Email Etiquette
In the business world Email is the king of communication. It is important to understand how to use email to accurately communicate your messages. Are you emailing correctly?
In today's world, an average employee spends a quarter of the week going through hundreds of emails that they send and receive every day.
Even though we are emailing on a daily basis, there are still some areas we can improve when it comes to Email etiquette. The amount of messages we write and read everyday makes us more prone to making errors, and those mistakes often lead to some serious professional consequences.
We gathered some of the most essential email rules you need to know and follow.
Have a clear and direct subject line
The first thing a receiver sees is the subject line. You want to make sure that the subject line is straight to the point and sends a clear message about your email. Extra tip: type "IMPORTANT" in front of the message to stress the importance of the email.
Have a professional email address
If you use a personal email account you should be careful when choosing the email address. You should always have an email address that conveys your name and surname so the recipient knows who is sending that email.
Create a signature
Provide your reader with some information about you. Generally, this would state your full name, title, company name, and your contact information, including a phone number. You can also add a little more information about yourself. For example, add you served in the military i.e Army Veteran, but don't go overboard with controversial or inappropriate phrases or artwork.
Avoid Humor
Humor can easily get lost in translation without the right tone or facial expressions. In a professional exchange, it's better to leave humor out of emails unless you know the recipient well.
Make sure to read your email before hitting "send".
Your mistakes won't go unnoticed by the recipients of your email. Doublecheck every email word by word. There are plenty of spell checkers online and grammar tools that can help you create a professional email. Look at the email once more and if it’s a very important email, have another set of eyes take a look at it.
Bonus tip: don't forget your attachment.
Keep your fonts classic
You must look professional when having an email correspondence. You want to keep your messages clear and easy to read for the recipient. Generally, it is best to use a 10 or 12-point font size and an easy-to-read font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
In conclusion, we can all agree that professional emails help us distinguish between the people we want to work with and those we want to avoid. You want to make sure that your emails are clean, well thought out, professional, and appealing to the eye of the receiver.
Jeff Su is a Product Marketer at Google working on Google Ads. On his YouTube channel, he makes videos about productivity, careers, and lifestyle. He aims to inspire others to be more productive, and more effective. At Alic Consulting, we want to be as professional as possible, while also maintaining productivity and effectiveness. At Alic Consulting 70% of our communication is done through email. We double check that emails look and sound professional every time. We also help small businesses better manage their time by providing Email Support.
