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Texting, Tweeting, Facebook-ing, Chatting, IM-ing…. We have so many ways to connect without actually talking, and good ol’ email is still the #1 standby. Are you a good emailer?
Here are two helpful articles on the topic – I learned a few things in reading them:
The most important things that I look for in good email communication are:
- Write in sentences. Email is like letter-writing, so use punctuation, good sentence structure, capitalizations, paragraphs, etc.
- Be brief, but be clear. People have little time to get bogged down in your backstory (unless they’ve asked for it), so get to the point, or start your email with some headline ideas.
- Answer all questions. Ever ask someone three questions via email and only receive an answer to one of them? Enough said.
- When in doubt, call or meet. There’s only so much you can get across electronically. In business people trust you, not your email skill. So, when things get confusing or unclear, especially when several back-and-forth attempts are still baffling, pick up the phone or schedule a meeting.
Email can be a necessary evil, or it can be a huge benefit for your business if done well. Take the time to email effectively!