Volume 1 Issue 4
This week we are going to take a look at Email. Corporate, Free and Personal Domain email solutions.
So how on Earth did we communicate before email? (We actually talked to each other.) Now we can stay in contact with everyone we know at once by pressing send. Now there are Etiquette Rules you should follow, but today I want to focus on choosing the right email solution for your business.
The three solutions for handling your email are:
- Free Web Mail and Service Provider Email - Free email service that is ad supported and accessible via the internet
- Corporate - The email provided by your Company or Employer
- Personal Domain and Paid Hosting - You pay for the email service and own the name after the @
FREE WEB MAIL and SERVICE PROVIDER EMAIL
You just signed up for the internet, chose your screen name and Wah-la! You have an email address Goodlookn987409@aol.com
Well that was 10 years ago. The Botox isn't working like you thought and people joke you should change your email to StiffLOOkN@omg.com (omg-Oh My God).
Now if you are like me and wanted to take advantage of getting access to the internet for cheaper you have probably changed your service a few times form AOL to Earthlink or your service got bought out and you've gone from Pacbell.net to SBCglobal.net to ATT.net
So after the 5th change you decided to sign up for a Web Mail account so you wouldn't have to change you email again. Most of you probably have an email account with one of the following:
- Gmail - My favorite of the freebies. Gives you great Online and Offline tools. You also get free POP3 access (POP3 - ability to download your messages to Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird)
- MSN Live/Hotmail - These guys have been around for a long time.
- Yahoo - Nice interface and spam filtering. This has been my longest standing email account. I also like their upgraded (paid) email account.
Others may have accounts with Mail.com or GMX.com because they had a user name you liked.
These email options are a great way to start receiving and sending email to your friends and family. If you are doing business through email you should really be using one of the next 2 options. One last note on FREE Email. The ads you see while looking at your email are determined by looking at your email. These services use an algorithm to skim your email to put pertinent ads on the screen.
CORPORATE EMAIL SERVICE
This is an email address provided by your company or employer. These email addresses are usually formated as;
- "First Name"@company.com
- "First Name""Last Initial"@company.com
- "First Initial""Last Name"@company.com
- "First Name"."Last Name@company.com
Some companies also add numbers before the "@" if more than one employee matches the email address format.
This type of email says I work for the company. Look you can trust me. You may even be required to use this email for all of your business correspondences. The email is sent (typically) over a secured server and incoming email is scrubbed for SPAM. Because of the way this type of account is structured you may not be able to receive email from some people and BIG BROTHER is always watching.
While your computer will be protected better that other services there is one fatal flaw for anyone whose business depends on maintaining relationships. WHEN YOU LEAVE the company YOU LOOSE YOUR EMAIL address.
To solve this issue you should invest in your own Email Solution.
PERSONAL DOMAIN and PAID HOSTING
Get your own domain name. This is the best solution for any professional running a business. Next week we'll look into Tips for Selecting a Great Domain Name. Here are some of the many benefits you receive by setting up your own Domain for emails.
- Your New Domain Name should only cost you about $10/yr. A very inexpensive way to brand yourself.
- You get unlimited addresses before the "@". This is a Great Way to Filter Junk Mail from Leads.
- You control your SPAM filters.
- You appear to be a professional.
Your primary email should follow the formating standards that major companies use. (see above) You can choose to have these emails forwarded to any of the other solutions above or you can set up a Paid Email Service.
Danke Schoen,
Nate Ellis
REALTOR
Technology Coordinator
Keller Williams Realty East Bay
|
Comments(0)