EMAIL ETIQUETTEHow to write the perfect professional email

Content■ Written Communication in Business■ Subject Lines■ Opening and Closing Lines■ Recipients■ Reducing Inbox Clutter■ Content■ Conveying Emotions■ Signature■ Additional Help■ Extentia and Email

Written Communication in Business

Can be edited and revised

More appropriate for complex business interaction

Good writing skills lead to increased client satisfaction and inter-organizational efficiency

Sender does not receive feedback immediately

Can take more time to compose than speaking face-to-face

Advantages Disadvantages

Subject Lines■ Write the subject line first

so you don’t forget it■ An email with a blank

subject will likely go unread or get lost

■ Be clear and specific about the topic of the email

■ Keep it short!

Subject Lines■ Avoid words in ALL CAPS or

special characters like exclamation points!■ Emails like this can end up in

the spam filter

■ Indicate if a response is needed at the end of subject■ i.e. “Proposed changes to

document – please respond by Friday”

When you go to craft an email, be sure to pay as much attention to the opening and closing as you do the rest of the content.

Don’t let an avoidable blunder here annoy or distract the recipient from the most important part of the email – your message!

Dear reader,

Best regards,Extentia

Openings

Formal

Hello

Good Morning

Good day

Shows Lack of ConsiderationDear Sir or MadamTo Whom it May Concern

Too CasualYo/Hey

Do’s Don’tsCasual

Hi

Group

Hello all

Good day team

Closings - DOs“Best”

■ Experts agree – “best” is safe, inoffensive and almost universally appropriate

■ Variations include “All the best” and “Best wishes”

“Regards”■ Another simple and common sign-off■ Variations include “Best regards”, “Kind

regards”, and “Warm regards”

Closings – DON’TS“Thanks”

■ While it can be a good sign-off when it is sincere, many times variations of “thanks” are used as a command disguised as premature gratitude

“Sincerely”, “Yours Truly”, “Yours /Faithfully”

■ Can appear as overly formal and stuffy – use with caution

Closings – DON’TS“xoxo”, “”, “thx”

■ In business emails, abbreviations and emoticons are not appropriate

“Cheers” or “Ciao”■ If you wouldn’t say it in real life, don’t use it in an email

Recipients■TO: use when directly addressing someone, or when an action is

expected in response

■CC: use for informational purposes

■BCC: to “secretly” add someone to communication

■ Useful for privacy protection on group mailings■ Avoid using in work emails

Reducing Inbox Clutter■ Send or copy others on a

need to know basis only

■ Beware of “reply all”■ Do not use this feature unless

every member on the email chain needs to know

■ Don’t send or forward chain emails

Content■ Make your request in the first line of your email

■ If that’s all you need to say, stop there!

■ Keep the message focused – shorter is better■ Wordiness wastes the reader’s

time – be urgent, yet polite■ If a longer message is

necessary, introduce how many parts there are to your message, and number the points

Content■ Avoid italicizing, bolding, and

larger typefaces – the recipient’s email might not have all of these features

■ Don’t assume privacy■ Email is not a secure form of

communication – anything written over email can be seen by others!

Content■ Write short paragraphs

separated by blank lines■ It is easier to read, and less

intimidating

■ Proofread, proofread, proofread!■ Write and proofread the

email before entering the recipients email

Communicating Emotional Information■ Email is great for facts, but

not for emotions

■ Written communication lacks necessary non-verbal cues ■ Jokes, sarcasm, and other

emotions are not easily conveyed in writing

Verbal35%

Nonverbal65%

Communication

Communicating Emotional Information■ Emotional messages and bad

news should never be sent over email■ These interactions should be done

face-to-face or over the phone

■ Never hit “send” while angry

Signature■ If you don’t have a signature already, make one now

■ They promote your business, get you more customers, make it easier to contact you, and look more professional

Company Logo or Headshot

here

Your NameTitle, CompanyPhone Number | WebsiteSocial Media Icons and Links

Additional Help■ When crafting an email,

there are a lot of small pieces that can make a big impact on the recipient

■ It can be difficult, but there are many online services available to help in the process

Extentia – High Impact eMail

■ Extentia created High Impact eMail for iPad, which is a first of its kind mobile application

■ Users can create and send professionally designed emails from a variety of templates – all on-the-go

Extentia – Business Email Templates

■ Extentia created an app for SalesForce to create great-looking professional emails right from the iPad

■ Business Email Templates sends emails to customers and contacts quickly and easily, which render perfectly across all email clients and devices

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