If you use a free email address (e.g at Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail etc) as your primary means of communicating with buyers or clients, you need to STOP it as soon as possible.

Believe it or not, failing to use your own branded email address in today’s world CAN cost you in multiple ways that negatively impact your bottom line.

I explain why/how in the rest of this piece.

Preamble: One of the things I LOVE to do in working with clients is to UNDER PROMISE so as to OVER DELIVER.

In other words, I make a point of going out of my way to serve the client with WAY more value than s/he paid for, such that s/he would be most likely to (at least) think to him/herself, that “This Tayo guy must be really crazy or something. How can he give so much?”

I LIKE it that way because then there is absolutely no way s/he can claim to not be satisfied with doing business with me!

So for instance with my Web Marketing clients, who signed up to become members of my Web Marketing for CEOs club, I am always reaching out to them with new smart marketing ideas based on what they’ve told me they want to achieve.

Rather than burden them with the task of taking the idea and building it into a strategy to be implemented, I take the initiative of developing the idea to a point where it is almost ready-to-use. Then I invite the client to review it and let me have his/her feedback.

This makes it easier for him/her to contribute to the process without having to struggle to create elaborate windows of free time to do it. As a result, quite often, I am able to get them to agree with my proposed ideas and strategies, to progress the work we’re doing together.

But what does the above have to do with how a branded email address can help you?

After all you did not click on the link to read this article to have me brag to you about how I impress my clients.

You want to know why it’s important that you do your business with a branded email address!

Well, I used the above preamble to illustrate the fact that you need to have an uncompromising customer service focus to succeed in your business.

Without that, it will NOT matter how impressive your business marketing is, because a lack of customer focus is likely to make you end up with dissatisfied customers – who will NOT do repeat business with you.

I can tell you, from years of personal experience that your marketing is best done by using it to build a continuously growing list of buyers who COME BACK to buy again and again from you.

A branded email address (like tayo at tayosolagbade dot com) conveys a silent but clear message, to a new prospect as well as an old client, that you are a reliable professional that would be safe to do business with.

Human beings can often be fickle in their purchasing behavior. This is especially so online.

It has been my experience that using a branded email address tends to inspire their confidence in considering any solutions one offers.

Note that I refer to both potential clients/prospects (i.e. those yet to buy from you) as well as those who you have already done business with.

Out here in Africa, where people are still not as comfortable doing business with persons they cannot see face to face, this problem is even more serious.

That’s why you need to ensure that the first – and subsequent – impression(s) you create in the minds of those who encounter your marketing messages is (are) as compelling as possible.

A branded domain name as the base of your email address can go a long way to help you achieve that.

The best part is that you can start using that email address based on a branded domain, without even building a website on the domain and it would still be better than using a free email address.

Lots of experts begin that way and later build a website on the domain.

I did just that with tayo at tksola dot com for over 5 years (from 2000 to 2005 or so), after which I began to use URL forwarding to point it to spontaneousdevelopment.com which I registered in 2005.

When you see an ad placed in a newspaper or online, featuring a branded email address, would you readily conclude it’s a scam offer or would you be willing to consider it a safe, legitimate opportunity?

I’m sure that latter is likely to be your reaction.

That’s why it baffles me that some people still use free email addresses as the primary channels for business marketing communication.

Some who even own websites on branded domains also do this!

In the case of the latter, I suspect it’s because they worry that their webmail accounts – which are often on budget hosting servers – may get filled up and cause loss of email.

However, settling for the free email address as a safe alternative is NOT good enough.

A perfect zero cost solution exists to the problem – I routinely set it up for my clients, such that they NEVER have to worry about their mailboxes getting full and bouncing emails back.

In fact the method used allows them to receive copies of EVERY email sent to their branded email address in their free email account inboxes. This makes it unnecessary for them to login to their webmail accounts, to see if they have mails!

More recently I’ve found a way to enable clients send emails from their free email accounts as if doing so from their branded email address accounts.

Below are excerpts from a recent email I sent to a client with tips on how to use his branded email address in place of the free email account he used…

He was still using his Yahoo! email address to communicate with clients/prospects, despite already owning a branded domain of his  own.

===Starts====

It’s time for you to start sending your emails using your Webmail address/account

When next we meet, I’ll have to help you change that – or maybe you just text me your password on phone and let me do it from here.

In the meantime, it’s best you begin corresponding with clients and prospects using your website email account – it helps to convey a more serious and professional images.

And you’ll need as much of that as possible in dealing with this new client you’re about to work with, as well as others.

In fact, I STRONGLY recommend that you send the final document (and all future correspondence) from your webmail.

The best part is that your Smartphone can be configured to send and receive from it by default.

What’s more, I’ve already set it to AUTOMATICALLY forward any emails that come to  it, to your Yahoo! email inbox – so even if you are in your yahoo, if anyone emails a reply to you via (email address removed), you won’t have to login to the webmail to see it, because a copy will be sent you your Yahoo! inbox.

So you can start telling people to email you via (email address removed) – and you’ll ALWAYS see what they send in your Yahoo! mail box. Plus you can even decide to reply them from there too.

Here’s all the information you need to get started:

Login Information:

User ID: (email address removed)

Password: 

Option 1: Email Client setup information (i.e. to access your email through your phone or PC email client)

TIP: This will enable you configure your Smartphone to send/receive ALL emails via: (email address removed) Maybe Pelumi or Lati can help you set it up. It’s not really difficult…

Option 2; Webmail: (To access your email through a web browser)

Simply visit http://webmail.your-branded-domain-name.com

Then enter Login Information:

User ID: (email address removed)

Password:

If you have problems getting it done, we can do it when next we meet.

===Ends===

All of the above proves that the benefits of using a branded email address far outweigh ANY limitations that may come with doing so.

Considering the fact that you NEED to win (and retain) the trust of prospects (and clients), it goes without saying, therefore, that adopting a branded email address as your primary means of business communication via email is the common sense way to go.

That trust will boost your chances of winning your prospects and clients over to buy from you – again and again.

When they see it in your emails, on your website, or on offline marketing resources like your business card, flyers, banners, and letters, it will make a statement that you are to be taken seriously, as a provider of solutions you offer.

Every results focused business owner wants THAT – because it is what can lead to a sale(s).

And THAT is why you need a branded email address – like the ones I use for different aspects of my business e.g info at excelheaven dot biz, info at thefarm ceo dot net, tayo at tksola dot com, tayo at tayosolagbade dot com etc.

Not sure how to get one and/or how to use it? Click here to request my help (scroll down to fill/submit the form at the bottom of the page).