Email has done so much for communication by making our business and personal lives more efficient. It is also a great tool for B2B leaders to build their network and generate leads that may not be reachable by your marketing team. But as we get comfortable with technology and the distance that email can provide, it¡¯s easy to forget that you¡¯re talking to another human. Don’t forget these basic?tips when emailing in your professional life.

To optimize all components of your business and marketing for our current virtual world, visit the COVID-19 Marketing & Strategy Resources hub for toolkits, videos, blogs, and more.

Subject lines

Subject lines are the first thing someone sees when you send an email and in a way, the first impression. This might seem like an obvious one, but making sure you have a subject line that is clear, concise and relevant is key. When you¡¯re moving at the speed of light, it might be easy to forget the importance of a simple subject line. But by giving context to your email, you make things easier for the email recipient(s).

If the content of the email changes over the course of the conversation, make sure you update the subject line to the current topic. Again, this makes your correspondence more polished and makes digging through your inbox to reference the email all that easier. And finally, never just use the subject line as a place to put your entire message. This can make you look unprofessional and ultimately, the recipient will still need to open the email to read the entire subject line, so you¡¯re not saving any time and you could just be giving the impression that you¡¯re too busy.

Forwards

Forwards are inevitable; we all send at least a few every day. It¡¯s an easy and efficient way to loop new people into conversations or disseminate information to the masses. But use caution when forwarding. Take a second to ask: is this something everyone needs to know? Is it relevant? Is this factual? If there¡¯s a long email string and someone new is looped in, be courteous and give them a quick recap about the emails. Rather than just forwarding an email with no context, you can write two to three lines so they understand the background and how it is relevant to them.

Email worthy

Before writing an email take three seconds to ask yourself: is this email worthy? Email is a great way to document important conversations, but not everything needs to be digital. If you’re able to easily and safely meet in person then that may the best solution. Or, a quick video call via Zoom may be the answer. Now more than ever, all communications and messages being sent should be thoughtful and considerate.

We all know what happens on the internet stays on the internet and email is no different. If the contents of your email are personal or something that you wouldn¡¯t want spoken about, then be careful what you write. Forwarding and screenshots happen often and it is never worth it to write something hurtful or unprofessional in an email that could come back to haunt you.

Signature

If subject lines are the first impressions of emailing, then signatures are your lasting impression. It¡¯s frustrating to search for an email to find someone¡¯s contact information and not see it. Adding your signature to your email not only gives you credibility, it¡¯s also a quick reference for people to be able to get a hold of you. Your signature offers the best way for people to reach you, whether that be by phone, mail, video chat, or in-person contact.

Email is a great communication and lead generation tool for C-suite and thought leaders, so make sure you¡¯re using it to the fullest extent. As our world leans more and more on digital communication, optimizing your emails becomes increasingly important.