We send dozens of emails every day. Sometimes these are very short messages, for example: “Let’s go to lunch?”. Sometimes – mailings, with the help of which you present your business or website. When there are a lot of letters and time is short, we begin to rush and make mistakes. Usually small, like a typo, but sometimes some can harm your reputation and ruin your relationship with a client or employee.
To keep your business correspondence on top, we have collected the most common mistakes when sending emails. Here they are:
1. You dial the wrong address
The most common and most annoying mistake. Imagine you want to send some pretty personal photos to a friend, but you automatically type in the address of your boss or customer. And only after the letter is gone do you realize with horror what has just happened. If it’s any consolation, each of us has been in this situation at least once: lawyers sent confidential documents to the opposite side, designers sent site layouts to the wrong client, etc.
Fortunately, in many mail services, for example, in the same Gmail, there is a function to unsend a message. Turn it on and specify a large time interval – it’s calmer.
2. You forgot about the investment.
You wrote that a file was attached to the letter, but you forgot to attach it. Another common mistake that often leads to misunderstandings and apologies. Therefore, it is better to check everything first, and only then send the letter. And to avoid questions from the recipient, we recommend that you list all the attached files right in the body of the letter.
3. You don’t think about decoration
The form of the letter should be given as much time as the content. With a free Email Builder, selecting the appropriate template and adding your text to it is very easy. No special knowledge is required – make sure that everything looks neat and beautiful.
4. You don’t include a subject line.
The letter’s subject performs approximately the same role as the text’s title. Next to your name, the recipient sees it and understands what you sent him: an invoice, the results of a meeting, a job offer, a website layout, etc.
Remember that the subject should be formulated so that, if necessary, a person quickly finds your letter convincing. He is interested if we are talking about, say, a mailing list.
5. You don’t save drafts.
If you like writing letters in text editors, then save often – otherwise, you risk losing all the text if the computer freezes. Or write directly in the mail service – then all your sketches will be automatically saved in the “Drafts” folder.
6. You do not follow the rules of courtesy.
Politeness in business correspondence is just as important as in life. Here are the basic rules that everyone and everyone must follow:
- Start and end your letter with common phrases. The degree of formality will depend on who you are corresponding with. If this is your boss or just an official, do not use “Hello,” “Bye,” or “Kiss.” And vice versa, if you are writing to a colleague or friend, you can do without the traditional “Respectfully.”
- Remain calm, even if the matter is extremely urgent and important. Nervousness and reproaches will not lead to anything good.
7. You don’t proofread the text.
Misprints can spoil the whole impression of the letter, so carefully reread the written text (preferably several times). If in doubt about spelling or syntax, go to grammarly.com. In order not to accidentally send an unfinished letter, first write the entire text in full and only then dial the recipient’s address. Another useful service is Glavred. It helps to clear the text of clichés and verbal garbage. Use it so that your letter does not look dry and formulaic.
8. You don’t include the right people in your email copy.
Let’s figure out who can even receive your letter.
- The To field is the primary recipient.
- The “CC” field is the person who will receive the copy. He does not relate directly to the issue under discussion but wants or should be aware.
- The “Bcc” field is the hidden recipients. You add them, but the primary recipient doesn’t see them. And here, you need to be careful: you can confuse Cc and Bcc, and then the recipient will think that he is being spied on.
Keep in mind that some people need to be aware of what is happening. You do not want to listen to reproaches on the topic, “How could you not add me to the copy ?! I worked on this project for two months!” If in doubt, add everyone who has anything to do with the issue. Maybe not everyone will be happy that they are distracted, but there will be no complaints against you.
9. You don’t subscribe.
You wrote “Respectfully, Masha,” and you think everything is in order, but the recipient of the letter sits and puzzles over who this Masha is. From a print shop? Or maybe an illustrator? In order not to make him guess, set up a signature, and it will be automatically added to the end of each of your messages. Include your first name, last name, company name, position, and contact information, including Skype or phone number. You can add your site’s address – although this is advertising, it is unobtrusive.
10. You choose the wrong time.
Writing letters at night is not the best idea. The first reason: you are probably terribly tired during the day, you don’t think very well and risk making all these mistakes. The second reason: the avalanche of morning mail will bury your midnight letter under it, and shortly the addressee will not see it. And the third: apparently, you have nothing else to do since you are writing business letters at three in the morning.
Our advice: if nothing important and urgent happens, send messages from Monday to Friday and during business hours – so your letter will not be lost among dozens of others.
