business writing: write today

Email messages are easy to write – you write an email much the way you speak. This can create all kinds of problems, however, because your recipient only has words to go on, and those naked words often aren’t enough. They’re too abrupt.

When you’re speaking with someone they can see your facial expressions and body language and hear your tone; that’s not possible with email.

Therefore, you need to add a little charm. Start or end your email message with a courteous comment, like: “Hope you’re well, I enjoyed seeing you at the presentation. Let’s get together soon.”

Be as charming in your email messages as you are in person, and you can’t go wrong.

[tags]business writing, email messages, charm, courtesy[/tags]

Have you given up on business email? Many businesses have. There’s so much spam around that Internet service providers have turned their spam filters up to high, and this means that legitimate email gets caught in the spam trap too.

Here’s how to combat spam filters:

* Avoid using words that spammers use – words like free, special offer, etc. Study your spam. There are fashions in spam, like everything else. If you get one spam message with the subject line “Hi”, you’ll get another 50 just like it. Watch what spammers are currently using as their subject lines, and make your subject lines different;

* Include your complete contact details (including phone numbers), in your message – spammers never do that;

* On your Contact, or About Us page on your Web site, mention the spam problem, and add a note: “Please add our company name to your email program’s Whitelist. If you do not hear from us within 24 hours of contacting us, please call [phone number]. Spam affects us all. Our apologies in advance for this hassle.”

* Follow up. If you sent a message to your mailing list, and the response is less than it should be, send another message. Make it different from the first. If you’re sending out an ezine or email newsletter, send out TWO – the second should have a Web address where your customers can read the online version, if the email version was caught in a spam trap.

[tags]write business email, spam, business communication[/tags]

It’s vital that you write clear subject lines in your email messages. Otherwise, you risk them being discarded as spam.

DON’T write:

* Great news!

* Guess what I just heard?

* hiya

DO write:

* New guidelines for Rafford

* Proof must be ready for the printer today

* More research required on energy project

An additional benefit of writing clear subject lines is that it’s easier to search your messages later.

[tags]writing email, business email[/tags]