Why having a free business email account is a bad idea

6 Reasons not to use Free Web-Based Email for Your Business

It is our understanding that you are attempting to achieve rapid expansion while operating with a limited budget if you are a startup or a small corporation. Taking shortcuts with your marketing efforts, on the other hand, might result in you not reaching your target audience. For example, utilising free business email accounts rather than paying for professional email accounts is included in this scenario.

A wink to the girl in the dark is what you are doing if you are not reaching the audience that you are trying to reach. 

Email is an excellent method of communicating with your consumers for two reasons, regardless of the sector in which you operate:

The consumers enjoy it

Accessing email is one of the top three mobile activities that Indians engage in, according to a survey that was conducted not too long ago on mobile users in India. Email is the preferred method of communication with businesses, according to sixty-one percent of those who participated in the survey.

Marketers are also fond of it

As many as seventy-one percent of marketers in India rely on emails, and one of the reasons for this is because customers prefer this kind of communication. Customer service may be reached via email.

Business Email accounts are considered to be just as crucial as your company. Enjoy the very finest one.

This is how utilising free email may be detrimental to your company.

During the beginning period, money is frequently scarce; yet, attempting to save money by making use of free email may result in unintended consequences. A couple of them are presented here.

  • Maybe others won’t take what you say seriously.
  • Forgotten emails are more difficult to retrieve.
  • There is a possibility that your communications will be placed in the spam folder.
  • To add insult to injury, there are advertising.

However, before we go into depth about the drawbacks of free email and suggest an alternative, let’s give free email the credit it deserves.

Have you ever used your very first email account?

The day that I made my very first free email account is one that I can still vividly recall. When I was at YahooMail.com, it had been seventeen long years.

There are a great number of free email service providers available today, and their services continue to be of no cost. That is wonderful, isn’t it? This is a significant aspect that enables many people.

There is a common practice of using email addresses for authentication reasons. An email address is required for purposes such as online shopping, online banking, and online networking. It is a testament to the amazing service providers that they have made it possible for every single person in India to have a free account.

When you use your free email account for professional purposes, do you use the same account?

There is a downside to the fact that anyone may have a free business email account, and that is the question of how to differentiate your real company emails from those of a spammer who is only active for a short period of time. Let’s get to the bottom of why I strongly advise against utilising a free email address for marketing purposes.

Free email for business comes with a number of drawbacks.

In spite of the fact that free email is a fantastic thing, it can have unintended consequences for businesses, particularly young enterprises that do not yet have any kind of reputation.

1. It’s possible that others won’t take you seriously

Reality is a matter of perception. It is because of this that branding has become such a hot topic of discussion in the corporate world.

To further understand this, let us put ourselves in the position of a client who gets business emails from the following accounts:

[email protected] please.

e-mail: [email protected]

The email address that you believe a consumer would trust the most is… Obviously, the second one is the one! This is analogous to having to decide between a generic product and a branded product.

When used for business purposes, the free email does not appear to be professional and does not appear to be dependable. There is a possibility that the consumer may not even bother to examine your message since they may consider the company to be newly established, not serious, part-time, or even a fraud.

It is possible that you are doing better than your rivals; yet, if you do not brand your communications, your rivals will have a greater chance of having contracts awarded to them.

2. It is more difficult to retrieve emails that have been lost

When you were using your email, have you ever lost important data? Allow me to give you a sneak peek.

Example: 

“ I ended up deleting 4000 of my emails from my Inbox in Gmail. I then deleted it to trash. Is there anyway I can retrieve it?” 

You may find such examples on some communities or support groups on the internet.

Don’t let that happen to you.

For the love of God, if you find yourself in a position similar to the one described above, it will be extremely difficult to retrieve your data since “free” implies “no technical support.” If you lose important consumer or business information, using free email accounts for your company might end up costing you a lot of money.

3. There is a possibility that your mails may be placed in the spam folder

With 59 percent of marketers sending an email once a week, the frequency of email communication in India is quite high. The usage of a free email account, in conjunction with the frequency of sending emails, increases the likelihood that your emails will be placed in the spam folder of your customers.

The subject line and email address are the only two factors that consumers consider when determining whether or not to open an email. By using a free email account, you expose yourself to the possibility of having your messages marked as spam by the internet service provider (ISP) of the receiver. There is a great probability that the readers themselves will reject your submission, even if you are able to get through the spam filters of your Internet service provider.

Moreover, there are the obnoxious commercials

Are you aware that free email service providers inspect your messages and emails in order to present advertisements that are specifically tailored to your computer or mobile device?

According to a popular quote attributed to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, “… when an online service is free, you are not the customer.” Because you are the product.

In 2017, Google made the announcement that it will put a stop to the practice of scanning your emails for advertisements, which had been going on for thirteen years. Despite the fact that Google does not spy on you for advertising purposes, it does read your emails.

Why should one make the investment in a premium email account?

Especially in the first stages of their existence, many new businesses are hesitant to spend money on anything that is regarded as non-essential. Investing in a professional email address (for example, [email protected]) is a wise decision for the following reasons:

Creates a sense of trust and credibility

Customers are more likely to believe you when you use a professional email account. When it comes to conducting business, using a professional email address enhances the probability of clients doing business with you by a factor of nine.

It is trust that drives business. In point of fact, if you are a business-to-business (B2B) organisation, you absolutely need to have a professional email account. There is a possibility that your suppliers may not take your orders seriously since they may question your validity and, as a result, uncertainly regarding payment.

Enhances the resonance of the brand

When you are determining how much it will cost you to purchase an email account, you should take into consideration the free marketing that it provides each time you press the Send button.

Professional email accounts, as opposed to free business email accounts, let you personalise your email address by adding the domain name of your website. This means that your email address will be [email protected]. Your consumer will be reminded of your company’s name with each and every communication that you share with them.

Keep in mind that it takes anything from six to eight impressions to convert a buyer. There is a very strong probability that he will think of you the next time he is ready to make a purchase, despite the fact that you have only sent him six emails.

In addition, having a paid email account makes it simpler for customers to identify your staff members on the occasions that different departments within your organisation communicate with them. The client will be more likely to provide any essential information if they are contacted by [email protected] initially and then by [email protected] once the purchase has been made. This is because the consumer will be able to recognise the associated email address.

Strengthens the protection of your data

A reliable email service provider will not disclose any of your information to any third party. Through the display of tailored advertisements, they do not make money off of your information.

The data you send and receive using paid email is protected not only by the service provider but also by the workers who use the service.

Allowing your workers to utilise free email accounts for business interactions makes it impossible to track down the information that they exchange with one another. All of those business interactions will be gone once they quit their position with your company. You not only have the ability to back up professional email in the event that you ever need to locate an email that has been deleted, but you also maintain control over all accounts, even after an employee has left the company.

Microsoft Office 365 provides an encryption add-on that scrambles the contents of all emails received from your business account, rendering them unreadable to hackers. This add-on is available to you in the event that you require further protection.

Note from the editor: You may generate email addresses for up to 200 employees even if you just have one email account managed by a reliable provider. It is not necessary to purchase individual accounts for each employee.

Forget about free email accounts for businesses

When considering the fact that 45 percent of Indian customers respond favourably to email offers, it is clear that your company simply cannot afford to make a mistake with email.

When you consider that it only costs a few dollars per month for each user, it is abundantly clear that investing in this marketing strategy is the best course of action. Simply the expense will be soon recouped by the free promotion that is included in each and every communication. So, seize the opportunity and step up your email game.

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