Original article published 4/22/21
At this point, the wonders of email marketing are no secret. After all, 90% of modern internet users have email addresses, and evidence suggests that targeting these individuals can lead to open rates of 20.56%. This benefit pairs nicely with an ROI of around $42 for every $1 you spend.
This invitation into people’s inboxes doesn’t guarantee that your efforts will be perceived well. Instead, email success is about following some crucial etiquette expectations, the most important of which we’re going to consider here.
What Is Professional Email Etiquette?
Before getting into the tips, it's time to review some email etiquette rules. When sending out marketing or business emails, crafting them so they're easy to read is essential. Email etiquette refers to guidelines and best practices for composing, sending, and responding to emails. It ensures communication is clear, professional, and respectful. Key aspects of email etiquette include:
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Good Subject Line: Use a concise and relevant subject line to inform the recipient about the email's content.
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Proper Salutation: Begin with an appropriate greeting, such as "Dear [Name]" or "Hello [Name]."
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Concise Content: Keep the email brief and to the point, focusing on the main message. Long emails make it less likely that your target will actually read your email.
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Professional Tone: Maintain a respectful and professional tone throughout the email. This includes the signature block, which should be formal.
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Proper Grammar & Spelling: Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation to ensure readability and professionalism. Avoid too many exclamation points, as they can come off as "salesy." Always double-check your grammar when writing an email.
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Appropriate Sign-Off: End with a courteous closing and email signature, such as "Sincerely," "Best regards," or "Thank you."
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Timely Response: If your email requires a response, respond to emails quickly, ideally within 24-48 hours after receiving the email.
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Attachments: Ensure any attachments are necessary, clearly labeled, and mentioned in the body of the email.
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Avoiding Jargon & Abbreviations: Use clear language and avoid unnecessary jargon or abbreviations that the recipient might not understand.
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Respect for Privacy: Be mindful of privacy by using BCC for mass emails and avoiding sharing personal or sensitive information without permission.
Proper email etiquette is important for this form of communication. Following these guidelines helps create effective and professional email communication.
Always Get Permission
The opt-in nature of email marketing is, in large part, where its power lies, but enjoying this plus point relies on your recipients actually opting in to begin with. Far from being just an etiquette pointer, this is a legal requirement, and you’ll soon find yourself in hot water (and failing to sell) if you start using information supplied without express permission.
Ensure that isn’t the case by always getting customers to either actively tick a box to receive sales materials or sign up for a newsletter that shows their interest and gives you the marketing green light.
H2: Prioritize Personalization
An astounding 82% of companies report that personalized emails improve open rates. After all, you’re landing in people’s personal inboxes, and just as a ‘dear sir/madam’ tag is unlikely to land anyone a job, a generic, ill-research marketing email probably won’t get you far. Customers are far more likely to take a little time for companies who have taken the time to understand their location, shopping habits, and more. Take these things into account when drafting up your next marketing email campaign.
Cater for All Devices
In an age where 42% of emails are opened on mobile devices, you also need to make sure that you’re catering to everyone with responsive email designs. Fail to factor this in, and you eliminate almost half of your audience, irritating them with slow load times, improper formatting, and an approach that generally fails to take everyone’s needs into account. Be sure to take the time to ensure your emails are properly visible on all platforms in order to entice your audience.
Ensure Quality
Like your wider marketing focuses, these emails send a message about who you are. If there are spelling mistakes and layout issues, clients will rightfully click off before seeing what you say. Instead, always proofread your emails, running them through grammar checkers and ensuring second opinions to keep mistakes from happening.
Don’t Trap Your Audience
Too often, companies try to make opt-out processes as convoluted and hard to find as possible, but this does nothing other than turn previously receptive customers against you. Instead, you should aim to keep opting out transparently and simplified so that whoever you’re sending emails to is happy, not frustrated, with your efforts. Put simply, keep the verbiage concise and readable.
Get Professional Help with Your Email Marketing Lists from Experts
Here at Progressive Data Services, we’re on hand to make sure that your email marketing is always on point. We use targeted mailing lists that ensure you understand what your customers want and how every email marketing effort lands. With our help, you can tailor, adjust, and ultimately impress with your emails every single time.
Data Management Services Beyond Email Marketing
Beyond mailing lists, we offer other services to boost your targeted marketing efforts. Our data management and analysis services help you examine and manage customer data, leading to increased response and ROI for your marketing programs. We provide data hygiene services to ensure your data is accurate and current, eliminating duplicates and updating information to improve targeting.
Our data enhancement appends valuable metrics to your database, while our custom mapping and geocoding services provide insightful visual representations. We also offer task automation, do-not-contact management, office/store assignment, and one-off mailing execution.
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