In business, image is everything. You hear a lot of talk about "branding" and "marketing". Everyone is striving for a professional image that will help customers to trust them and want to do business with them. Most businesses focus on the big picture - the logo, the headline, the business cards, the website. While these things are important, they don't realize that there is one little thing that may be slowly but surely undermining everything else they are putting into their business image: their email address.

What does your email address tell people about you and your company? Is it yourcompany @ hotmail.com? Is it yourname @ telus.net? Or is it yourname @ yourcompany.com? Perhaps you think that something as minor as an email address doesn't matter, but let me assure you once and for all: it does!

You've seen the ads, the homemade business cards, the brochures made by a 10-year-old. You know the look. It screams homemade, basement business, mickey mouse marketing. Your first impression of the company is anything but professional. Are you likely to do business with them, or will you look somewhere else for a more professional company, someone you feel you can trust to deliver quality on what they promise? Chances are, you will keep looking somewhere else for what you need! But are you sure you are not doing the same thing in your business?

Take a look at your email address. If it is yourcompany @ hotmail.com or yourcompany @ comcast.net, what is this saying about your business? What image are you portraying? It says that your company is small, too small to have your own domain name and email address. It says that you are cheap, using a free email service or using your ISP's email service. It portrays the image of a small home-based business. Now you may indeed be small and home-based - but do you really want potential customers to have that kind of first impression of your business? Contrast that with having an email address like this: yourname @ yourcompany.com. Do you see the difference? Immediately you have more credibility, you look more professional, and your email address will be more easily remembered. The first impression has now gone from small home-based business, to professional, credible company.

So how do you go about getting your own email address? Perhaps you have thought about doing it before, but were overwhelmed because you didn't even know where to start. Perhaps the idea never even crossed your mind. Either way, you'll be glad

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Common mistakes made by small business owners?
We want to hear your view. Write now!