5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Emails
Whether you are sending a personal message or creating an email marketing campaign, getting your email noticed and read can be a challenge.
1. Avoid Using Free Email Services
Unless you are using professional email products, such as Google Apps for Work, We recommend your company avoid using free consumer based email applications like Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL. Since these services are registered to individuals, the information contained within their messages is legally considered personal property. I once worked with a client who lost 7 years of accounting correspondence when their accountant left their employment and took his personal Gmail account and all of their data with him.
2. Improve Your Brand Recognition by Sending Email that Uses Your Website Domain
Use your company website domain address when sending email. (example: name@mycompanywebsite.com). Branded email conveys professionalism and trustworthiness to your customers. It also ensures all correspondence legally belongs to your company, not your employees.
Adding this feature can be as easy as calling your website hosting company and having them enable this option. Once enabled you can create individual employee email and group email addresses. We recommend establishing the following group email addresses which can then be forwarded to one or more individual employees. As employee’s roles change, the group email addresses can be easily forwarded to new team members without disconnecting correspondence from its historical context.
5 Group Email Addresses Every Company Should Use
- Accounting
- Info
- Marketing
- Sales
- Support
3. Optimize your Digital Signatures
One size does not fit all. Take the time to create a “New Messages” and “Reply” signatures to eliminate long threads of duplicate information when repeatedly emailing customers. Your “New Messages” signature should contain your full contact information, including your email address, physical address, business and cell phone numbers, company website and company logo. Your “Reply” message should be abbreviated to include only the best way to reach you on a daily basis. If you are always out of the office, include your cell phone number. Through your email application settings, you can automatically define which signature is used for new messages and replies.
If you use your mobile devices to respond for customer correspondence, don’t forget to include a digital signature on these. Here are some helpful links.
· How to add digital signature to iPhone
· How to add digital signature to Android Phone
· How to add digital signature to Windows Phone
You may also want to consider hiring a graphic designer to brand your digital signatures for that extra wow factor.
4. Add a vCard to Increase Customer Retention
We all hate taking the time to add contact information to our email contact lists. By adding a vCard to your first few emails, your customers can easily add all of your information to their contacts list with a single click and save. Now when your customers are ready to buy, you have the competitive advantage by being easy to reach.
What is a vCard?
Virtual business card, an electronic representation of a business card, usually a file attached to an e-mail in place of a signature.
5. Standardize your Subject Line to Include your Company Name
Begin your email subject lines with your title and company name followed by your subject topic. This creates greater brand recognition and allows your customers to easily find all of your correspondence.
Example: Marketing at TheHomeMag – 5 ways to improve the professionalism of your emails
On average, it takes a person 13 exposures to your brand before they can distinguish you from your competitors. Using these simple strategies in your daily email habits can improve your brand recognition and help your customer stay connected with you in an easy and meaningful way.
Want to learn more about how we can help improve your brand? Give us a call at (714) 881-4700.