Is your email promoting your business or your Internet Service Provider’s?
You already know why an unprofessional email address is potentially career-limiting on your resume or LinkedIn profile, but is your username@isp.com email address preventing you from landing new business?
This isn’t just for freelancers – there are many small businesses promoting either google or their internet provider with every email. Switching to a better option is relatively easy and should be done for effective branding.
Chances are you already have a domain and website, and you can use your domain host’s mail service if it’s included in your package, or try out GoogleApps for a reliable tool that gives you more than just an email backend.
The team at CoffeeCup.com have setup a great tutorial to walk you through connecting your domain with GoogleApps, giving you access to a suite of excellent tools for your freelance or small business.
GoogleApps isn’t free anymore, but at $5 per user per month, it’s money well spent.
(It might look like I’m shilling for google here – I’m not, I just think this is a great tool for any small business concerned about their brand identity) 
There are lots of other options, many of them great, some of them free.
The important thing is that you make your email work for you instead of someone else.
Three reasons to implement a custom email:
- Brand recognition. Every email you send and receive, the other party sees your business name
- Futureproof – Your ISP might change in the future, forcing you to update your info for everyone who needs to contact you. (reprinting business cards/brochures, updating all of your online profiles, etc). If you control your email address, this isn’t a concern.
- Professionalism – You want your clients to think of you as a professional. Your businessname@gmail.com isn’t cutting it.
Bonus tip:
Set yourself up with a catch-all address and use it to customize email addresses on the fly. At the next meetup/business mixer or any other time when you are asked for your email address, tell them it’s their firstname/lastname/businessname @yourdomain.com – the email will be automagically forwarded to your correct email address, and your prospect will be able to remember your email address much easier. It’s not a big deal, but it can help you stand out from the crowd.
What are your email tips/tricks?
About the author: Jason Finnerty
Jason Finnerty is the lead copywriter for Brandscaping.ca, based out of Victoria, BC, Canada, with clients across the country and around the world. He crafts compelling content for organizations within the educational, financial, and technical realms, and loves every minute of the freelance life.
