Posted by Believe it or not, there are things we do every day that can actually help us in marketing our business.One of these “things” is something that most of us end up wasting hours of time on…..e-mail.
Think about it, how many e-mails do you send each day? If you are anything like me, a lot.
You actually have two chances for free promotion when you send e-mails, the first is in the actual address and the second is in the signature.
Your E-mail Address
It is important that you use your own website domain e-mail address when you communicate with clients, suppliers, friends, colleagues…..everyone. This is a great opportunity to get your company name out there – a vital branding exercise. Please don’t use your hotmail address (eg. Prettyinpink@hotmail.com), this is obviously not professional and you a missing out on a chance to promote your business name.I know this seems like common sense but you’d be amazed at the amount of e-mails I receive with these types of addresses! I personally find it hard to take them seriously and most of the time they end up getting deleted.
Your E-mail Signature
Setting up an e-mail signature is relatively simple and is again a great way to promote your business.You don´t even have to have a website as there is other information you can include. If you use e-mail programs such as Outlook or Outlook Express, you can actually set up various signatures and use them as need be – alternatively you can just set a default signature. So what should I include in the signature? Below is a list of information you may want to include – a word of warning – don’t make it too long as it will take up too much space and will look out of place.
1. Your First Name and Surname
2. Your Title (If appropriate, eg Marketing Director)
3. Your company or business name
4. Your Tagline (if you have one)
5. Your e-mail address
6. Your Website URL
7. Your Phone and Fax Numbers
8. Your physical address
9. If you have a Newsletter or special Report to give away you can include this too.
So there you have it, a simple but effective way to reinforce your brand and give a professional image of your company. The best thing about this simple tip is that it can generate some good traffic to your business when recipients start clicking on your URL or that link to a free report that they are interested in.
If you would like some more tips and strategies for marketing your small business, please Click here