5 Tips to Master the Art of Email Etiquette

How much of your work week do you spend drafting and replying to emails? If you’re like most professionals in the workforce, your answer is some variation of “a lot.” In order to make your email correspondence with clients and colleagues as effective and professional as possible, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Label Correctly

A well-crafted email starts before you even get to the “message” field. Know the difference between “To:,” “cc:,” and “bcc:,” and use these fields appropriately. A good rule of thumb to follow is to use the “To:” field for any recipients from whom you’d expect or hope for a response.

Use Engaging Subject Lines

The subject line is also important. An ideal subject line is short, and either attention-grabbing or action-inciting. Steer clear of generic subjects, and be as clear and specific as possible.

Send User-Friendly Attachments

When attaching files to an email, use the most easily convertible file format available. You don’t want clients feeling like they have to download a program to an application just to open a file you share with them. While on the topic of attachments, always refer to them in either the subject or body content of an email. Otherwise, they’re more likely to be ignored by recipients.

Hyperlink URLs

Nothing has as adverse an impact on the aesthetic of an email as a complete URL. Instead, link a URL to relevant text contained within the body of an email. Create a hyperlink that directs recipients to a webpage without detracting from the neat, clean appearance of your email. Another reason to avoid complete URLs is to decrease the likelihood of your email winding up in recipients’ spam folders.

Remember Less is More

It’s cliche, but true. The shorter and less frequent emails to your clients are, the more likely they are to be fully digested. Only share highly relevant information that clients or prospective clients will be interested in reading.

Worried that you won’t hold yourself accountable to these tips? If you’re using a Gmail account check out the add-on Boomerang. Boomerang uses artificial intelligence to help you create emails that are more respondable. As you draft out an email, this add-on will review the content and rate it in on a whole host of criteria from subject length and question count, to subjectivity and politeness. Check out this opportunity here to get more responses to you emails, always strike the right tone, and get more insight into how you write.

Follow these tips, proofread every email before you send it, and maintain a positive tone to make the best e-correspondence impression on your clients. For more client engagement strategies or tools that can help you sell life insurance and annuities, call Brokers Alliance at (800) 290-7226.