Today I was skimming through my emails when I came across one that caught my attention. The reason it did is because as my publishing and design business continues to grow I can see a need to hire out the ebook conversion process.
The email looked professionally laid out and the content was clear and error free. All looked good and I was just about to click the link to find out more information, when I spotted the 'from' email address.
Lo and behold the email was from @gmail.com! As fast as a bolt of lightening I changed my direction and quickly deleted that email, totally writing off the company and service in an instant.
So, why am I sharing this scenario with you? Simple, if you are seriously in business you should always use your business domain rather than the free service for your business correspondence.
When you use a free email service like gmail, yahoo, or any number of others available it screams amateur, part timer, and lets me know you may not be in business very long; or perhaps you just started and don't have enough experience to do the job.
Your credibility comes into question. After all, a domain name only costs a mere $10-$12 per YEAR! And to use one you need hosting, which with InMotion Hosting can cost you a whopping $6 per month. If you can't afford that you shouldn't be in business!
When you want others to take you seriously your very first investment should be in a domain and hosting package.
When searching for a hosting company for my web design clients one of the most important things I looked for was the host's track record. Selecting the wrong host can be detrimental to your business. Why is that? If your server is constantly down for repairs you are losing access to your potential customers. So, having the wrong service could be more costly than having an unprofessional business website design.
One of my clients who can afford any hosting package he would ever need recently told me he couldn't believe the quality of service InMotion Hosting provides as compared to the cost. This is one of the reasons I recommend them so highly and have for nearly ten years now. (Let me know if you want their contact information and I'll be happy to help you get your business set in the right direction and at a very affordable rate.)
While the company I received the email from had spent money on a professional email template, a content management system, and a good marketing copy writer, they failed the test by not investing in the most basic of business requirements.
The moral of this tale is don't fail yourself and follow their example. If you haven't invested in your domain name and hosting you aren't really in business. And no amount of money you spend on layout and marketing will every gain you the credibility and customers you seek.
Keep your gmail or other free email service for your personal correspondence. But for business, the small investment of a domain and hosting package will give you the credibility that is imperative if you expect your business to grow and flourish.
