Email Mistakes To Avoid

By the end of this year, there will be an estimated 5.6 billion email accounts. That helps explain why email is the dominate medium for marketing and communicating. Think about how many useless emails you receive daily. It’s likely to be about the same number as the people you are trying to influence receive. How do you stand out in a cacophony of claptrap? Avoid these common email mistakes identified by Hubspot.

• Only use "reply all" if your response affects more than 70 percent of those receiving the same email. If only a few people need to see your response in a chain, hit "reply" and use CC to send your message to appropriate parties.

• Forgetting to proofread and sending emails with grammatical or spelling mistakes makes you look unprofessional and unintelligent. If you use Microsoft Word, use the review feature to catch typos and punctuation errors. 

• Inaccurate or misleading subject lines create mistrust. How many times have you received an email from someone asking for a reorder when you never ordered from that company previously? Take advantage of the subject line to capture someone's attention. A couple of examples: “Here are three ideas to make your life easier.” “Here is your exclusive offer (if it is exclusive).” The best subject lines are creative, interest-provoking and informative.

• Not addressing the email to the person’s name or properly formatting your message are other mistakes to avoid. A 2018 study found that nearly 50 percent of all emails are opened on mobile devices. If you don’t enjoy reading long emails on your phone, most likely the recipients of your email will not enjoy reading long emails on their phones either. Use short paragraphs and bullet points, links and lists, advises Hubspot. 

• Avoid the temptation to send emails after normal business hours and on weekends because they could be interpreted to mean that you are understaffed, inefficient or desperate.

• Failing to provide a complete signature foregoes valuable real estate. Include your name, title, contact information, recent industry honors (if you have them, e.g. DPHA award winner), and a headshot photo.

• Failing to have a call to action implies to the recipient they don’t have to respond. Even if you have been turned down before by someone you are trying to reach, you can ask where you can learn more about their organization or project.

• Using nonstandard or creative fonts makes an email more difficult to read. Stick with the tried and true.

• Failing to take advantage of email shortcuts available from Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail.

• Being impatient. If you don’t receive an immediate response or even a reply the following day, avoid the temptation to send another email. Use 10 days as a rule of thumb for following up on your email.

• Using email is a way not to communicate. There are times and situations where you should call or meet face-to-face instead of sending an email. Examples include multiple back-and-forth emails with no resolution or consensus. If you need to write more than 3 paragraphs, a call may be more effective and less time consuming.

• Failing to get to the point immediately. Tell the recipient why you are writing and what you want to them to do upfront.