Thursday, February 28, 2013

Email and Your Personal Brand

Fast Company's Jonathan Rick has written a terrific column titled "What Your Email Says About Your Brand."  Here's Rick's main argument:

It’s something you take for granted, something seemingly trivial, even mundane. When executed thoughtfully, however, it makes a splash. It says, “This guy is sharp--I want to work with him!”  What is this opportunity, obvious but overlooked? It’s the bookends of your emails: your address and signature block--often, the first and last thing your recipients will see. For better or worse, your email bookends are powerful purveyors of your brand. What are yours conveying about you?

Rick goes on to offer some solid advice about what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to email.  Along the way, he offers several great examples for us to emulate... or not.  Among his nuggets of advice, he cautions against email addresses that will make it difficult for others to take you seriously.  A funny nickname may sound great with your pals, but it will make you sound highly unprofessional if you are trying to land a job or win over a client for your small business.   

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