---

Guest post by: Donald F. Pooley Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

How much time did you spend on deciding on the appearance of your business cards? Or your letterhead? Why was it so important to get them just right? Were you trying to present a professional image? Now, how much time did you spend on the appearance of your email address? Did you give it the slightest thought? Judging by the emails I get from countless colleagues in this business, few do. There are two parts to an e-address, just as there are to your postal address: who you are, and where you are. Who you are, your e-name comes before the @ symbol, and where you are, your domain name, comes after it. Your E-Name People seem to make up e-names with little thought of what they convey to the recipient of their email. If you want to project a professional image, give it more thought than these examples that strike me as unprofessional, and why: A012345@xxx.xx - Obviously not a human being; bdc@xxx.xx - Must I guess who has these initials? lucy@xxx.xx - Cute, no surname (unless it's Lucy); Admin@xxx.xx - Great personal touch! Sydney@xxx.xx - Male, female, first name, surname? BigMoney23@xxx.xx - Where's BigMoney01, -02, etc.? life@xxx.xx - Is this just anyone in the life department? lifesites@xxx.xx - Or just anyone in the company; Mimi-and-Max@xxx.xx - How did Max get into Mimi's act? (Or vice versa?) The general complaint is that it's unclear who you're dealing with. Some even look as if they're from spammers or porn promoters. People want to know: a) that they're dealing with a human being, b) if it's someone they know (not necessarily by their initials), c) and not the cute receptionist, (or porn queen), d) or the impersonal administration department, e) where there's no doubt about the sex or surname of the source, f) and he or she is not one of a number series, g) or just anyone in the department or firm, h) or possibly the spouse of their advisor. Most subscribers to my email newsletter, "TIP: The Insurance Professional" have professional e-names that clearly indicate who sent the message. They use the name they're known by so, if they email a client, prospect, or center-of-influence, the recipient has no doubt about who it's from. Good examples are AlanArcher@xxx.xx, Bill.Burns@xxx.xx, ddavidson@xxx.xx, etc. Hyphens, and underlines are trickier to remember, so try to avoid them. Some people even have problems with periods. I use 'donpooley', and tell people "it's all one word", to keep it simple. Initial capitals don't matter, but if you think they help identify you, use them. Capitalising whole names is considered rude by email aficionados (unless it's an acronym), so BILL.BURNS@xxx.xx is not only gauche, but amateurish, and hence unprofessional. Think about it. If you want to be considered a professional, your image must reflect it in every way. Don't let your e-name dull your image, or confuse your clients. Your Domain Name The second part of your e-address, your domain name, is as important as your office address. If your image requires a prestigious downtown office, then your domain should reflect it. Ditto if you seek to indicate that you're unique, and special in some way, or a totally independent advisor. When we start emailing, or to email friends or relatives, a commonplace domain, such as: telus.net, sympatico.ca, yahoo.com, aol.com, etc., is usual, but it tells recipients of your email either that you are new to digital communication, or that this is not a business message. On the other hand, while a domain of a large firm such as: clarica.com, freedom55financial.com, assante.com does indicate a business message, it also implies that you are not independent. Because of this, many advisors advertise their independence by registering their own domains, so you'll see domains such as johnsonfinancial.ca, jackjohnson.com, rrspguy.com, etc. The key here is something that uses your name, your business name, or something readily associated with you. Domain names are easy to get, and cheap---$35 annually for .ca, less for most others---but they have to be unique to get registered. What Does Your E-Address Tell People About You? Your e-address says as much about you as your letterhead or business card, and just as you use them to project a professional image, so can you use your email address. You email address may actually be more important to your image than your letterhead or business cards. How many letterheads did you use last week? How many business cards did you hand out? How does their combined total compare to the total number of business emails that you sent out? So, which projects your image more often? And how professional is it?

Related Articles

  Getting Excited About New Sales Opportunities
  Is Your Email Getting Through
  Dam Spam
  Are You Falling Into This Advertising And Image Trap?
  Home Based Business Owners Don’t Need to Advertise Their Home Address
  Where do you live on the net? The importance of a good address.
  Why Do-Not-Reply@DomainName.com Is a Terrible Idea
  The eMail Signature - Use it to Promote
  How To Get An Email Address For Your Home Staging Business
  10 Tips For Dealing With Spam
  A Shared IP Address Isn't Always So Bad
  Boost Email Deliverability With a Static IP Address
  Facilitating Quick Mailings
  How To Field Others’ Pitches
  A Dead Simple Way to Get More Free Advertising for Your Business and Website
  Protect Your Website E-mail Address
  Have you ever acted like a bonehead.
  Ways To Make Objections Disappear
  How can software for email marketing increase delivery rates?
  ACT! - Tips and Techniques

Related Forum Posts

Re: Kevin's Case Study #3 - Promoting something you can't try
Re: What's in a Name?
Re: How can I use this forum to market my company?
Re: new at this and need to get moving
Re: Five Personality Traits of Successful Business Owners

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Using Technology to Market your Business

How to Write Your Compelling Vision Statement

Leading with Discernment

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.