E-mail is a critical tool for businesses, large or small.
We all use e-mail every day. While social media gets most of the buzz, it’s e-mail that gets the work done every day.
All of which means if you own and operate a small business or are a solo professional, you need to be sure that you’re taking full advantage of this wonderful tool.
Step one is paying attention to how you come across when you send emails to other people.
Here are two common mistakes I’ve seen time and time again in my work with solo professionals and small business clients.
Generic "From" Line
We all focus on crafting an intriguing “subject” line, but the “from” line is even more important.
Most of us pay a lot of attention to the “subject” line of our emails. It’s the headline, and the thing that entices people to open our emails in the first place.
But the “from” line is even more important.
Why?
Because that tells the recipient who is sending the e-mail in the first place. If it’s a friend, relative or company I do business with, I’m very likely to open it (regardless of the subject line).
If I don’t recognize the sender, I’m very likely to assume it’s spam and click delete.
Yesterday, for example, I got an e-mail message from “Micky,” with a blank subject line.
I don’t know any Micky’s.
I was about to delete the e-mail, when at the last second, I remembered a women named Michelle who is working on some graphic displays for one of my clients.
Sure enough, she was sending me some important information.
It made me wonder: How many of her emails are regularly deleted?
Another common faux pas of this sort is when the “from” line is simply an email address.
That’s okay if your full name is part of your address, but not so good if your e-mail address is something like YourLocalPhotographer@gmail.com.
What’s the solution?
Try something like this:
First and Last Name | Company.
My first and last name, followed by my company name, either of which may help you realize who I am.
(You’ll find the vertical separator line that I use – “|” – above the backslash, near the top right of your keyboard.)
Make sure that the “from” line clearly shows your name and the name of your business.
For Example:
Michelle Adams | Bend Oregon Photographer LLC
Not using a Custom email Domain
You may not know this, but if you own a domain (e.g., www.mycompany.com), you have the ability to create e-mail addresses (name@mycompany.com) that use that domain name (and at no additional cost or for a minimal monthly cost).
Unfortunately, I frequently see emails from small businesses and solo professionals who use Gmail, Verizon, Comcast, Yahoo! and other 3rd party providers to act as their domain.
An example is companyname@gmail.com.
Not only does this approach paint you as a hobbyist (as opposed to someone who’s really in business) it also represents a missed opportunity to help people find your web site.
When you create an email address that uses your custom domain, you are constantly advertising your company, as well as where it can be found on the web.
If you are currently using a Gmail, Yahoo, or other 3rd party provider email address, it’s time to switch to a custom domain.
Check your hosting provider to set this up or you can subscribe to Google Business Suite for a minimal amount each month.
Like any tool, e-mail is only as good as the way in which it’s used.
Polish up your approach and start getting the full benefit from this important aspect of your business!
