This series is for small and start-up businesses. If you are light on cash, but have the time to do things yourself, these tips are for you. If you have made any of these common mistakes, don’t worry! With each posting, I will tell you how to quickly and inexpensively fix the problem. (Originally posted Feb. 6, 2012. Updated Apr. 19, 2015.)
Common Mistake #1 – Non Business-Related Email Address
I see this one ALL the time, and it is sooooo easy to fix.
If you are using an email address for your business that ends in @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @bellsouth.com, etc., please STOP.
You are not representing your company as professionally as you could easily be doing.
If you already have a website, many service providers will offer an email package along with your hosting package that will make your email “match” your URL. In many cases, the email package is already included in what you are paying. If not, it should be a nominal amount to add it.
But, what if you don’t have your website set up yet? Or, what if your host does not offer an email option you like?
Fear not, Google Apps has an inexpensive solution!
With Google Apps, you can create an email address with your domain name for $50 a year or $5 per month, plus there are lots of other included benefits such as integrated online calendars and 30GB of online storage.
If you have already reserved a domain name, it will take a little time to get it verified and set up, but it is still free.
If you have not reserved a domain name, you can easily do it through Google (or a multitude of other sources) for a nominal fee.
To learn more, please go to the Google Apps pricing page.
If you are already using an email that matches your domain name, that’s great news. I’ll be posting more common problems in the future, so please check back!
If you found this article helpful, please be sure to check out my entire series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them and also read my series on Free Marketing Tools!
