We all use email every day. And while social media gets most of the buzz, it’s really email (social media’s less sexy roommate) that gets the work done, day in and day out.
All this means is, if you own and operate a small business, you need to be sure that you’re taking full advantage of this wonderful tool.
Pay attention to how your emails may come across to others when you’re sending them out. A few mistakes that I see – over and over again – with clients or potential clients:
- Not using a custom domain for email. You may not know this, but if you own a domain (e.g., www.mycompany.com), you have the ability to create email addresses (name@mycompany.com) that use that domain name, and at no additional cost.
Unfortunately, I frequently see emails from small businesses and solo professionals using Gmail, Verizon, Comcast, Yahoo!, and other 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 them easily find your website.
When using an email address that uses your custom domain, you are constantly advertising your company. It shows the recipient where you can be found on the web.
If it’s from a friend, relative, client, 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 think it’s spam and delete it.
- 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 halolola576@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 recognize who I am. You’ll find the vertical separator line – “|” – above the backslash, near the top right of your keyboard.
Like any tool, email 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!
Things I Enjoy Doing: Baking No-knead Bread
You know, I’m no baker. The only thing I know how to bake really well is cheese cake and apple crisp. 👏🏽 More about how that came to be some other time. How did bread land in the mix?
Over a year ago I had a conversation with someone who told me they were making sourdough bread – which has been my fav for some time now. After hearing the process, I thought, I should try that. She sent me a couple links, I clicked and didn’t like my options. Two or more days for a loaf of bread? 🙄 That was not going to work for me.
Fast forward to recently, I was doing a little online research on Knead Bread Bakery, my now go-to for pastries, and came across a recipe titled “No Knead Bread” and was intrigued enough to take a closer look.
Four ingredients (a little honey for flavor) and five hours and fifteen minutes tops, processing time. That was all there was to it. It’s no sourdough bread but I sure do enjoy the experimenting process! That baby up top was my second attempt and it was delicious. Woot, woot! 🤩
Do you enjoy baking or cooking? If so, what’s your favorite thing to throw together?
