BUSINESS EMAIL NETIQUETTE - Part 1

Guest Author: Beverly Zibrak, President of the Word Doc, Brookline, MA

Suffice it to say, email as a communication tool has replaced snail mail.  Think about it: When was the last time you received a handwritten or typed thank you note or invitation?  Emails are fast.  So answer an email quickly.

Just as there are guidelines for traditional communication, there are guidelines for business emails.

THE BASICS
1.   Always use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
2.   Do not use CAPITAL LETTERS, except at the beginning of a sentence.
3.   Avoid sentence fragments.  Write in complete sentences.
4.   Even though it is faster, avoid abbreviations such as LOL, IMHO, etc.  Save them for personal emails.  Also avoid using emoticons.
5.   Do not write in long sentences.  Keep it short.
6.   Use active, not passive, voice.
7.   Use gender neutral nouns and pronouns.

THE CONTENT
8.   Be concise and get to the point.
9.   Anticipate: Answer all questions in the email you are writing or responding to and pre-empt further questions.
10.  If you often write the same type of business email, use templates for efficiency.
11.  Adopt a structure and layout that reflects your company, including the signature lines.
12.  Pay attention to formatting.  Your email conveys your corporate image.
13.  Make the Subject line relevant in order to get the reader's attention.

Next month: Business Email Netiquette Part 2 . . .

Beverly Zibrak is President of the Word Doc, a writing and editing services firm dedicated to helping small business with all their communication needs, including web content development, press releases and marketing communications, and blog posts.  You can reach Beverly at www.worddocusa.com or 617.584.9847.