The global email users in 2017, according to Statista were 3.7 billion, and this is expected to reach 4.1 billion users by 2021.
The way we communicate has evolved over the years. If you are doing business these days, and you do not have a professional email address, then it is difficult for others to take you seriously. Yes, without a professional email address, it is almost impossible to climb the success ladder in the world of business. What you need is a custom email address, which allows you to portray a professional image and increases your business credibility.
Businesses now understand the importance of keeping their customers in good humour. Regardless of what you do and how you do (whether you have an online store or have a brick and mortar shop, or both), you need to connect well with your target audience if you want to keep the competition at bay.
And, email is one of the best available options to reach your target customers who have shown interest in your product or site.
In 2017, the total number of consumer and business emails sent and received every day reached 269 billion (Radicati Group). By 2021, this figure is expected to touch 319. 6 billion, a phenomenal growth to say the least.
The best way to connect with people internally and externally is to start using email. People all over the world are using email to remain in touch with each other. Hence, if you are in the world of business and not using a professional email address, then you are missing big time on opportunities.
If you do not have a professional email address, customers are less likely to do business with you. Sadly, there are some who are still doing business without a professional email address. If you have not started using a professional email address for your business, then you are at the right place, read on to find out why you need one.
But, before getting into the positives of why your business needs a professional email address, let us find out why it is not a good idea to use a free email address.
Reasons why you should not use free email addresses?
Trust and credibility are the two most vital ingredients that you need these days to succeed in the business world. When you use free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail, your customers can view your business with a suspicious eye. Moreover, if you keep using free email addresses, people might think that you are not an established name in the world of business, which can hurt you dearly. Over and above this, your business lacks credibility if you do not have your professional email address.
Do you know why established names in the market do not use free email addresses? They do not use free email addresses because they don’t want to be seen as an unprofessional organization. It is simple, if you have a professional email address, you are considered to follow professional ethics, and that is what customers like.
Moreover, it is not always possible to get a free email address that suits your business needs. You don’t have to worry about the availability when you opt for a professional email address – you get what you want. You can customise your professional email address to suit your requirements.
With a professional email address in place, you can brand your business and product more effectively. It also creates a good first impression on your prospective customers.
Also, due to the perceived threat of spam and viruses, several free email addresses are blocked by organisations and individuals. And, when your emails will not reach your customers, what is the point in having a free email address. But, this is not what happens when you opt for a professional email address. People receive your emails, and they can then read it and go ahead and purchase from you.
Therefore, there are plenty of reasons why you should have a professional email address, especially when it does not cost you much.
Reasons why your business needs a professional email address
With so much of competition, if you cannot serve your customers well, chances are your rivals will make you irrelevant. The best and most effective way of remaining in touch with your customers is to opt for a professional email address.
So, here are the reasons why your business needs a professional email address:
Professional email address creates a good first impression– It is no secret that first impression is very important. Being an entrepreneur yourself, you would certainly not like to lose the opportunity. If you want to make your organisation look more professional and credible, you need to have a professional email address of your own. And, when you know that a professional email address generates trust, there is no reason why you should not have one for your organisation. Also, having a professional email address increases your chances of acquiring new customers.
With a professional email address, you get the virus and spam protection– Email addresses are prone to malware viruses and spam. However, when you opt for a professional email address, you can rest assured that you will get it (spam and virus protection) and all your company information will remain secure. Communication becomes irrelevant if your email reaches the trash bin or spam folder.
With a professional email address, you can collaborate more effectively with your team members – Professional email addresses are feature-rich; hence it makes it possible for you to collaborate with your team more effectively. You can streamline your business operations with features such as tasks, contacts, calendar, and outlook. It makes sending, receiving, and managing meeting requests convenient, and you can also check your team members availability by viewing their calendar. All this improves the functioning of your organisation.
Professional email addresses are more trustworthy – When an email message goes out with your business name, it adds more credibility to your communication. And, you can do this when you opt for a professional email address. Your customers also respond positively to messages that are sent from professional email addresses. On the contrary, free email messages don’t generate the same amount of respect. People at times don’t even bother to open the messages they receive from free email addresses. Professional email addresses also generate brand recognition and trust because people remember the name of your company. But, that is not the case when you send a message from a free email address.
Professional email addresses improve your brand value – When you send an email from a professional email address, it improves the brand value of your product and your organisation. A professional email address allows your customers to recollect the name of your brand because it is there in the email address. Sending messages from branded email is like doing word of mouth publicity.
With professional email addresses, your files and data are always backed-up – You would certainly not like to lose your contact information. If you engage a reliable service provider for your professional email address, you can rest assured that all your data is constantly backed-up, and there is no way you can lose any information.
Professional email addresses are more flexible – When you opt for a professional email address, you can create email addresses for individuals in different departments like admin@ or service@. As and when the concerned person receives the message, he or she can act on it and resolve the problem quickly. This improves your turn around time for customer service.
Professional email addresses are more secure – Incidents of hacking and the onslaught of viruses are a problem that cannot be ignored or wished away. You need to ensure that your online data remains safe. When you get a professional email address, you don’t have to worry about security because reliable email service providers ensure that your online data remains secure.
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