If you are running a business, you know how important email communication is. You use email to connect with your customers, partners, investors, employees, and more. But did you know that the email address you use can make a huge difference in how your business is perceived and how successful it is?
Many businesses use free email services like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, or AOL for their email communication. While these services are convenient and cost-effective, they may not be the best choice for your business. In fact, using a free email address for your business can have negative impacts on your professionalism, control, security, and cost.
In this article, we will explain why you should not use free email addresses for your business, and why you should buy a domain name and use a custom email address instead. We will also show you how easy and affordable it is to set up and use a custom email address for your business.
Is It Really That
Big Of A Deal?
You may think that using a free email address for your business is not a big deal. After all, it’s just an email address, right? Wrong. Your email address is more than just a way to send and receive messages. It’s also a reflection of your brand identity and credibility.
Think about it. When you receive an email from someone with a free email address like [email protected], what impression do you get? Do you trust them? Do you think they are professional? Do you think they are serious about their business?
Probably not. You may think that they are amateurish, untrustworthy, or even shady. You may wonder why they don’t have their own domain name and email address. You may doubt their legitimacy and quality.
On the other hand, when you receive an email from someone with a custom email address like [email protected], what impression do you get? Do you trust them? Do you think they are professional? Do you think they are serious about their business?
Probably yes. You may think that they are credible, reliable, and reputable. You may see that they have invested in their online presence and brand image. You may respect their authority and expertise.
This is why using a free email address for your business can hurt your professionalism. It can make you look unprofessional and damage your reputation. It can also affect your marketing and sales efforts, as potential customers may not take you seriously or trust you enough to buy from you.
But professionalism is not the only reason why you should not use free email addresses for your business. There are other reasons as well.
- Professionalism: Using a free email address can hurt your brand image and credibility. It can make you look unprofessional and untrustworthy. It can also affect your marketing and sales efforts, as potential customers may not take you seriously or trust you enough to buy from you.
- Control: Using a free email address can limit your control over your email communication and data. You are relying on a third-party service that may have access to your data and use it for advertising or analytics purposes. You also have to abide by their terms of service and policies, which may change over time and affect your email functionality or security.
- Scalability: Using a free email address can cause difficulties when you need to scale up or manage multiple email accounts for your employees. You may end up using inconsistent or confusing email addresses for business purposes. You may also lose access to important emails or contacts if an employee leaves or changes their account.
Why Custom Email Addresses Are Good for Your Business
Using a custom email address with your domain name can bring many benefits to your business that free email addresses cannot offer. A custom email address can help you stand out from the crowd and show your uniqueness and value. It can also help you create a consistent and memorable brand identity across all your online platforms and channels. A custom email address can also help you establish trust and credibility with your audience and build long-lasting relationships. Here are some of the benefits of using a custom email address for your business in more detail:
- Professionalism: Using a free email address can hurt your brand image and credibility. It can make you look unprofessional and untrustworthy. It can also affect your marketing and sales efforts, as potential customers may not take you seriously or trust you enough to buy from you.
- Control: Using a custom email address gives you full control over your email communication and data. You can choose a reliable email hosting provider that offers features and services that suit your business needs and preferences. You can also create and manage multiple email accounts for your employees, and assign them different roles and permissions. You can also backup and restore your email data easily, and ensure that you comply with any regulations or standards that apply to your industry.
- Security: Using a custom email address give you and your customers greater security and peace of mind. With a free domain name, someone could easily impersonate you or your business by creating an email address very similar to yours. They could then use it against your employees, customers, or other businesses with phishing schemes to try and trick them. This could tarnish your and your business’s reputation and hard everyone involved. With a custom email address you can use various protocols and DNS records to protect your email data in transit and verify your email sender’s identity to prevent spoofing.
- Cost: Using a custom email address can also save you money in the long run. You may think that using a free email address is cheaper than buying a domain name and paying for an email hosting service. But that’s not true. Using a free email address can cost you more in terms of lost opportunities, damaged reputation, and reduced productivity. On the other hand, buying a domain name and paying for an email hosting service can be very affordable and easy. For example, you can buy a domain name from various registrars online for as low as $10 per year. You can pay for an email hosting service from providers like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for as low as $6 per user per month. You can set up and configure your custom email address with simple steps and instructions from your provider.
How to Set Up and Use a Custom Email Address for Your Business
Now that you know why you should use a custom email address for your business, you may wonder how to set it up and use it. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated or time-consuming. Here are the basic steps you need to follow:
- Buy a domain name: The first step is to buy a domain name that matches your business name and niche. You can use online tools like Namecheap or GoDaddy to search for available domain names and compare prices. Once you find a suitable domain name, you can purchase it and register it with your details.
- Choose an email hosting provider: The next step is to choose an email hosting provider that offers the features and services you need for your business email. There are many options to choose from, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, or Bluehost. You can compare their plans and prices and see what they offer in terms of storage, security, integration, support, and more.
- Set up your custom email address: The final step is to set up your custom email address with your domain name and email hosting provider. You will need to verify your domain ownership and configure your DNS settings to point your domain to your email hosting provider. You will also need to create your email account and password, and choose your email settings and preferences. You can follow the instructions and tutorials provided by your email hosting provider to complete this step.
- Start using your custom email address: Once you have set up your custom email address, you can start using it for your business communication. You can access your email from any device or browser, or use an email client like Outlook or Gmail to manage your email. You can also create additional email accounts or aliases for your employees or departments, and integrate your email with other tools and applications that you use for your business.
Conclusion
Using a custom email address with your domain name is one of the best ways to boost your business. It can help you improve your professionalism, control, security, and cost. It can also help you attract more customers, partners, investors, and employees.
If you are still using a free email address for your business, it’s time to change it. Buy a domain name and choose an email hosting provider that suits your business needs and preferences. Set up and use a custom email address with your domain name and enjoy the advantages it brings.
If you need any help or guidance with setting up or using a custom email address for your business, feel free to contact us. We are here to help you grow your business online.