Contact your web host and simply ask, then follow directions. Most often it involves very straightforward, simple set-up steps and can be done while on support line with your host.

I've seen small business owners change name of company and then stick with their old domain name and email addresses because they don't want to bother with simple set-up of a new email address through their host or service provider. This is completely unacceptable for business uses. Get an email address that matches your company domain name without fail.

If you don't have a domain name for your business, SHAME ON YOU! It was still being actively debated a year or two ago whether using a generic host and email address was necessary and/or desirable, but is no longer even discussed. It's mandatory to have domain name, and email capability comes with that domain name at every host across internet. Get branded!

Email addresses speak volumes about their owners, and while it is more common for personal emails to identify their owners by creative and interesting monikers like RastaDreadlock or even lots_of_laughs - imagination seems to falter or fail completely when it comes to business email identities. Since establishing my first educational domain a few years ago, I've used email address of learn@website101.com to help clarify what site is all about.

It's easy to tell that site is educational and clearly emphasizes main activity visitors can expect when seeing only my email address. Does your email address tell something about you and your business role? Do you want to be known to your clients and contacts as webmaster@mycompany.com or would it serve you better to be seen in communications online with a more descriptive title like DigitalAlchemist@MyCompany.com?

Do you communicate with conservative and stuffy people, digital geeks or real humans? Clearly, it's best not to alienate your customers in your first email because they expect a serious title for your serious business. But give some thought to being something ever so slightly more interesting than info@blah.com! Make it more descriptive than admin@DullBusiness.com and more truthful than Support@BadCompany.com

You can also have multiple addresses to reflect your varied roles in company. While it may be expected at corporations to be M.Smith@Giantco.com, try to break out of corporate mold when establishing email addresses for your less stuffy role as an online entrepreneur with Mary@LittleLamb.com! How about adding to that a descriptive WoolGatherer@LittleLamb.com and even Wolf@LittleLamb.com for accounts payable role?

Clients and customers will make assessments of your company based on things as simple as email addresses and while not always conscious, that customer appraisal says much about your business, your attitude and your priorities. Don't waste your email address as a branding tool that brands you as unimaginative or ignorant when it is possible to use that simple resource to add polish and sparkle to your image.

4) Article Ideas and Research Material.

Looking for material for a new article? A quick scan through some of your old email messages should turn up several topic ideas and research material.

5) Info-Product Material.

The same idea also can be applied toward product creation. Some of your previous original writings may be incorporated - along with other original material you create - in a new information product.

6) Testimonials.

What about those emails you've received from customers who've raved about your product or service? If you haven't already, drop them a line thanking them for their kind words and ask them for permission to quote their testimonials in future marketing efforts. Likely, more will grant permission than not.

7) Potential Joint Venture or Networking Partners.

Networking with and arranging joint venture partnerships with other Internet entrepreneurs who market products or services complementary to your own can be an effective marketing strategy. Your email folders likely contain many good candidates that you might approach on an individual basis.

Note: There are so many joint venture possibilities that you likely won't have time to pursue them all. You'll have to be selective when choosing JV partners.

8) Site Improvements.

One commonly overlooked fact is that same web site can look very different from one computer system to another. Sometimes visitors may send an email to let you know of these or other usability problems they've experienced on your site, which you may be totally unaware of. Such feedback can reveal ways to improve sales effectiveness of your site by making it more user-friendly.

In Closing...

Before you delete all those old messages archived in your email program, it can be well worth time it takes to scan through them to see how you might apply some of above suggestions. You may uncover some very valuable "nuggets" whose value you have previously overlooked!