| Using an email address that contains your domain | | | | password. Your host will also provide you with the |
| name and appending an email signature to all of your | | | | incoming and outgoing mail server info. The incoming |
| email correspondence are two free, easy and | | | | mail server info will usually be something like and the |
| effortless ways to promote yourself, your website, | | | | outgoing mail server will usually be something like If |
| and your products or services. Here's how you can | | | | you have difficulty with the setup of your domain |
| incorporate these strategies into your email | | | | name email address, most hosting companies will |
| marketing: | | | | provide assistance with setting up this email account |
| Copyright (c) 2007 Donna Gunter | | | | in the most commonly used email clients or will |
| At a conference I recently attended, I met many | | | | provide a tutorial on their site. |
| people and collected many business cards. As I | | | | 2. Use an email signature file. Every email program |
| perused the cards and spoke with the participants, it | | | | offers the ability to format what's known as a |
| became glaringly obvious to me that many in this | | | | signature file, or a short block of text that is |
| group:a. did not understand the power of an email | | | | appended to an email that gives the recipient some |
| addressb. failed to promote themselves in their | | | | information about the sender. This is a powerful |
| routine email correspondence via an email signature | | | | marketing tool that can be used free of charge and |
| file | | | | with absolutely no effort, once it is set up correctly. |
| These two free email marketing strategies are at the | | | | At a minimum, your email signature should contain |
| fingertips of most business owners, yet many fail to | | | | your name, title, phone number, and website. The |
| take advantage of either. Here's how you can make | | | | effective email signature files contain a compelling |
| the most of these two free strategies: | | | | offer to drive someone to your website. For |
| 1. Use an email address containing your domain name. | | | | example, you might note your free giveaway in your |
| Don't give AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, Earthlink, GMail, etc. | | | | signature file, or invite someone to sign up for your |
| any more free publicity by giving others your email | | | | newsletter, or let a recipient know that you have a |
| address from one of those services in business | | | | blog. Most online business owners create multiple |
| settings. Create and use an email address at your | | | | email signature files and use different ones depending |
| business domain name and post that on all of your | | | | on the nature of the audience or person with whom |
| marketing materials and use that in all of your email | | | | they are corresponding. For marketing via online |
| correspondence. Many times the only two pieces of | | | | discussion lists and forums, you may need to create |
| information I have about a person are a name and | | | | a shortened version of your signature file, as many |
| email address. I'm just nosy enough to go and check | | | | online networking groups restrict email signature files |
| out the website listed in the domain name just to | | | | to 3-5 lines of text. |
| find out a bit more about what the person offers or | | | | Just like with your business email address, you'll need |
| does for a living. It becomes much more difficult to | | | | to use one of the email clients mentioned above in |
| determine if I want to do business with someone or | | | | order to set up and use your email signature files. |
| get to know that person better if all I have is an | | | | Here are some resources to help you create your |
| AOL or Verizon email address, however. | | | | signature file in various email clients: |
| Why do smart business owners with a website and a | | | | Outlook Express: |
| domain name fail to use the corresponding email | | | | Outlook: |
| address on a day-to-day basis? Primarily because | | | | Eudora: |
| they don't know how to set it up. | | | | Thunderbird: |
| In order to use your domain name's email, you'll need | | | | Using an email address that contains your domain |
| to use an email client, like Outlook, Outlook Express, | | | | name and appending an email signature to all of your |
| Eudora, or Thunderbird to send and receive email. | | | | email correspondence are two free, easy and |
| You'll also need to log into your webhosting controls | | | | effortless ways to promote yourself, your website, |
| for your website hosting account and set up a POP3 | | | | and your products or services. Once both are set up |
| email account. Once you have logged in, set up an | | | | in your email client, you can use them daily to market |
| address, like info@ or yourname@, as well as a | | | | yourself without even thinking about it! |