What are the benefits of a professional domain?
Email gets used every day. Social media creates a lot of buzz, but email gets the work done.
Owning and running a small business makes this tool very useful. If you send an email, pay attention to how it comes across.
When I work with small business owners and entrepreneurs, I find that they make two big mistakes often.
1. An unclear or generic “from” line.
We all pay attention to email subject lines. The headline that entices people to open emails in the first place.
The “from” line is of the utmost importance. The reason is?
The recipient knows who sent the email. It doesn’t matter what the subject line says.
I open emails sent by relatives, friends, or businesses. When a sender is unknown to me, I will likely delete it, thinking it is spam.
There is a common faux pas here when the “from” line is simply an email address.
If your email address contains your full name, that’s fine. If your email address is blueeyes12@gmail.com, this needs to be better.
So what’s the solution? You could try this. First name and last name|Company Name. Adding this information may help the recipient realize who sent the email.
2. Not using a custom email domain.
If you own a domain (e.g., www.mycompany.com), you can set up an email address using that domain name (e.g., name@company.com). There are no additional fees.
Small businesses and entrepreneurs often use Gmail, Yahoo, and other service providers as domains. An example is companyname@gmail.com. This may portray you as a hobbyist rather than a businessperson, and you may also miss the opportunity to make your website easy to find.
Custom domains are a great way to advertise your business online and tell people where they can locate you.
As a tool, email is only as good as how you use it.
Please be sure to polish your approach to take advantage of this crucial aspect of your business.