If you want people to fall in love with you virtually, being email savvy is the way to go!
In the world of working remotely, this means having excellent email etiquette and being able to express yourself in a professional manner that will get people to appreciate and respond to your emails. When running a business, it's essential to understand the value of email etiquette to build and sustain current and prospective clients.
As we continue to shop online and support small businesses, there's nothing more satisfying than having an open communication line with your clients using professional email etiquette. Email as our primary means of communication, no matter what is happening in the world. In so many ways, we forgot that something as simple as sending an email could tell a lot about a person based on how they communicate.
Now, I'm not telling you to have an email written for an Executive team. But you want to give your email a little time and effort before blindly responding and not thinking about what to say and how to say it. I mean, considering that we're now working virtually, proper email communication is a must.
Our emails are often swamped with so many things that we will glance over them and never read them. Even if we have the intention to do so, we just don't always get to them all. The reality is that we won't get to them, and sometimes the subject line will sell an email, and people will open and respond to it.
You already know how to launch and grow your email list. Now you need to learn the email etiquette. I've taken the time to share some of my tips on how to write an email that will make a great impression and get them to respond to your emails.
Here are my 7 tips on Email Etiquette:
1. Gmail/Professional email account:
We're all professionals. You should be using a professional email address for your business.
I know it sounds silly, but if I was purchasing merchandise or using your service and the contact email read sexymama2001@aol.com and you're a catering business, I probably wouldn't take you seriously.
If you have a domain, create an official email using your domain name. If you must use a free email account, Gmail is the way to go.
2. Subject Line:
Use a subject line that will catch the reader's attention! Every email is a pitch in some way, so when writing your subject line, think of it as "clickbait."
Your subject line should pertain to the recipient directly or build enough curiosity that they will want to open it.
3. Tone of Voice:
Write your email with a smile! Have you ever read an email where you can just tell that person is having a great day? Yep, me too! I've read many emails that have made me think, "this person has had too much coffee today."
Yet, you still open their emails because they are always in a good mood. Don't send monotone emails. People will stop reading them.
4. Email length:
Let's be honest here, no one likes reading long emails. Keep it short, sweet, and straight to the point.
When you address the issue at hand in your email, it allows you to get the answers you need without having a lot of back and forth email traffic.
If possible, address one issue at a time in your emails so you can get the information you need without receiving conflicting information.
5. BCC/CC response etiquette:
CC team members on emails that pertain to their job or if the email's information will impact their work in some way.
This will ensure that everyone is receiving the same information and is on the same page. BCC supervisory team members when conflicting information is provided, so they are kept in the know of what is going on.
6. Proofreading:
Most of us write how we speak, and sometimes that means we don't know how to properly proofread our own work. It would be beneficial to use an extension such as Grammarly to catch our grammatical errors just to be on the safe side. You know, just in case.
7. Signature blocks:
Don't make people search for your contact information. Create a signature block that will provide all of your contact information and include it in every email, including responses and forwards.
This makes it easy for people to find all of your contact information if they need to call you or reach out to you on a different platform such as LinkedIn or any other social media platform.
There are tons of sites you can use to create a FREE email signature block. Use them. You'll thank yourself for it later!
There's the saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff."
I'm here to tell you, as an entrepreneur who is creating, growing, or sustaining a business, we have to sweat the small stuff because our brand literally depends on it. Promote and grow your business with excellent email etiquette. Your customers will appreciate it.
Quiana Eastland is a Military Spouse of 8 years, a mama of two little ladies, a Content Strategist, and a Social Media Coordinator. She's always had a passion for writing and started blogging nearly 5 years ago while having her fair share of finding her niche in the realm of Social Media. Quiana has managed social media platforms for multiple clients to include IG, FaceBook, Twitter, and Pinterest as well as writing blogs and show notes for Podcasts.
In her spare time, Quiana likes to spend her time with family baking, reading outside, or using her creative skills to complete a DIY project. Pre-Covid, Quiana and her family enjoyed traveling. They are all looking forward to spending time in Greece, Paris, and Belgium once it's safe to travel the country again.
