3 Reasons to Ditch your Freemail: How the Right Service Can Skyrocket Your Sales
So you started your business using a “freemail” service like Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, etc.… It’s time to ditch the free service, and I will explain why:
I get it; you are just starting up and want to keep your expenses low because your income is even lower. I have been there. The freeware email services are a good start or platform to begin, but they are not a good place to remain. I will focus on Gmail throughout this article. Just note that when I mention “freeware,” it is all-inclusive of free email services.
Why would you even consider Gmail? Duh, the first and most obvious is that it is FREE! Second, It just works. I don’t care if you are an iPhone or Android user, MAC or PC, or what online platform you use; it works with Gmail. Not only does it work, it is typically very easy to get up and running. All that is required (usually) is your email address and your password. Third, you get access to the entire google platform for FREE: Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, YouTube, and so much more.
Why would I tell you that you MUST move on?
Here are my TOP 3 Reasons to Ditch Your Gmail…and other freemail services.
Reason 1 – Professionalism
Let me ask you a question…which email appears more professional; yourbusiness@gmail.com or you@yourbusiness.com. If you are being honest with yourself, you would choose you@yourbusiness.com, and so would everyone else.
I have asked this question of countless business leaders, and it is ALWAYS the same. If you are marketing your business, your email needs to be you@yourbusiness.com.
If someone gets through to my emails, writes a compelling Subject line, and I click to open it, the very first thing I look for is their actual email address. Why? It is amazingly cost-effective to get an email account associated with your domain. As mentioned above, I like the Google platform known as Google Workspace. You can get your professional email you@yourbusiness.com for as little as SIX BUCKS ($6) per month. There are numerous other reasons to upgrade: security, storage, additional integrations, and more. The most important is the message it sends. It says to a recipient of your email, “I care enough about my business that I am willing to invest in my professionalism.”
If you aren’t willing to invest in your business, why would someone else?
If you want to get beyond the delete button, get your Google Workspace today!
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Reason 2 – Spam filtration
Let’s face it. The freemail service is FREE to you, which means it is also free to those nasty SPAMMERS. A majority of SPAM is from FREE accounts. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others realize this and work diligently to protect you and your inbox. Unfortunately, if you use your Freemail account in your marketing mix, you might not be making it into the recipients’ inbox. You might be going to the Social or Promotions tab, or worse yet, the dreaded SPAM folder.
While this is less likely with email accounts like you@yourbusiness.com, there is a litany of other reasons your email might be getting marked as SPAM. First, is your email security set up properly? Have you properly authenticated your domain to send emails with the following:
- SPF – No, not Sun Protection Factor! Sender Policy Framework – It helps protect you from “ spoofing” and from being marked as spam
- DKIM – DomainKeys Identified Mail – It helps protect you from “spoofing,” “fishing,” and from being marked as spam
- DMARC – Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance – It helps protect you from “spoofing,” “fishing,” and from being marked as spam
There are ways to check to make sure your authentication is set up properly. Mail Genius is a simple but effective tool.
- Go to their website.
- Copy the email address on the page – (keep this tab open).
- Send an email to that address.
- Wait a few minutes.
- Go back to their page.
- Click “See Your Score”.
It will generate a comprehensive report on any email deliverability issues your account might have. Fix these as quickly as possible.
Moving on, here is where YOU might be sabotaging yourself. Here is a list of things you might be doing to trigger the spam filter.
- You Aren’t Targeting the Right Audience
- You Don’t Have Permission to Email Subscribers
- Your IP Address Is or Has Been Used for Spam
- You Have Low Engagement Rates
- Your Subscribers Don’t Remember You
- You Have Low Mailbox Usage
- Your Subject Line is Misleading
- Your “From” Information Is Inaccurate
- You Don’t Include Your Physical Address
- You’re Not Learning From Your Mistakes
- You’re Using Spam Trigger Words
- Your HTML Emails Don’t Follow Best Practices
Our friends at OptinMonster go through this in GREAT detail. Check out their article: Why Are My Emails Going to Spam? Here Are 13 Reasons Why.
Reason 3 – New Requirements for bulk senders
Google has released that starting February 2024, to help combat spam, they are placing additional requirements on users that send bulk emails.
Last year, Google started requiring that emails sent to a Gmail and Google Workspace address must have some form of authentication. The number of unauthenticated messages those users received plummeted by 75%, which has helped declutter inboxes while blocking billions of malicious messages with higher precision.
They are not done yet. Their goals are threefold; bulk senders will be required to:
- Authenticate their email (see above)
- Enable easy unsubscription
- Ensure they’re sending wanted email
You can find out more directly from Google at their article, “New Gmail protections for a safer, less spammy inbox.”
If you send bulk email, this might impact YOU.
Conclusion
The reality is that as you and your business grow, so must your technology. The harsh truth is, that you must keep up with the times or get passed by. If you want to grow your business, treat it like a business and give it a good foundation to grow. Part of that foundation is good effective communication, and that starts with your email.
Be a Pro, ditch that “freemail” today.
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