How To Improve Business Writing Skills

How to Write a Professional Business Email

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Writing effective business emails begin with good organization and a great opening. Just as you prepared in school to write a perfect essay, so you must prepare in the working world to write a business email. Sometimes the old school approach of beginning with a blank paper to write on is in order. This allows you to create a brief outline to best frame your message. Then flesh out the outline as you compose the email at your computer. By taking this simple preparation step, you'll produce a much more professional write up. Read on for more tips to help you write great business emails.

How to Grab the Email Receiver's Interest

Just as you target product design and marketing strategy for a particular audience, so you must design your email for that email's "audience." The person receiving the email might be your boss, a subordinate, peer, or it may be someone outside of your firm. All come from different backgrounds and have different priorities in mind as they read through their emails. One of the first places to start in capturing interest is to ensure your Subject is substantive enough to peek interest. But be careful that substance doesn't end up being so long that the recipient can't read it in their summary list. Because objective one is to have your email rise above the masses and receive an opening click. But don't resort to trickery. That is sure to work against you in the end.

Greeting

Begin with a salutation just as you would in a business letter. The formal "Dear James" or less formal "Good Morning James" salutation sets up the email with the desired tone. If emailing a peer with whom you are collaborating on a project, be more informal in the greeting. Even beginning with a "Great work on the Ellison project, James" would be appropriate. It would also be a good start for a congratulations email to a subordinate. But when emailing someone outside of your firm, keep a more professional tone.

One Purpose per Email

Each email should serve one master. If you share information on two widely different topics – say you are looking for feedback on a recent staff presentation, do not also ask for recruits for the company softball team. These topics require two separate emails. However, one topic can also have several related components. Then a bulleted list is in order. Your email body is not the place for a lot of detail. If a reference piece is necessary to provide information needed for decision making, attach a document.

Is Email the Right Medium for this Message?

When delivering bad news, a telephone call or in-person visit is always preferable, followed by written communication to document the action. Never email someone that their services are no longer required – whether it is an employee or an outside product provider. This is just poor form and does not reflect well on you or your firm.

Another topic to avoid in email is information that is particularly sensitive. Emails are easily forwarded. If you would not like to have this information shared in writing, don't send it in a medium that allows sharing with a keystroke.

A similar caution is offered for long email strings where the sender has emailed a group and the group members are responding to all. Sometimes it's better to jump out of the email string and write an individual message back to the sender.

Email Messages and Email for Business Development

Email is a valuable means of communication. You wonder how anyone waited for snail mail just a few short years ago. Use email to congratulate, thank, request information, provide information and also to solicit new business.

There are even online services that conduct massive, but highly targeted, email campaigns to generate new business for your firm. They will regularly send email on your behalf. Firms such as Constant Contact provide easy to use email templates and can even capture addresses through your online sites. A full-service contact management system, their email program allows for excellent customization of a message. And their emails are designed to produce. Constant Contact also believes in the "you get what you measure" mantra as they provide detailed reporting on activity and results.