What We're Talking About...Professional Email Etiquette

Email is something everyone uses in their daily life both personally and professionally. But with 269 billion emails sent daily (DMR) it's an uphill battle to make sure yours doesn't get lost in the crowd. And we've all make that horrendous mistake of pushing send on an email only to realize seconds later we sent it to the wrong person, or worse, said something we wish we hadn't.

To keep you from accidentally emailing your boss about how much you hate your job - that could get a bit awkward- and help you polish your emails to appear more professional and elicit a desired response, here's what we're talking about...

This blog post is part of "Your Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing" blog series.

Articles

An Analysis of 350000 Messages Found the Best Way to End An Email if You Want a Response via. Business Insider

“Results showed that the most effective email sign-off is 'Thanks in Advance.'”

This article talks about the most popular endings people use to sign off an email and compared the response rates. All of the emails were ended with phrases of gratitude, but “Thanks in Advance” got the highest response rate of 65.7%.

The Wrong Way to Introduce People Over Email via. HBR

“'Not cool. Please reach out first for permission to share my contact information'”

This article talks about how to properly introduce people over email and how to determine if it is even worth connecting those two people. The author talks about how much responsibility is put on each person to make schedules work out and figure out how they are beneficial to the other person.

An Editor's Guide to Writing Ridiculously Good Emails via. Forbes

“There were horrible grammar errors, embarrassing spelling mistakes, incorrect names, emoticons, lack of proper greetings or pleasantries, and plain old bad writing”

This article talks about how horrible the emails she has been receiving are and steps to fix it. The steps she goes over to help you improve your emails are: slow down, make sure it has a beginning, middle and end, proofread and factcheck, and think about how you would feel if the email went public.

Check out this article for more on email marketing best practices.

15 Ways to Make Your Emails More Professional via. Business News Daily

“Before you press send, always ask yourself, 'Would I be proud of this email if it were on the front page of the newspaper?'”

This article goes over 15 different ways you can improve your emails. Some of the top ways to make your emails more professional are to use bullet points, not forget to proofread, timing, watch your tone and mention your next steps.

How I got an 80% Response Rate For My Top Influencer Outreach Campaign via. Blogging Wizard

“If you don’t get an answer to your email, try an alternative channel, but without being pushy.”

This article talks about the importance of reaching out to influencers and to start engaging with them before you try and get them to engage with you. The author covers the steps he took to get a response rate of 80% including personalize, help, ask, help again and sign off.

Infographic

How to Easy Write Better Emails via. HubSpot

“Email has become the primary way most of us communicate in the business world -- so much so that it often replaces face-to-face interactions.”

This infographic gives tips on your subject and content, provides statistics to show where email is opened and general tips for writing better emails.

A Quick Guide to Email Etiquette via. Entrepreneur

“More than 200 Billion emails are sent everyday — make sure yours stand out”

This infographic talks about the 36 tips for the perfect email, breaking them down into sections including: subject line, opening the conversation, using the right language, keep punctuation in mind, making attachments the right way, stating exactly what you do, making the best of your signature, things to think about when replying, and the etiquette of group email.

Tip of the Week

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What are your best tips for sending professional emails? Comment below!