That Was Then…
Imagine a guy (unironically) sporting a gold lamé suit with 6” butterfly collar and matching gold sparkle-glitter high heeled shoes. How would you perceive such a garish character?
And This is Now
Well, considering its 2015, you’d likely judge Vinny Barbarino super ‘70s getup as hopelessly out of touch with the times. And rightly so. Welcome Back Cotter’s been off the air longer than half the world’s been alive.
The Pace of Change is Speeding Up
Change, fueled by technology’s relentless evolution, is accelerating over time. The time lapse between what’s deemed current and what’s dismissed as passé has seemingly shrunk to nanoseconds.
This also applies, believe it or not, to your email address. And it’s a legit issue of concern in marketing and communication quarters because – as your primary method of communication, not to mention a key marketing tool – your email address stands out for the entire world to see (and judge).
And according to marketing research studies, the aforementioned world at large (which includes your prospects, clients, colleagues and beyond) is making snap judgements about you and your business based on your email domain.
So the question is: What does your email address say about you?
Showing Your Age?
I’m no ageist. But if you’re sporting an Internet Service Provider (ISP) borne email address – @Verizon.net, @SBCGlobal.net, @EarthLink.net and the like – you’re likely old…
Research reveals the average age of ISP based email account users skews 50+. Nothing wrong with being 50 and over. But do you really want to advertise that with your email address? (Especially ifyou’re NOT over 50?)
Now we jump from email oldsters to out of date email users…
Out of Touch or Just Plain Lazy (Or Both)?
When email first took off, AOL was king. Then Hotmail tried to sneak in. But Yahoo stepped into the fray and wiped the floor with both of them.
Nearly 20 years later, however, things of have changed. AOL and Hotmail’s functionality, utility, storage, and most importantly, security are all hopelessly outdated. Yahoo, once the best in the business, somehow managed to make their webmail COMPLETELY non-functional (I challenge you to give it try).
Do you really an email address associated with out-of-date and less than secure platforms? What does this say to people about you and your biz?
There is, however, one exception: Gmail. Google’s robust webmail client is beyond user-friendly and filled to the brim with intuitive and genuinely useful features.
But even Gmail has drawbacks. It’s still a free account. Trusting your communication and marketing to a free email account… What kind of message does that send?
And this brings us to the pinnacle of email domains…
Professional & Committed!
Studies show people trust and attribute the most credibility to email addresses with custom business name domains.
A YourName@YourCompanysName.com email addresses project an air of legitimacy. It says… You’re running a REAL company with website and your own email service. Not some fly by night operation coasting on free services.
From a business perspective, a custom domain projects the most professional image.
What’s your email domain status at the moment?
Old? Free? Custom? Is there a funny story there? Any horror stories about past email addresses? Any confusion about how to effectively manage your custom domain based email account? Stop by my Google+ page and share!
