Personalized communication is like a gift these days! Think about it. Who really identifies themselves these days? Letterhead is a thing of the past thanks to email. Christmas cards are rarely handwritten or even hand-addressed. Some are even sent by email now. Personalized note card sales have decreased 42% since the dawn of email. And a personalized stamp? You won’t see that anymore! So how do you really personalize your communication with your clients?
Everyone has a gmail… or a Yahoo… or an AOL account. They try to identify themselves with their name or nickname, they add numbers, dates and acronyms. But can you really tell customers who they’re communicating with if you’re using a generic gmail account? No. That’s why we always recommend using the email addresses provided to you along with your URL. Every website that is created has the capability of creating email addresses. You should be using them! It not only identifies WHO you are, it identifies WHAT you do and WHAT your business is! When you’re giving a customer your email address, you want to show that you are proud of your business and you want it to be easy to remember. Let me show you the difference:
John_Q_Smith@gmail.com -or- John@SmithAppleOrchard.com
You can clearly see how much easier it is to identify yourself, your business and your brand. Having a way to personalize your communication with your clients will give you a leg up on the other guy using the underscores and gmail accounts! Now, don’t get me wrong, I like gmail! I have an account with them myself. If you like handling your email through google only, you can always forward your email to your gmail and still see everything in one place. Just a side note: All smart phones now have the ability to add email addresses from other providers. Simply go to the settings in your phone and follow the instructions to add your personalized email directly to your phone.
Remember: Branding yourself is smart advertising for your business.
