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Email Marketing - 12 Things You Really Need to Know About Using Email Effectively
Email marketing is now one of the most commonly used forms of communication. Personally, I love it. But I know lots of people who hate it with a vengeance. One reason is that the e-mail deluge they are subjected to at work can make it hard to get on with anything else.
Another reason is that poorly written e-mails are difficult to understand and more often than not lead to several rounds of messages back and forth while you ask for, or give, explanations.
At its worst, e-mail can lead to serious misunderstandings, cause offence or even get you sacked. Make sure your e-mail communication is as effective as it can be by following these common-sense and practical tips:
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Before you send any e-mail think about whether it is the best format for your communication. Would a phone call be better? Is a letter more appropriate? Just because e-mail is easy, doesn't mean it is always the best way to communicate.
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Give your e-mail a short subject line that tells the recipient what it's about. You'd be surprised by how many people fail to give their message a subject at all. Research suggests that e-mails with subject lines of fewer than 30 characters are most likely to be read.
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Consider e-mail as an instant letter and you will be unlikely to go far wrong. Don't put anything in an e-mail you would not put in a written letter.
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Unless you know the person you are e-mailing very well, avoid being overly familiar. E-mail lends itself to informality. But just as a phone conversation with a friend would have a different tone from a conversation with a colleague or a customer, you need to make the same distinction in your e-mails.
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Think carefully about the purpose of your message before you start writing. Are you giving information? If so, make the information immediately clear in your first paragraph. Are you asking for information? Be specific about your question. If the purpose it to prompt the recipient to take some action, spell out what you want them to do and why.
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Remember to begin with the person's name (it is not necessary to use 'Dear' before the person's name). If you exchange very frequent e-mails with someone you know really well, you can usually omit their name. But in every other case, include the person's name at the start of your message. Leaving it out will make you seem abrupt, arrogant and discourteous.
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Use proper sentences and punctuate phrases in such a way that your meaning is clear. It can be very hard to understand what a message means if the sender hasn't bothered to use any punctuation. Even messages of only a couple of lines can be interpreted in many different ways if punctuation is missing. If you know the recipient very well they will probably be able to work it out. But don't leave it to chance.
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Sign off with your own name. Many people forget this but if you leave it out your communication will seem very abrupt.
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A closing phrase such as 'regards' or 'best wishes' is also useful in avoiding any sense of abruptness and only takes a moment to write.
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Include a 'signature' with your name and telephone number as a minimum. Ideally, a business e-mail signature should also include your company name, address, website address and other ways to contact you such as fax or mobile.
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Remember e-mail messages can go astray. Never to put anything in an e-mail message that you would not be happy to see on a public notice board or in the newspapers.
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Beware the 'reply all' button. Do not use this as a matter of routine. It's a great facility but if you would not include all these people in a telephone call, why copy them in to the e-mail? Using the 'reply all' button or copying people in to messages unnecessarily are among the most common reasons for inboxes being flooded with pointless messages. Make sure you don't add to them.
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