The statistics surrounding email are astounding, and go a long way to signaling the central role that it continues to play in many of our lives. Did you know, for example, that an office worker receives an average of 121 emails every day? Indeed, as of 2015, more than 205 billion emails were being sent and received each day, across the globe.

With so many emails flying around, it’s not surprising that many of your clients could do with ignoring a couple of the ones that they receive – after all, they’d get little else done otherwise.

But what are the mistakes that you could be making with the emails that you send to your own clients, potentially leading to your vital requests being ignored?

Failing to be absolutely clear

What do you actually want that has led you to send that email? What do you need the reader to do? It sounds like obvious advice, but your emails really do need to be clear and specific.

Tell the reader that you need them – not one of their colleagues, a customer or someone else entirely – to react in a certain way, whether that means agreeing to a proposal, providing feedback, paying an invoice or something completely different.

Uninteresting subject lines

It might not be a marketing email that you are sending, but many of the same rules of such messages also apply to business emails, including the importance of a suitably compelling subject line.

Is your subject line concise? Does it specifically call for a response from the reader? Does it display as well on a smartphone as it does on desktop? The latter is an ever-more crucial consideration in today’s era of ‘on the go’ business.

A lack of courtesy

Sure, sending an email isn’t quite the same as having a face-to-face conversation with someone or even composing a ‘snail mail’ letter, but certain standards of etiquette still apply – even when you’re only sending a very quick email.

The nicer you are towards others, the more willing they will likely be to help you, so don’t allow your emails to lapse into sloppy grammar or ALL CAPS. You should also ensure that you continue to include a basic greeting and sign-off in each message.

Making your emails too long

Those of you who know anything about the basic principles of readable copy will know that big blocks of text are a monumental ‘no no’ – so why should you be any more tolerant of it in your emails? That kind of thing looks imposing and intimidating – it’s so much easier for a client to simply not read it.

This is why it’s so important to cut out all of the fluff – such as “if you don’t mind”, “when you get the time”, “I was hoping” and so on – from your emails. But you should also be sure to explain the wider context of your email as briefly as possible. Simple words, short sentences, short paragraphs, bullet points and lots of white space will help to make your email compelling and digestible.

Emailing all of the time, even when you shouldn’t

It’s easy for some users of business email to realise that it is far from the only communication method that can be used with clients – indeed, your query may be best dealt with via phone or video chat rather than email.

Some issues, after all, call for the kind of sensitive and thoughtful discussion – potentially with multiple people – that may not be as easily achieved via email. Don’t send an email without first considering whether it really is the best mode of communication for getting what you require.

 

Remember that here at Disruptor Media, we do many wonderful things with email that can assist your B2B or B2C firm to attract new customers. Get in touch with us today about our e-marketing and data sourcing expertise that could be instrumental in the most effective promotion of your company’s products and services.