Your email address should be an asset, not a liability. But, if you’re using a Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail or personal Gmail address to conduct business, you may very well be hurting your company’s credibility in the eyes of potential clients. Everything about your company, including that email address, is part of your brand and helps form an impression. So how exactly does a personal email address work against you? Read on…

Outdated Email Providers

If you’re not using a business email address, many potential customers will judge you on your email provider itself. Older domains like aol.com, hotmail.com and yahoo.com could signal to your audience, particularly younger individuals, that you’re not able to keep up with modern technology.

Dealbreaker Addresses

It should go without saying, but if your email address contains references to politics, sex, violence, bigotry, drugs or anything similar, you have probably already destroyed any trust you were hoping to build. Imagine someone trying to do business with you when your email address is something like crazysexypartyanimal@hotmail.com. You may think it’s funny, but you won’t be taken seriously.

Building Confidence

Because of the prevalence of spam, many people tend to err on the side of caution when sending an email. They want to be sure who they are contacting, and a personal email address just doesn’t provide confidence. Are you more likely to trust mary@smithbiz.com or marysmithbiz@yahoo.com?

Your business email will also provide potential clients with access to your website. Using the example mary@smithbiz.com, someone interested in your business could easily find your website by typing in smithbiz.com. But, if your address is marysmithbiz@yahoo.com, finding your site has become much more difficult.

Professional email addresses give business owners a brand element that conveys trustworthiness and confidence. Pairing that address with a professionally-designed and effective website will provide a measurable advantage over the competition. Contact us to find out how we can help you gain that edge.