Email Etiquette – Tips for Better Communications
Despite the growth of apps, chat and automation tools, email is still one of the most used communication tools in business. As such having a good understanding of email etiquette is essential, whether communicating with customers, suppliers or your colleagues.
Actually, a big portion of all internet traffic is still email – despite the fact that 60% of email traffic is made up of SPAM! I’m sure you come across SPAM emails on a daily basis.
In this post, I will provide you with some tips to improve your email communication skills, sending minutes of a meeting, and e-marketing by using some email etiquette tips.
But let’s start with a small definition of Etiquette in general. According to the Collins dictionary,
Etiquette is a set of customs and rules for polite behavior, especially among a particular class of people or in a particular profession.
Email etiquette is just an extension of that definition to cover conversations that take place through email. It’s one of the key elements of business etiquette in addition to phone etiquette and meetings etiquette. It’s also essential for effective customer service and digital marketing.
Related Content: Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide
Here are some Email Etiquette Tips that you can use in your day to day work:
Follow the following email etiquette tips when sending out business emails:
- Fill the subject line with something catchy that means a lot to your reader.
- Try to be straight to the point and include your main message at the beginning of the email. Make sure your email doesn’t exceed 2-3 paragraphs. You can always add a more information section or attach a document with all the details so that it is optional for the reader to go through it.
- Be clear with your message and keep it simple
- Make sure your email has no punctuation or grammatical errors. Use spell and grammar check and proofread your email many times before sending it across
- Remember to say please and thank you. Be polite as you would in a normal conversation
- Add a signature block section with the contact details necessary. There is no need to clutter your email with “sayings” or artwork in the signature section. Keep it nice and neat.
- Be firm in terms of receiving responses and respond to your emails. If there are any delays be sure to clarify the reasons behind the delay.
Email etiquette could be very helpful in customer service situations since it makes a huge difference when a customer feels they are being respected.
If you run across a client who is complaining about a product or service make sure that you are positive and friendly. You can watch the below video to see 5 Great Customer Service Words & Phrases:
Finally, remember before you press the send button on an email or email marketing list that you follow the following email etiquette best practices:
- You have a clear and concise subject line
- You have used the right salutation to who you are sending the email to
- You have done your best to keep the email short and simple
- You have minimized the use of images and have provided a text alternative to the content of within the text. This is a good practice, in case the recipient’s server doesn’t load the images
- You have put your contact details at the bottom of the email
In summary, you should keep in mind, Email etiquette is about writing and responding to your emails in a highly professional manner.
Email is the business world’s communication tool, so treat it that way.
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