How to Inform Customers of a New Email Address
By Andy Walton
Email continues to play a huge part in online communication, with analysis firm Radicati Group estimating there to be more than 2.1 billion email users in 2012. Email's enduring popularity makes it an ideal way to engage with customers, both for marketing and service purposes. However, an email address that your customers don't know about is of little value to your organization, so it's important that you promote new addresses effectively.
Mailshot
Perhaps the simplest way to tell customers about a new email address is to send them an email about it. If your new email address will be replacing an existing address you could send an email from your old address advising that the address will soon be changing, before following that up with a reminder sent from the new address to the same group of people. This approach prompts for customers to update your address, as they probably will already have it listed in their address books.
Update Sites
Ensure that your website and any other online properties are updated to reflect your new email address. They key to doing this successfully is maintaining consistency, as having your website show a different contact email address to your Facebook page could create confusion among your customers and slow the uptake of your new address. If possible, try to promote your new address somewhere visible, for example the home page of your site or the cover image of your Facebook page.
Forward
Some mail providers allow you to set up an auto-forward between addresses. This service could be combined with an automated response to help you inform customers who did not realize that your email address has changed. For example, if a customer emails an old or incorrect address, you could have that account forward the mail to your new address and send a polite message informing the customer of the correct address to use for future reference.
Offline
Although email is inherently an online technology, it can often pay to do some offline promotion, especially if your customers are not regular Internet users. Appending your new email address to all print advertisements and flyers that your company produces could help to raise awareness of your new address without affecting your promotion budget. In addition, you could print business cards with the new address on that customers can keep in their wallets for later use.
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Writer Bio
Andy Walton has been a technology writer since 2009, specializing in networking and mobile communications. He was previously an IT technician and product manager. Walton is based in Leicester, England, and holds a bachelor's degree in information systems from the University of Leeds.