I get emails from other business onliners where the From: field is not set up properly or to its full advantage. Every day. Two this morning which prompted this post.
Why is the From: field so important? From branding to perceptions, those you are emailing are now more than ever scanning their inbox and making a snap decision on which email they should open or not.
How your From: field displays, especially to new contacts, can make or break you!
Email = Branding
Every email you send on company business makes an impression. Your From: field can literally determine if a new prospect will be impressed. Will they view you as credible or hit delete because they don’t recognize your response to something they may have requested?
To start you need to use your own domain (dot com, net, biz, etc.) email address. Inexpensive and easy to setup. There is no good reason that I’ve heard of to not get your own domain and email setup and in use for your day to day communications. This is part of your branding efforts!
Do Not Use Freebie Accounts
Refrain from using “throw-away” freebie accounts such as @yahoo, @gmail, @hotmail for business correspondence. These are called throw-away accounts because they are free. Spammers setup accounts and spam knowing full well they’ll be shutdown. They then just open another account.
In addition, if someone requests information through your website, they’ll recognize a matching domain email address. How can they do that with a freebie address?
Formatting is Imperative
I get emails every day from “professionals” whose names are in all small case in the From: field. Make sure your name is typed properly and formally. John A. Smith — not john a smith, john or JOHN A SMITH. If you were to type your name on company letterhead, how would you do so? That’s what you need to reflect in your From: field!
Using your own domain email address and ensuring your name displays properly in the From: field are just the basics folks. You help to safeguard against your emails not being recognized and taken seriously by doing so.
For the little effort that is involved in setting your From: field up correctly, what are you waiting for?