Why would you use your professional/personal domain e-mail address instead of Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, Outlook or any other free e-mail providers?

First of all, you are not only building a business. You are also developing a brand. A well-developed brand will make your business reach further away and attract more customers than ever before. But to have the right brand for your business, you need the correct tools to develop it. On the days before the internet, people spent good money on business cards, but nobody uses them anymore. Nowadays, your business card is your e-mail address. And nothing shows more professionalism on a first impression basis than your custom-built e-mail address. Free email services, such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo, may be suitable for personal use however when you use them for business purposes, people would possibly start doubting your professionalism and credibility.

What does look better: 

1. YourName@Company.com ( promoting you and your company )
2. or YourNameYourCompanyName@gmail.com ( promoting Gmail )
3. or YourNameYourCompanyName@hotmail.com, ( promoting Hotmail )
4. or YourNameYourCompanyName@yahoo.com, ( promoting Yahoo )
5. or YourNameYourCompanyName@outlook.com, ( promoting Outlook )

The first one is minimalistic, professional and aesthetically pleasing. The latter one is just a cluster of words next to a major company’s name that takes the attention away from what you want people to notice.

Let’s say you are shopping around for a holiday. You want to go across the ocean to a faraway land, and perhaps you are looking to spend big money on this trip. You won’t do it with just anyone, but with a business who can provide the kind of service, you are willing to pay. Let’s suppose you have looked for long enough, and you have to decide between two options. You ask them both to send you an e-mail with all the information. You receive a reply from both of them. One sends you a message from their domain e-mail, and the other one uses a free e-mail Hotmail. Before you even open the emails to read mail, you already know who is taking his or her business more seriously. The same people who are investing money in their business’ public presentation. Not the one with the free e-mail service.

There’s also another critical factor, SECURITY. The internet is filled with scammers and con artists looking for your money and credit card information. None of them will spend money on their domain e-mail because they are looking for a quick buck online. They will use free e-mail providers instead.

With all honesty and no disrespect intended, nobody takes a @gmail.com or @hotmail.com or @yahoo.com or @outlook.com e-mail address seriously. An essential part of the business is how you portray yourself and your business, and a free domain email service is not the right way to represent success to your clients.