Your email address says a lot about you
photo via Flickr - asphaltbuffet
I tend to write a lot about electronic forms of communication, specifically about new media / social media. But there is a form of electronic media that I thought most people had already gotten used to and understood: email. But, in the past two days, I have seen blatant mistakes made simply in the email address in the “from” column.
The offenders:
1. I received an email from a contact at “professional” organization. I won’t share which one – this is a case study, not a shame-fest. But the email address was “poobear@_____.com” and hence the quotation marks around the word “professional.” Sure, I’m guilty of having a playful email address when I was 17 years old, but that’s unacceptable in a business setting. Your email address represents you in much the same way your business card represents you, your voice mail represents you, or your social network personal profile represents you. You don’t answer the phone, “Hello, this is poo bear.” When representing your company or organization, it’s critical to have your email setup to be name@company.com. Anything less could be perceived as unprofessional, and could hurt your chances of being credible and doing business with somebody.
2. I received an email from my insurance company this morning, to thank me for being a customer. Sounds wonderful, right? I should feel all warm and fuzzy, right? Well, I did, until I saw that the “from” was “directmarketing@_____.com.” Direct marketing? So, you mean this “thank you” came from your direct marketing department? Major failure where there could have been a major win. If you’re not going to use something neutral like “info@____.com” then get personal. I want this message to come from my representative, or from “thankyou@____.com” instead of knowing that I’m being marketed to. Do you see how that’s ineffective? It’s like getting a birthday card from your grandmother, only to find that her lawyer signed it and sent it. Wow, thanks granny.
Anyway – rant is over. I hope you have thought twice about selecting an email address – be it in one-on-one mailings or mass outbound email. Realize that your email address represents you – and it can potentially speak volumes to the recipient about who you are. Be smart.
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