When you send an email to potential customers, are you using that opportunity to market your business? When looking at your overall marketing plans, don’t forget the smaller steps. Think of small and easy ways that you can subtly get your business name out to people. While long signatures can be annoying, you do want to put several elements in each and every email you send.

Here are some key elements to insert into your signature:

• Your name - first and last. Make sure people know which Jane, Mike or Steve they are communicating with.
• Your business name - that’s a given, but many people actually forget this.
• Your slogan or branding. Use the opportunity to reinforce your branding.
• Your web site address. Let people know where to find you!
• Your phone number or email address. Remind your customers how they can reach you. Go ahead and put your email in your signature - it makes it easier for someone to copy all of your contact information into an address book.

You could also include your title, company address, fax number, and other information. But the above elements are the essential ones.

In addition to using this signature in email to customers, think about using a short signature to promote your business to friends, family, and acquaintances, too. However — and this is a big however — if you’re forwarding risque or off-color jokes and pictures, you don’t want to associate your business with those activities (unless that actually is your business). If you’re writing a note just to say hello and chat casually with someone, it doesn’t hurt — at the very least — to put your web site address in your signature. Remember that friends and family can refer customers to you, too!

There are many other simple things you can do to promote your business every day. What are some of your favorites?

image: www.lumaxart.com

If your company has issued you a cell phone, you may have to start deciding whether or not you really need to send that email or text message, especially if you are watching your budget. That’s because the IRS has issued proposals to more strictly enforce a law that views company-issued cell phones as a taxable benefit.

(Image: Flickr)

Opponents of the law point out that it was passed in 1989, a time when cell phones were large, impractical, and only used by the most elite executives. Under the law, those who use company cell phones should keep a detailed log of their cell phone usage and pay federal income taxes on the used minutes.

Nowadays, the need to make calls and to send emails on text messages on the go is far too great to enforce a tax on these actions, according to many employers. However, if the IRS should strengthen the power of the law, companies may be forced to take dramatic measures regarding cell phone usage.

Don’t get me wrong. I love email! When it’s from real people, like clients, potential clients, family, and friends, it’s great. I even have a pretty good system for keeping on top of it… pretty good.

Recently it’s fallen almost completely apart. Why? Because I haven’t done the sorting, deleting, etc. I need to do to keep it more or less organized. And why haven’t I done that? Well, it takes a few minutes each day and frankly, it’s boring! I mean where’s the fun in moving this email into that folder, or deleting all those unread newsletters? And then there are the legitimate offers - yes, there are some, and I get a few. Chances are, because I’m so far behind, I’ll just delete those I’ve saved on the theory if I really need them, they will surface again. Sigh.

Not so by-the-way, Jennifer over at MyOrganizedBiz.com has several good posts on handling email. I’m starting with Stop spam and unwanted mail in 360 seconds right now, then I’m taking the rest of the day off!

Write well and often,

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