Tag Archives: emails

5 Ways to Make Sure Customers Open Your Emails

Posted on by

Many of us spend a lot of time focused on how the wording in important emails affects the way they are received. From email marketing messages to business inquiries  it’s important to ensure the emails we spend time writing are actually read. In order to have the best chance of getting customers to open and read an email, you’ll need to develop and use these five strategies to get your email seen.

1. Check Your Display Name

Your email display name is the most recognizable thing about your email, and catches the eye immediately when the recipient receives the email. In order to stick out from the message crowd in your crowded inbox, you must ensure your display name is set up correctly.

  • Always use your full name – including your surname.
  • Avoid using generic mailboxes, email addresses or unhelpful ‘From’ names in the sender name field.
  • Include a clear signature so that your recipient can easily check which company you’re emailing from if they don’t recognize your name.

2. Word the Subject Line Wisely

Along with the first paragraph of the email, your subject line is crucial in getting your recipient to act. A properly worded subject line has three purposes:

  • It grabs the reader’s attention within a split second.
  • It describes the action you want the reader to take.
  • It makes the message easier to refer back to, or search for.

When writing your subject line, try to accurately summarize your request and convey the importance of the email’s contents within as few characters as possible. A good way to do this is to ask a question in the subject, or start the email subject line with the action you want the reader to take (for example, ‘Reply needed:…’). You may also wish to refer to the recipient by name to give your email an extra personalized touch.

Many email clients also display the first sentence of the email as a preview. Use that sentence in conjunction with your subject line for maximum impact. Also, avoid using any phrases that could potentially look like spam, or trigger an overzealous spam filter. The more specific your language, the better.

3. Use Smart Scheduling

Researchers have studied the best time to send emails, and have tracked response rates on each day of the week. GetResponse studied 21 million messages and found that engagement was higher between 8-10 AM and 3-4 PM. Messages sent during those periods enjoyed a slightly higher open rate.

However, you don’t need to be an expert to understand the psychology behind this technique: simply focus on sending emails when you’re most likely to get the recipient’s undivided attention.

  • Look for patterns in your recipient’s emailing habits. If they tend to deal with all of their mail in the afternoon, that’s your best bet for a quick reply.
  • Don’t send emails when people are likely to have run out of steam. For example, some experts advise not sending emails on Thursday or Friday afternoon when most people have already started to ‘switch off’ before the weekend. Figures from MarketingGum back this up; they found that messages sent on a Thursday had the lowest open rate, and very few emails were opened on Friday afternoon.
  • There is an exception to the Thursday/ Friday rule. According to the same MarketingGum research, you may get a good response on a Thursday or Friday if the contents of your email relate to a weekend task.
  • You’ll need to take into account any timezone differences in order to get maximum engagement at the right time of day.

4. Don’t Send Any Further Emails… Yet

The key is to make the task of opening, reading and responding to a message as quick and easy as possible. Sometimes you may feel that you missed an important piece of information and need to send a second email to update the recipient. If you can avoid this, it is better to wait until the recipient has replied to your first email. Too many ‘urgent’ emails can dilute the attention given to the conversation. If you insist that every email is urgent, it can confuse the recipient and make it difficult for them to decide which message is most important.

5. Keep Up the Conversation

Once your recipient has responded, return the favor. If their email requires a response, send it as soon as you’re able to. Not only will this reinforce your reputation as a good communicator, it will inspire confidence in your recipient. They’ll know that you’re reliable and quick to respond to their questions – so, in return, they’ll be more likely to respond to yours right away.

Claire Broadley is a creative content writer working for WhoIsHostingThis.com, an independent hosting review website.

Share!!!

Why Email Hoarding Makes Sense

Posted on by

Have you ever gone to find an old email only to discover that you deleted it a week ago without thinking? Sometimes when it comes to emails, hoarding is actually a good idea. It pays to keep those old messages around because you never really know when you are going to need to look at something someone said or re-download that important file your boss sent you a month ago.

There are a few simple tricks and practices you can follow to keep track of your emails and relieve yourself of the worry of losing any emails that you may need in the future. While the latest craze is all about “inbox zero,” you may realize that in your line of work that’s impossible. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still keep yourself organized and quickly find the information you need. Consider following these practices to avoid costly mistakes.

Using a Desktop Mail Service Client

If you are trying to maintain multiple email accounts, like many people do, then you should consider using an email client. There’s a great chance that your computer already has one of these mail services on it already, you simply need to take a few minutes and add your accounts to it. Once you have added all of your accounts to your mail client you are ready to start sorting all of your mail out.

Identify Import Emails

After you receive an email, do you automatically delete it in order to get to inbox zero? First of all, that sort of devotion will get you nowhere. Second, you need a good system for tracking your mail to help you identify if it is important. There is a good chance that if the email is important, you don’t want to just delete the message, even if you know it’s going to some sort of archive. If the email in question is about changes in workplace policy, if it’s about a client, from a client or about new industry regulations, then there is a good chance that you shouldn’t just delete the email. If there is any chance at all the email in question may come up again, then you need to save it. But, how do you save your emails without your inbox becoming unbearable? How do you avoid listing every single message you get as “important” and therefore worthy of remaining in your inbox? Simple: you organize your emails.

Organizing Your Emails

Every email service allows users to create folders for easy message storage, but not everyone takes advantage of this option. It only takes a few minutes to create folders in your mailbox and once you have created them it is extremely simple to move new messages from your inbox to a specific folder. Consider creating just a few folders that are specific enough that you won’t have to question which folder an email should be filed under. Once you have your emails in your folders you can quickly search them for any email that you have put in the folder.

Recovering Emails

When your emails and other data files become corrupted it can be frustrating, annoying, and bad for business. Luckily there are tools out there than can scan your computer using advanced technologies and recover your emails that have been corrupted. There is no need to worry about losing that one email containing time sensitive material, or the new regulations you have to follow or the new project your boss has assigned you.

Normally hoarding may be thought of as a bad thing, but when it comes to email hoarding it just makes sense. No one likes spending 10 minutes looking for an email only to realize it has already been deleted. Instead, use folders to organize those important emails and delete the ones that you have identified as unimportant. Before hitting the delete button, ask yourself, “will I need this information later?” If you answer yes, then it should go in a folder. Take advantage of the tools that you already have at your fingertips and soon your email will be running much more efficiently.

Felicia Baratz is a freelance writer, graphic designer and social media addict living in Indianapolis, IN. As a contributor to ProfessionalIntern.com, Felicia discusses new, innovative technology and it’s relation to the business world and social media marketing.

Share!!!

Why Interdepartmental Communication is More Important Than You Think

Posted on by

Do you struggle with communicating with other departments at your job or keeping the flow of conversation active? Today our guest poster Felicia Baratz discusses how businesses can enhance and build up their company relationships, no matter how different the dynamics may be.

Of the many struggles workers have with their jobs, Interdepartmental communication remains one of the major complaints expressed. For example, your billing department needs to talk with other departments to verify invoice information and pricing options on a regular basis. Without strong and consistent communication, you won’t know about special arrangements made by the advertising department or fee waivers offered by the sales team. You cannot accurately do your job without active communication between departments.

While interdepartmental contact remains an essential component of any company, it gets difficult to manage between different business dynamics but there are ways to enhance and build up company relationships that lead to the success of the business.

Schedule All-Hands Meetings

Sending emails, talking on the phone or chatting over lunch provide bits and pieces of information between departments, but subsisting off of this alone is not enough. You have to be able to gather everyone together for regular meetings to ensure everyone operates on the same page.

While meetings don’t seem exciting, keep in mind that everyone communicates on a different level from one another. One team member might respond well to a broad memo while you prefer to read in-depth instructions. Both ways still provide viable sources of information and you’ll need a variety of communication tools are needed to ensure everyone gets the message. Never take for granted that one style of communication meets everyone’s needs. Instead, be sure to cover all of the bases in order to improve interdepartmental communications.

Spice up these meetings by turning them into socials too! Send employees off-campus for training, team building or meals. A change in scenery promotes unity and helps workers think outside the box. Additionally, these types of gatherings show employees their value to the company. When you feel valued, you want to contribute and be proactive in making the company communication a success.

Create Assembly Lines

When one department handles a project from start to finish, other departments may feel left out. Taking on solo projects can also lead to resentment, as everyone doesn’t carry an equal share of the workload. Utilize assembly lines and have someone from each department carry the responsibility of a portion of every project. When departments work and communicate well together, interdepartmental relationships stay strong.

Use File Sharing

As part of the assembly line technique, file sharing enables everyone to stay on the same page. As each department accesses files associated with the current project, communication improves. You can make changes or discuss issues before mistakes cost the company money. Additionally, file sharing prevents wasting time; since the document is updated the instant one team member makes a change. This layer of protection prevents mistakes and saves time and money.

Lead by Example

If you’re lucky enough to work for a boss who handles employee issues like suggestions, disputes and complaints personally, then he or she probably handles interdepartmental communication well. By taking charge, the boss indicates his or her approachability and value for team members. If your boss does not lead by example, be the leader in your department. As an example of good communication and camaraderie, you open the doors to changes in the overall company morale. No department is an island, and enhancing interdepartmental communication can only improve employee satisfaction and a company’s bottom line.

Internal communication is important enough that someone should be designated to handle its facilitation, especially in medium or larger businesses. Smaller companies should still have systems and protocols in place, but may not need someone dedicated to watching over it. Increasing communication will cut down on errors, make your company look more professional and foster employee happiness.

Felicia Baratz is a freelance writer, graphic designer and social media addict living in Indianapolis, IN. As a contributor to ProfessionalIntern.com, Felicia discusses new, innovative technology and it’s relation to the business world and social media marketing.

Share!!!