Every day I get about a hundred business emails. Some days, it’s even more. One thing I’ve noticed is that a large majority of these emails have @gmail.com at the end of them. You saw that I mentioned these are business emails, right? So, let’s talk about a big missed marketing and branding opportunity that comes with not using a branded business email address.
If you are using a gmail.com email address, or heaven forbid aol.com or yahoo.com, I want to walk you through a little exercise. Think about how many emails you send each year.
Got that number in your head?
For argument’s sake, let’s say that number is 1825 emails per year (that’s 5 emails a day). Guess what. That’s 1825 missed opportunities for people to get to know your brand. That’s 1825 lost marketing opportunities. That’s 1825 opportunities for people to think that you aren’t a ‘legit’ and serious business.
So, what should your business email address be?
Well, if you want to be seen as a professional business, you have two options:
Option #1: yourname@yourname.com
Option #2: yourname@yourbrand.com
So, how do you decide which option to go with?
Well, it really depends on the domain you are using.
Many people can’t get their name as a domain, so they go with a separate business brand name. But here’s the rub with that. Your brand and focus are likely to change as you grow and scale your business over the next decade. Perhaps it won’t, but many people reinvent and want to rebrand at the same time. This is when having your name as the domain is likely the best option. Your name can transcend the change in focus.
Now, I’ve seen some people choose to go with yournamespeaks.com. That’s okay, but it may feel limiting once you add other offerings to your product mix, such as books, consulting, etc. To combat this, you may opt to use your name along with your expertise instead. For example, yournameleadership.com or yournamemarketing.com
If you are someone who is building a system or training product that compliments your speaking, or who may possibly want to sell their business down the line, choosing the brand option is the better way to go. In these cases the identity of the business is focused on the brand name, so should you ever want to franchise or sell, having the brand identity that is not your name will have more value to prospective investors and buyers.
If you choose to go the way of a business name that is not your personal name, remember one thing when: clear is better than clever. Avoid names that no one will understand. Maybe choosing a name that stands for something in the Greek language means something to you, but is it worth only 1% of your buyers thinking it’s clever? Sometimes the best solution is calling something exactly what it is.
Not Using Branded Email Because It’s Technically Challenging
When people aren’t using a branded email address, there’s often a reason. I hear the arguments: “it’s just so complicated setting up a branded email” or “I want to use Gmail to manage my emails, so I use a Gmail address.”
I get it. But you can’t let something stand in your way just because it’s technically challenging. It’s not worth losing all the marketing and branding opportunities (remember… it’s 1825 opportunities…one with every single email you send).
There are tons of people out there that can help you get your domain email set up in whatever email platform you want to use: Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail. It only takes people with expertise in this area minutes to get you set up. That’s it…minutes.
So, let me ask you one last thing. Are you missing branding opportunities? If so, share in the comments below so we can see how we can help you!
See you soon, Wealthy Speakers.
