Email service is considered as a company that provides tools to businesses for sending a large number of emails and implementing email marketing, if needed. It provides easy-to-use features that includes managing email designs, mailing lists, and metrics for monitoring the success rate, among various different features.
Types of email providers (1)
There are different types of providers. Some are free and some are paid ones, while some allow everyone with secret identities to make an account but some require complete identification credentials.
ISP-based email
Many email service providers are access providers as well. They may lack some features in their email services such as SMTP authentication, transport layer security, or IMAP. ISP-based email does not require any authentication and identifies its client by the given IP addresses.
Free mail providers
Yahoo mail, mail.com, Lycos, Hotmail, AOL mail were launched in the 90s. These are some early service providers that offer free email accounts. Their free-of-cost services attract the public and these companies can also advertise their services on almost all messages. Jurvetson stated that the user growth of Hotmail varies from 0 to 12 million in just 18 months and it happened before Microsoft bought it.
Premium email providers
These providers charge for providing their services. Their services imitate free email services but are paid ones. Premium emails are the best alternates of ISP-based emails.
Vanity email
Running a shim service is possible that provides no access and only forwards all notifications to the account, which can not be used directly. For example, accounts that are less appealing or temporary.
Benefits of email service
- In comparison to traditional ways of posting letters, email travels faster.
- One can send an email of any type any time a day or any day a year.
- Web-mails allow the transfer of mail from one computer to another within a country or outside a country.
- One can send bulk emails free of cost just by using broadband
- Unlike traditional letter posting, one can send a single email to multiple users at a time.
- It enhances the business’s readiness, productivity, and efficiency.
- Using email services, one can keep a record of all messages and replies. Record also includes exact time and date of messages sent and received.
- Electronic files like datasheets, images or text documents can be sent to multiple users via email services in just a few seconds.
- Creating email software can make automatic entries of every message received or sent in an address book. Moreover, it also helps in an automatic response to a mail. For instance, confirming an order receipt or letting people know the absence or presence of the user on the system.
Importance of email service
Fits all businesses
Large enterprises or small businesses use email services to achieve various marketing goals such as generating valuable proposals, making contacts with subscribers, sharing updates and news, nurturing leads, and more.
Availability of tools to create email
Reliable service providers offer tools to create emails. These tools are user-friendly and convenient to use including a drag-and-drop editor that does not require any coding knowledge. HTML-editor is another tool for savvy entrepreneurs.
Gathers a huge data
The email service user can have information related to the subscriber’s behaviors and reactions. Metrics such as bounce rate, click-through rate, open rate, etc., provide practical cues and insights, which help to improve the email marketing strategy.
High ROI
In comparison to other digital marketing means, email service brings a remarkable profit on investment. For instance, each email campaign can get 4000% of ROI that means a $40 return on the investment of $1.
Offers free trial
Several email services offer free plans. This gives ample time to learn and check the functions of email services.
Best email service providers (2)
Gmail
Three G suits plans are available:
- Basic ($5/user per month)
- Business ($10/user per month)
- Enterprise ($25/user per month)
Applications access, storage, and support depend upon the selected plan.
The provider of Gmail service is Google.
- Accessible through Android devices, iOS, third party programs, and web
- Allows sharing of file up to 25MB
Pros
- Powerful search
- Option for forwarding email
- Supports shortcuts of keyboards
- Can be used in offline mode as well
Cons
- Sometimes, loading gets slow
- Management of different labels and files becomes confusing
Security
- Two-step verification
- Transport layer security
Price
- Free
Format of the email address
HubSpot
It has Email Marketing Software that creates, customize, and optimizes email related to marketing. It allows the customization of layouts, adds pictures using drag-and-drop editor, and adds calls-to-action.
Pros
- Fast email campaigns’ drafting
- Allows to create professionally designed campaigns
- Availability of drag-and-drop editor
- Provides engagement analytics in detail
Cons
- It is costly because along with an email service provider it is also an email marketing software.
Security
- End-to-end encryption
- Distributed Denial of Service
Price
It offers marketing hub plans to have 3 editions
- Starter ($40 per month)
- Professional ($800 per month)
- Enterprise ($3200 per month)
Format of email address:
Sendinblu
It offers tools that meet the requirements of digital marketing. Email can be designed just by using a template. It uses machine learning for optimizing sending time.
Pros
- It supports six languages
- It offers a feature of a shared inbox that allows the synchronization of inbox emails with email providers.
- It gives a drag-and-drop builder that designs the email according to the brand.
- Group of contacts can be made from unlimited contacts and lists.
Cons
- It is extremely costly.
Security
- Multi-level firewall
- End-to-end encryption using https/SSL/VPN technology
Price
It offers 3 plans:
- Lite:($25 per month)
- Premium: ($65 per month)
- Enterprise: (varies)
Format of email address:
ProtonMail
Large enterprises, as well as small businesses, use this email service. It is popular due to its email encryption.
Pros
- Availability of end-to-end encryption
- The setting of expiry date can be done in this service
- Offers several features such as email filters and an autoresponder.
Cons
- Available with limited storage
- Paid email encryption
Security
- End-to-end encryption
- Zero-access encryption
Price
It offers free as well as paid plans. These include:
- Plus: ($5.66 per month)
- Professional: ($9 per month)
- Visionary: ($34 per month)
Format of the email address
References
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailbox_provider
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.softwaretestinghelp.com/email-service-providers/amp/
