BRANDED E-MAIL ADDRESSES: Control, advertising & peace of mind

If you phone a company you’ve dealt with (or considered dealing with) and the phone number is “out of service”, you might hunt for their new number. But time is money. You might contact the person you met at yesterday’s breakfast meeting instead. Whether the business moved or changed phone numbers, your call represents a lost prospect.

If your company’s e-mail address is owned by your internet service provider (ISP), e.g. you@yourISPname.com, you risk the same problem. Should you leave your ISP because of high prices or poor service, or should the ISP go out of business, your e-mail address goes “out of business”, too. Every business card you’ve handed out, every Yellow Pages ad, every directory, every flyer leads your clients and prospects to a dead end.

Each e-mail equals a potential sale; can you afford to miss one? Smart business owners control their prime contact channels–phone numbers, faxes, and now in the 21st century, e-mail and e-mail addresses.

Take control of your e-mail. Create and promote your own branded e-mail (e.g. you@yourDOMAINname.com). You’ll own a secure e-mail address that won’t change.

As an extra benefit, you advertise your business with every e-mail. You wouldn’t advertise another business on your flyer; why advertise your ISP in your e-mail address? Branded e-mails are memorable—as good as handing out a business card.

Your new e-mail address can redirect mail to your old e-mail address. E-mails you send can display your new address by making a simple change to your e-mail configuration’s “return address” or “reply address”. Your promotional materials can be updated at your convenience, as you reorder, providing an inexpensive and seamless transition.

The switch isn’t costly. The benefit to your business, however, could be priceless.