7 Useful Email Etiquette Tips for Small Business Communications

In the small business world email is an essential communication tool that is used almost on a daily basis.
 
As a matter of fact, a study conducted by Skadeedle.com concluded that businesses send and receive 89 Million emails per day. That is a Lot of emails.
 

Source: Skadeedle.com

Source: Skadeedle.com


 
At any rate when you are sending and receiving emails it is very important to use proper email etiquette in your communications–especially in business. 
 
In your small business email communications if you’re not careful you can run the risk of doing things such as replying to the wrong recipients– or even worse sending out classified information to the wrong recipients that can jeopardize your company.
 

Small Business Email Etiquette Tips that you can use in your small business communications to send professional emails to your readers:

 

1.  Keep your email messages short, sweet and to the point.

 
There is nothing more irritating that reading a “book long” e-mail that can be summed up in a few paragraphs or less.  Its best practice to keep your emails brief.
 

2.    DO NOT USE ALL CAPS IN ANY OF YOUR TEXT.

 
Using all caps in your text can make you seem aggressive in tone—and can also sound like you are “Shouting” at your reader.
 

3.      Start Your Message with a Greeting.

3 Common Greetings that you can use in your emails are:

  • Good Day <Recipients Name>
  • Hello <Recipients Name>
  • Hi <Recipients Name> – Source

 

4.       Proofread and Spell Check your Email Messages.

Sending emails with typographical errors in them does not come off as professional.
 

5.  Only use “reply all” when necessary.

 
Everyone on an email chain doesn’t need to see your response.  Be respectful of others by not filling up their inboxes with a flood of email messages. – Source
 

6.  Don’t discuss private matters in your email.

 
We’ve heard the horror stories of private email messages being passed around to unintended recipients.  Before writing your emails, ask yourself if the content is something that needs to be discussed behind closed doors or sent out to the public.
 

7.  Don’t send confidential or proprietary information in an email – unless you have an encrypted feature or tool embedded in your email application.

 
Regular emails are sent “in the clear” and can be intercepted by hackers.  If you do not have an encryption feature in your email, consider sending confidential documents and information to your recipients with “password protection”.
 
Using proper email etiquette can definitely go a long way in your business.  I hope that the 7 tips that I have shared with you today have been helpful. 
 
Recommended Reads:

  • [easyazon_link identifier=”0071811265″ locale=”US” tag=”smalbusisen0f-20″]The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success[/easyazon_link]
  • [easyazon_link identifier=”096374559X” locale=”US” tag=”smalbusisen0f-20″]E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide[/easyazon_link]

 
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. Until the next time!

Annika Bansal
 

Annika "The Chick Geek" is the founder of AnnikaBansal.com. Small Business Sense shares small business ideas, tips and resources for independent Entrepreneurs and Small Business owners.

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