For your business to be successful, you need to keep in touch with your business partners, as well as your customers. Your business associates are responsible for your supplies while your customers are very important in building your reputation and increasing your sales. How you communicate with your customers is crucial to achieving your business goals. Communication via email has become the standard choice for most businesses, as it is less intrusive than phone calls and faster than surface mail. However, to get the best out of email communication, you need to follow some simple guidelines on email etiquette.
Be Professional: Use a professional address
Email etiquette starts with the address you are using. For your mail to get attention from your customers and associates, you need to use a professional email address that consists of your company’s name or your real name. Nicknames and other funny monikers will send your mail to the junk box or spam.
Use an informative and relevant subject line
Your emails should always consist of a relevant subject line. The subject line gives the recipients an idea of what they should expect from the email. Leaving the subject field blank brings out the wrong impression. Consequently, your emails may go unread because of this.
Keep your message brief and specific
When writing an email for business communication, you need to keep your messages brief and to the point. You should avoid writing on issues that are too personal, as the recipients may end up misunderstanding the message. Good email etiquette requires that you stick to the topic at hand.
Use a respectful tone
Whenever you write an email to your associates, often use a friendly but respectful tone. Although it might be difficult to disseminate your tone through writing, you can sparingly use emoticons to convey your feelings. You should avoid using uppercase letters throughout your email, as they give the impression that you are angry or shouting.
Avoid shorthand writing and abbreviations
When composing a formal email, you should avoid using abbreviations. The only abbreviations allowed are the ones that apply in the salutation, such as Mr. or Mrs. Abbreviations give out the impression of a non-professional. Additionally, some abbreviations have different meanings, depending on the location of the recipient and thus, using them may lead to a misunderstanding.
Use group emails sparingly
You should use group emails sparingly, as they are only useful if the message is important and relevant to all the recipients. If you need to send a personal message to the original sender, you should avoid using group emails.
Avoid Spamming
Spamming is the indiscriminate sending of unsolicited emails of a commercial nature to various mailing lists. When using email marketing, you should ask for permission from your recipients if you could add them to your mailing list. As a professional businessperson, you should avoid spamming your clients and business associates, unless you want your address to be on their blacklist.
Do not use email for private messages
Emails are not as private as they may seem and therefore it is advisable that you avoid using them for sending personal messages. Inappropriate use of email facilities might lead you into trouble, especially if you send a particular message to the wrong recipient.