You've paid for your domain name and your small business website. Don't waste a valuable promotional opportunity make use of your business email address, not someone else's!

I'm surprised at how many small business owners are still using their Yahoo!, Verizon, SBC, Google, Earthlink, or other free-account email address on their business cards and in other business communication. Those companies get enough attention! Instead, start calling attention to your own business.

1. Using your business email address (i.e., info@yourbusiness.com) builds recognition for your company name and website every time you use it.
2. It just looks more professional. Period. These days, a free-account email address on your business card or (yikes!) listed on your website is like an office with only file cabinets and no computersit gives the impression you're either very small-time or technologically out-of-date.

Common Concerns About Transitioning to a Different Email Address

Concern: A LOT of people have my free-account email addressI don't want to miss their emails.

Solution: You don't have to miss anything incomingkeep your free email account for as long as you want (hey, it's free). Send out a mass email notifying everyone of your updated email address (another great business promotional opportunity!). And then, just stop sending email from the free account and stop giving out the address.

Concern: I don't want to/don't have time to/won't remember to check different email inboxes.

Solution: No need to check different email inboxes. Did you know you can easily set up your free email account to pull in email from other email accounts? Very convenient! You can also use the email application on your personal computer (Outlook, etc.) to bring email from all of your accounts into one location. (Note: some free email providers may charge a nominal fee to have their email pulled down to your desktop).

Concern: I want to continue to use my free email account for personal use.

Solution: Why? Your business website hosting company probably includes a gazillion email accounts in your monthly feemore than you'll ever use. So, create a personal email address like yourfirstname@yourbusinsess.com. There's no reason your personal friends and family shouldn't also be aware of your business, is there? Lots of word-of-mouth referrals can come from friends and family. Added benefit: the personal email address you create on your business account will probably be easier to remember than the cryptic, alpha-numeric-symbolic one you probably have with your free account: first_name_892945@freeaccount.com! And, you won't have to change it if you decide to switch to a new Internet service provider.