If you have been using a free email provider for your business email, invest in your company and buy a domain name for your business. Then set up your website and start using your professional business email address. This goes a long way in branding you and your company. Your business domain name and email address many times are the first point of contact between you and your potential customers and partners. They both say a lot about you and can leave a lasting impression in the minds of your (potential) customers.
To get a professional domain name for your business, there are certain facts you should have in mind:
- Avoid using long domain names. They are clumsy and may be difficult to remember. Shorten your long company name to something that can be identified easily. The shortened form should not lose your identity; it should also be clear and natural. For example, if your business name is “Cooper Events Management”, instead of the long “coopereventsmanagement.com”, your domain name could be “cooperevents.com” or “coopereventsmgt.com”. Imagine using, “coopevntsmgt.com” instead. This will be quite a fit to remember. Your clients will need to keep checking your business card to recall your email address.
- Beware of some awkward words that may emerge from abbreviating your company name. For instance, a company with the name “Madison Sales Express” with an abbreviated domain name “madsalesexpress.com” or “madisonsalesex.com”. Both domain names are awkward and probably offensive; they will give an unprofessional touch to your domain name. They give the reader something else to focus on instead of your company and what you do.
- Avoid ad-like domain names. They could be unnecessarily long, boring and unprofessional. Some examples of such domain names include thesoftwarewiz.com or yourtechguy.com. This is only sensible if the domain names are actually a true picture of the company name, that is, Software Wiz Company (for thesoftwarewiz.com) and Your TechGuy (for yourtechguy.com).
- Avoid symbols is your business domain name. The commonest is the hyphen (-). If your business name is common, you can improvise several ways. For example, if your company name is “City Movers Incorporated”. So, instead of “citymoversincorporated.com”, you may want to shorten it to “citymovers.com”. However, this may have been taken. You may try “thecitymovers.com” or “citymoversinc.com” instead of “city-movers.com” or “citymovers-inc.com”.
- A very important point you should know is that domain names ending with .info and .biz have been polluted by spammers. Therefore, when your business email address bears a domain name ending with these extensions, messages you send will likely be sent to the junk or spam box of the recipient.
- By far, the .com extension is best for any business. The .net ending is also good but paints a picture of an online community more than a business. While the .org showcases you as a non-profit establishment.
Sensible Domain Name, Sensible Business Email Address
Now that you have a good idea of creating a professional domain name, it is only right to explore how to generate a professional and easy to remember business email address. It is common to see info@domainname.com or help@domainname.com. These email addresses are acceptable if they are not your private business emails. That is, they are for the company, and are given to your clients for general inquiry. However, as a professional businessperson, you are to deal with clients personally more, you are the face of your company. Therefore, you should have a personal business email address, different from that of the company.
Generating a Personal Business Email Address
The best personal email addresses still remain the good old firstname.lastname@domainname.com. That is as personal as it gets. Your customers will remember your name as well as your company name, not to mention your website. Therefore, as much as possible, your personal professional business email address should have this format. An example of such as an email address would be Michelle.Brooks@GoldenBoutique.com.
Managing Common Names
If you are bearing a common name, like John Smith, there are ways to generate a professional business email address even if the name has been taken.
Consider the following examples:
Name: John Smith
Company Name: Glover Hotels
Domain Name: gloverhotels.com
Company Business Email Address: contact@gloverhotels.com
Best Personal Business Email Address: John.Smith@GloverHotels.com (Already taken)
Alternative Personal Business Email Addresses:
- JohnSmith@GloverHotels.com
- JSmith@GloverHotels.com
- Smith@GloverHotels.com
- JohnArnoldSmith@GloverHotels.com (middle name = Arnold)
- Smith@GloverHotels.com (middle name = Arnold)
You would notice four obvious things from these examples, besides the various ways the business emails were generated.
1. A Mix of Upper and Lower Cases
The email addresses were written in title cases instead of lower cases. That is, JohnSmith@GloverHotels.com instead of johnsmith@gloverhotel.com. This makes for a better and easier reading. Your name, company and domain names will be identified easily and faster. Even if it is written this way when sending an email, it will be well recognized by the browser, it makes no difference. So why not use it?
2. The Introduction of a Middle Name
A middle name was included to generate more options. This can be explored until you get an email address that has not been taken. When including a middle name this way, avoid creating an unnecessarily long email address. Assuming your middle name is “Rosemary”, first name is “Jennifer” and surname is “Andrews”. “JenniferRosemaryAdrews@GloverHotels.com” will be a rather long business email address. In this case, you may try the following options: J.Andrews@GloverHotels.com, JRAndrewsGloverHotels.com, JR.Andrews@GloverHotels.com or J.RosemaryAndrews@GloverHotels.com.
3. The Absence of Numbers
No numbers were included in order to generate alternative email addresses. This is because it is unprofessional. It will not reflect you or your company as serious for business. It may also say something negative about your creativity. Examples include JohnSmith2016@GloverHotels.com or JSmith05@GloverHotels.com. Keep trying more professional looking alternatives, and you will arrive at one that is available for use. The Absence of Symbols
4. The Absence of Symbols
Finally, there are no symbols used, especially the popular one; the underscore (_). This was completely avoided. It is unprofessional. It is similar to using numbers. It also shows a lack of creativity.
Disclaimer: All names, company names, domain names and email addresses used here are all fictitious. Any resemblance is totally coincidental. They were all generated to be used for this article.