Why you need a professional email address!
When running a business, your most common form of communication will be through email. In this blog I’ll show you how easy it is to get yourname@yourbusiness.com email address and why your business will benefit from having one.
To give a real example – of approximately 130 professionals in private practice we recently contacted, over 75% had “free” email addresses. The majority of these emails featured underscores, numbers, hyphens and names that have no relevance to who they are and what they do. A fictional example would be: claire_mmukasa1976@yahoo.com
So what’s the problem with that?
Well here are a few points…
1. Communication – Can you imagine trying to communicate that to a potential client over the phone? There is an extremely high likelihood that your email would “bounce” and you may never hear from that potential client again.
2. Trust – Ask yourself if you would be more likely to trust a service provider with an address like claire@clairemukasa.com or claire_mmukasa1976(@yahoo.com? (fictional example)
3. Security – Have a look at the spam folder in your free email program. You will probably notice a huge amount of heartfelt requests from disposed African leaders or a range of pills and remedies for afflictions you may never have heard of! Spammers target this medium on a regular basis and indirectly you may be placing your customers at risk as well.
4. Professionalism – You spent many years of your life (and a small fortune) investing in your professional development. Why have an email address that does not reflect that?
5. Brand presence – A professional email address adds another identity to your business. Every email you send puts your brand in front of your customers, prospective customers and suppliers. Having a branded signature is a great way to increase your brand recognition. Many companies and local authorities now refuse to send any communication to a supplier without a professional email. Don’t miss out on potential opportunities.
6. Separation – Keep your freemail address for your personal life and your business address for just that.
So what should I do?
The good news is that arranging a professional email address is easy. If you have a website, ask your web hosting company to create a new email address for you. If you don’t, no problem, you can still secure a domain name or identity one that is unique to you and have this set up very easily whilst you develop your website (another must but that’s for another day).