Naples Web Design, Internet Marketing, Hosting, etc.

Email has been around since the beginning of the Internet.  While new mediums for communication continue to be created, email is still the primary form of correspondence between people.  But do you realize that every email you send out has the potential to be a marketing campaign to help increase your company's sales?

When you send someone an email, the recipient of that email only gives the “From” field a passing glance.  If they don't know you, then chances are they will not open the email or they will delete it, or even a far worse scenario they add it to their JUNK filter.  Why does this happen?

Most small businesses work hard to create an image and that image can be destroyed in a matter of seconds by using an email account that is not based on their domain name.  For instance they use their home email address, or a free email address like gmail, yahoo, aol or hotmail just to name a few.  Some businesses use an ISP business email account, but it still gives the impression that it comes from another company like TimeWarner or Comcast. Using your company domain for your email account helps your intended recipients to identify your business more easily, which not only lessens the likelihood of your email ending up in the SPAM folder, but it is also more professional.

If you have a website, then you have purchased a domain and hosting from someone.  Most professional domain registrars and hosting companies include free email accounts with at your domain or hosting purchase.  For instance Newport Design Concepts offers a free 1 Gigabyte email account with your domain purchase or transfer and this also includes 100 email addresses with your purchase of a hosting account.  Check to see if your registrar or hosting company gives you free email accounts.

Next we will discuss the actual email addresses themselves.  If you are a small business that wants to look like a large firm, then don't just use your first name as your email address, i.e., This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Most medium to large organization use first initial last name, i.e., This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or first name dot last name, i.e., This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Larger organizations use a formula to determine your username but then creates aliases, which are what is used when you send email.  For example my account may be n011015i, which will correspond to something like Name of company, start date and department.  This would not be a good email to try to remember so they create an alias to jdoe or john.doe in order to make it more user friendly.

On the other hand, if you want other businesses to know you are a small business and want to use a more personal touch then use the “first name dot last name method” or just your first name.  The only problem with the latter is if your business grows you have a better chance of two people with the same first names.

Now that you have your email naming convention and are using your domain, you have to focus on the small details.  Email signatures can also make or break you.  I have seen signatures that are as big as my computer monitor and yet others that are so small you can't see them without zooming in on them.  Every email you send out should include your signature.  You never know where your email may end up and if someone forwards an email you sent to someone else then it is a free opportunity for someone else to find out about your business.  Your signature should be clean and uncluttered without a lot of extra non-essential information.  Your email should also be text and not a picture.  This way if your email somehow gets picked up by a search engine it will help your website rankings.  The last item is a key element that most small businesses let slip by - they need to be consistent.  Remember each and every email you send is about your business image.  It should be consistent and simple.   Below is an example of a good email signature:

Note the above signature states what is needed, but nothing extra.  The dashes are first to separate the body of the email from the signature.  Next is my name and contact phone.  Last is your website address. If your email program lets you add links then add a link to your website. This will help you again if your email gets posted on the Internet as every link back will help your search engine rankings.  A couple of other things you can add are your title under your name and any certifications you have to the right of your name.  Do not list more than four certifications as it will begin to look like you added the alphabet.  One thing you will notice is not listed is my email address.  I do not recommend having your email address for a couple reasons - first your email address is already in your email or the person would not be looking at your signature.  Second if your email does get listed somewhere or ends up on a virus infected system it can be harvested for spam.  This does not mean you won't get SPAM it just helps reduce the amount of potential spam you will receive.