Email has become the new communication medium in the business world. In fact it has surpassed the telephone as the preferred method of communications for businesspersons. Get the most out of your business email.
Use Subject As Teaser
Email is an excellent way to initiate contact with potential customers, partners and investors. However, most busy executives receive hundreds of emails every day and typically use the subject line as a filter. Your subject line must be hard-hitting and grab the attention of the busy executive you want to reach. Most importantly, it must be accurate and non-provocative. Do not use over kill and do not mislead. This is a turn off and will guarantee you do not get a response. In addition, neither 'personal' nor 'confidential' will get potential readers' attention.
An example of an excellent teaser to grab the attention of a potential strategic partner is "accessing bleeding edge technology." Of course, the body of your message must indeed describe a bleeding edge technology, and explain its synergistic advantages to the potential partner - or you will lose all credibility from the start.
Maintain Degree Of Professionalism
Most business emails dispense with the customary business salutations, forms and verbiage. Do not be offended if you receive an email that begins with 'Hi', or 'Hey', and ends with 'Adios' or 'catch you later'. Email, even business email, is supposed to be brief and less formal than letters or faxes. However, with all of this in mind, always maintain decorum in business email. This includes avoiding the use of emoticons (smileys and the like), and acronyms, at least at the early stages of the business relationship. You should also spell check and use proper grammar.
Business people expect a much higher level of responsiveness with email. Do not let your email sit for days before you answer it. Try to answer within a day or two.
Watch What You Say
You never know exactly who is going to read your email message, so be very careful with what you say. This includes both internal and external emails. Your email could be forwarded to your boss, co-workers, to the press, or to just about anyone with a click of the mouse.
Messages to mailing lists are frequently archived and can be found using common search engines. There is no way of knowing who will find your postings.
Mighty Microsoft was burned several times in court by email messages that came back to haunt them. In addition, internal emails have been used as evidence in sexual harassment lawsuits.
Watch What You Forward
If you receive a virus warning via email, your first inclination may be to forward it to business associates, or co-workers as a favor to them, or to show that your are savvy. However, you may be doing just the opposite. There are many viruses discovered every day, and many of them are simply hoaxes and do not exist - despite all the rumors. Do not forward virus warnings to anyone before checking their veracity. This can be done via most antivirus websites, including Israeli Eliashim. By forwarding such virus warnings you are only propagating the fear and you may also expose yourself as not nearly as savvy as you'd like to appear.
Use Viral Marketing
On the other hand, you should try to incorporate viral marketing into your emails whenever possible. Viral marketing has nothing to do with computer viruses. Rather, it is a promotion attached to a sender's outgoing message - making each new user a de facto salesperson. Through viral marketing, Hotmail grew a subscriber base more rapidly than any company in the history of the world.
Viral marketing has wide applicability. E-commerce, GroupWare, community, messaging and promotions businesses can all use it to further the Internet explosion.
Published by Israel's Business Arena March 30, 1999