Top 5 Business Email Basics
A good impression is important in building confidence and trust with those that you do business with on a regular basis.
For every email that you send out, there are important basics that you need to remember in the day-to-day communications if you want to ensure great results.
Here is a look at the top 5 business email basics to remember.
Basic #1 - Fill in the Subject Field One of the important basics to remember when writing a business email is to fill in the subject field.
This is important because often it is what determines whether people will even open up your email.
Keep the subject short and make sure it gives a good picture of what the email topic is about.
Avoid any typos or using all caps or small case, since this may make people think that you are simply a spammer.
Basic #2 - Addressing Contacts It's a good idea to make sure that you address your contacts in a formal manner when you are sending out a business email.
Of course, if they let you know that you can call them by their first name that is perfectly fine.
While many people are fine with being called by their first name, if you do this too quickly in a business relationship, it can be seen as taking too many liberties.
Start out with a formal address and go from there.
Basic #3 - Keep Formatting Simple When you send out business email, it is usually best to keep the formatting simple in most communications.
With all the spam filters out there, often embedded images and more formatting will result in your emails being blocked by the spam filter as spam.
You also need to keep in mind that some of your recipients may not have their email configured in a way to display the specific formatting that you use, which may lead to the email looking unprofessional.
Keeping it simple will make sure your email looks just the way you want it to, even to your recipients.
Basic #4 - Avoid Attachments Usually it is best to avoid sending along attachments in business email unless it is absolutely necessary.
If you have large files that you need to send, it's a good idea to clear this with the recipient.
However, in most cases, you don't need to send attachments.
Also, when you send attachments, you assume that your recipients actually have the software necessary to open the file.
This may not be the case, so they may not be able to even open the attachment that you send.
In some cases, people who don't recognize emails with attachments will automatically delete them, thinking they are spam.
Basic #5 - The Signature File While it is definitely important to have a good signature file when you send out business email, you need to avoid making these files too long.
Keep it to about 3-5 lines.
Usually it's best to offer a company name, your website link, a phone number, and maybe a special offer or slogan.
Also, if you include the website address, it's a good idea to make sure you include the http:// or the email program probably won't regard it as a URL that is clickable.