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10 Critical Business Email Tips

ByJudith Updated on Reading Time: 4 minutes
Critical Business Email Tips

I’ve been helping folks succeed online for decades. From the start, I focused on perception, from design aesthetics to content to email, specifically business email etiquette.

Website design and content have become increasingly more of a challenge. And email is still underestimated as the tool it is. Unfortunately, online success is not going to get any easier.

Everything is more complicated, and the competition is intense. Hence, small businesses have no choice but to continuously fill in their knowledge and skill gaps. No matter how much you think you know, you’ll never know everything. I still learn new things every day.

Every. Day.

Business Email Skills Make THE Difference

Business Email and Technology Etiquette

So, let’s say you have a great-looking website filled with helpful content and everything your target market needs and wants to know about you. After that, marketing on social media and having a long-term SEO plan is a given.

If everything is equal, how you choose to use email is the big differentiator. Unfortunately, many underestimate how much so.

If you do nothing else to improve your email communication skills, you must integrate the following ten critical tips to be viewed as a credible and legitimate business entity.

Email Tips That Are a Must

Here are the tips I’d like to offer today for business emailers who just need a little nudge. I’ll also link to more information on each topic on my BusinessEmailEtiquette.com website.

You must have a domain business email address. Do not use a Gmail address — if you use Gmail as your email service, use Google business email using your domain. Never use Hotmail, AOL.com, or Yahoo.com addresses for business.

Domain names are relatively inexpensive, depending on where you register them. I use GoDaddy.

Then, you need an email server. Some hosting companies include free business email, while others only concentrate on hosting. If you need an email server/service, a business email account will cost $5-10 per month. It’s worth it for that professional perception.

Read More: Why You Should Use Business Domain Email

Always have a formal greeting. Hello, Hi, Hey, and the recipient’s name. Without a greeting, your email may come off as demanding or terse. Make sure your closing is appropriate to the overall formality of your message. Be careful not to be too informal too soon. After all, formality is a form of respect in business.

Read More: No Opening Greeting or Courtesy Closing?

Every aspect of your email should have a consistent and clear tone emphasizing the importance of the topic.

Read More: Tone is Everything in Business Email

Don’t overdo your signature file. Include your sign-off (Respectfully, Thank you, Regards), your name, and a link to your website. There is no need to have every possible contact or social media handle—just the basics.

Read More on Signature Files for Business

I don’t have any articles about this specific topic. That’s because spelling and grammar should go without saying in everything you do regarding your business.

I use Grammarly for everything I write. I recommend you do the same so that you can be taken as seriously as necessary to have a successful business.

Refrain from any formatting (bolding or coloring text). Instead, use your vocabulary to get your point across. That’s what educated professionals do.

Read More on Email Formatting Concerns

Never send large attachments without asking first; never send unannounced attachments outside business hours. You don’t know the other side’s resource limitations (data allowance) or if they have the software needed to open that 5M spreadsheet you sent without notice. Always ask first to confirm they have the necessary software and when is the best time to send your file.

Read More: Unannounced Business Email Attachments

Only Cc those who need to know, not everyone you want to know. There is a big difference. This goes for Reply to All—use sparingly and with discretion.

When you email a group of contacts who don’t know each other, put your email in the To field and your list in the BCc so that you and they will not publish their addresses to strangers.

Read More on Cc, BCc, and Reply to All Best Practices

Your prompt responses give a clear window into what it will be like to do business with you, especially with new contacts. Why do business with you if you cannot be relied on for prompt responses?

Read More on Business Email Response Time

Read your email out loud before clicking send to ensure you’ve got it right. This is especially true for emotionally charged emails and those where perception is paramount. Reading out loud can help you get a preview of what the recipient will “hear.”

Read More: Stop, Reread, and Think Before You Click Send

Perception is Reality Online

Those you email will hang on every character you type and email you send to determine what it is like to do business with you. That makes your business email your primary sales tool. Don’t squander that opportunity!

At Your Service,

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