Add a signature to your emailAll major email software supports this in some way. Include at a minimum your company name and URL, don’t go overboard and list your life story and the names of all your pets, you want people to be able to clearly see your website and realise it is clickable. If you have a token green message (you know the one’s that tell me to think before I print) move it right down so that you don’t crowd your website out.
Create a domain email addressIf you expect people to take your online business seriously, you need to take your online business seriously. Using a free, hosted email account for business communication is like sending out press releases on Mickey Mouse stationary.
There is no valid excuse to use a Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo address to conduct business. I have heard them all and they are ordinary to say the least. Any good hosting partner will provide a web based email client for you to use, or setup your domain email to use the Gmail interface with Google Apps. Any 14 year old will tell you how to redirect your old free email to your new domain email address and automatically send out a note to tell people you have grown up, so to speak.
If you need a more compelling reason than Mickey Mouse, every time you tell someone your email address you are telling them your website and inviting them to take a look – you are turning every email contact into an open invitation to look at your website – genius!
Setup your Google Local EntryAllows people to see you on a map when the search for your type of business in your area. Google have made it very simple to do or get your web developers to do it for you. Properly crafted and established a Google Local entry will sit at the top of the search engine results and deliver highly qualified, highly motivated buyers to your website.
Add your website to your business cardI admit this can sometimes be costly but it is a must. Looking through my draw I see that about a third of the business cards there are missing email or website details. How do I find out more about them or research a purchase? I could Google them but if they don’t have any respect for their URL I will almost certainly find one of their competitors. Another lost sale.
Make your website address clickableIt’s instinct these days, if someone sees a website URL they will try and click it. If nothing happens the love stops there. Visitor lost, sale lost. Almost all email and document creation programs these days support making text clickable – how each program does it is beyond the scope of this article – try selecting your address and right clicking – if that fails call a 14 year old.
It doesn’t matter if you are sending and email, a presentation or a memo if it contains your website address it needs to be clickable and it needs to work – always test it, please, for me.
Next week we will look at how you can attract new customers yourself
Labels: customers, websites
