There is no right or wrong way to email, but there is an appropriate way–a way where your recipient feels good and you look professional. Emailing is the new mailing and it is absolutely amazing. You press send and someone from across the world is reading it in minutes. Sorry if that is still amazing to me and just ‘yea, whatever’ to other people out there. But anyway, now that email has become so mainstream, it has changed since its origination.
Today, sending an email is more like sending a text message. I get emails that just say “Okay” in them. A one word answer email! I can’t even stand getting one word answers in text messages! And what about “Sure”. What does sure even mean? When I say sure, I mean “yea, I guess”.
These one word answers bring us to the first rule.
Don’t use one word answers.
Seriously, how hard is it to add another couple of words? From what I understand the average person can type 30-45 words a minute. If you type 30 words a minute, it should only take 8 seconds to write four words. So, instead of just saying “Okay”, say “Okay, sounds good. Thank you.” I think we all have 8 seconds to do that.
Don’t use quotes
Quotes are great, really inspiring, but they should not be used in emails. I personally love quotes. They really pump me up, but a quote that might pump me up may not pump someone else up. Here’s another thing. Why have a quote when you should be having your business or blog tagline. Give your one sentence description.
You better have a signature with your information
Who the hell are you? Without a signature, people aren’t going to think you’re legit. That signature defines you.
Reread your email
I get emails all the time that don’t make sense or have misspellings. We all make mistakes, but how hard is it to double check your email? Just reading through ONE more time can go a long way. No misspellings = a lot of respect.
Hit the reply button
Yes, forgetting to reply to an email happens. Do it less. It feels great when an email gets answered in minutes or even the day of. When someone replies to my email, I get excited. No matter who it is, I get pumped. This feeling is at another level when that reply comes to me quickly.
Think about who you’re emailing to
An email to your old college roommate should not be the same as an email to a potential advertiser or fellow professional. Know the relationship that you have with the person you are emailing.
Be Biz Savvy
Your level of savvyness is up to you. Send an email that you would want to receive. Show the recipient what you’re made of . You have what it takes.
Have any you want to add to the list?
