomapanyname.com.au part of the email address) and set up your email addresses they need never change again and, in the future, it doesn’t matter which Internet provider you use – just use the one that gives you the best deal, and this may change over time. You can also use your newly registered domain name as your web site address, if you are thinking of setting up one.
Also, if you ever sell your business then having an email linked to your company domain name will ensure better goodwill and business value than one using your ISP’s name, as you can’t transfer the ISP account email.
At the end of the day its about being in control of your branding and having it consistent across the customer touch points of your business.
Think about getting some low-cost small business marketing by registering a domain name and setting up your email addresses more professionally.
Do you know a business owner still using an email like [email protected] or [email protected] ? If so why not send them this article and help them get their online marketing organised.
Have you seen any business emails like this that have caught your eye? Let us know below what the best/worse one that you remember is.