I’ve recently worked with several of my clients who have stubbornly insist on using their AOL email address for business purposes. They see very little to be gained from using a professional email address that has been set up for each of their businesses. They are so comfortable with AOL that they have trouble seeing how this lack of professionalism is most likely hurting their business. It is!
Now, let me clarify something. I have nothing against AOL. I have a couple of AOL email addresses and have for well over 20 years. What I am writing about here is the same principle for those who use Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Hotmail, Yahoo’s Hotmail, or the email given free by your cable internet provider or phone company DSL provider.
Having an AOL email address back in the 90’s might have said you were tech savvy, then… The same thing could have been said to those who first carried the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (brick phone). Using your AOL address for your business today would elicit pretty much the same response as if you were to use that Motorola brick phone for your mobile calls today. All it shows is you are 15 years behind the times.
What would you think of a company you are thinking of doing business with if the CEO proudly handed you a business card printed on perforated card stock from his ink jet printer? I doubt many of us would rank that company very high on the professionalism scale. Yet, using an AOL email address (or other internet provider address) is the same thing. For one, all you are advertising with that sort of address is your internet service provider. Why not advertise your business?
In point of fact, what sort of impression are you sending clients and potential clients with a freebie email address? Have you been in business long? How much experience do you have? Will you be around for me to work with in the future? Are you cheap? You wouldn’t think of using the closest payphone as your business number (that is if you could find a payphone today)…why give the same impression with a freebie public email account? By not using a professional email address for your business, you are losing customers…customers you will never see because you haven’t established credibility.
The cost of having a professional email (with your business name integrated into the address) is about $30 a year. For most businesses who have a web site, email is included in the price of hosting your site. If you don’t have a website, you should and dba Communications can help you with both your website and your email. Contact us today.
