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Eight Professional Email Tips |
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Some dos and don’ts to help
you Don't use “freebie” email accounts.Accounts provided by HotMail, Yahoo, and other free services are like a red flag with the word "AMATEUR" emblazoned on it. Some ISPs even filter out email from freebie accounts because they tend to be spam. Don't use ISP email accounts, either.Email addresses that end in "comcast.net", "earthlink.net", or another Internet Service Provider (ISP) domain are better than freebie accounts. At least recipients see that you are using a paid service. But it still isn't truly professional. Keep that free email account you get from your ISP for personal use only and... DO use a custom business email account.Your own domain name now costs less than $15 per year. Web hosting services now charge between $8-$30 per month for basic service. Using anything less than your own domain and email address tells everyone your business can't even afford $8 a month for professional email service... not a good image to project. Let your customers know you're in business to stay. Spend a few bucks and invest in a domain name and business-class email accounts. DO use a professional username.Ever get an email from someone wanting to do business with you with an address like "hotlips99@aol.com"? Your email username should convey a professional image. Either an abbreviation of your name (mwilson, jdoe, gwcarver) or a generic business username (info, sales, support) makes a much better impression. DO use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.It may be acceptable to type all lower case and substitute words with numerals and nonstandard spelling with your online friends (i luv u 2!), but not in business correspondence. Avoid the temptation to slop out a hasty email. You'll make a much better impression if you type in full sentences, use proper punctuation & capitalization, and check your spelling. DON'T send large attachments without permission.It is rude to place large attachments (pictures, files, etc.) in email and send them out without first asking permission from the recipient. Your recipient may have a low maximum file size limit. Your attachment could fill their inbox to the limit causing other incoming email to bounce. If they are not expecting your large attachment, it may be hours before they discover the problem. And they may be on a slow dial-up connection that will get tied up for an hour or more trying to open your email. Be polite and ask first before sending large attachments. DO format your email for text-only readers.Many people still use software that can't properly render HTML formatted emails. For best results, learn how to format your email to look good in plain monospaced text. That way, your email will look equally good and readable no matter who receives it. Click here for an example of good text-only email formatting. >> DO treat email with a high level of importance.Email should be read often and answered promptly. Treat email with the same level of importance that you give phone calls and letters. You'll impress more customers that way. For My ClientsMy Web hosting & maintenance plans all include ample email accounts so you, your employees, and other associates can have their own professional business email address. Plus, I provide personal tech support for each account so you don't have to. |
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Providing website design and hosting services to the USA from Columbus, Ohio. |
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