Download - Email Communication
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Introduction – Andy Poulton, IT Specialist
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsAgenda
• What your email address says about your business
• Where the emails go
• Email Policy
• Effective Email Etiquette
• Out of Office Message
• Auto-Responders
• Email Marketing
• Viral Marketing
• How not to do it
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsDo you have to send an email?
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
:: Jo Moore has a very bad day
As the World Trade Centre crumbled on September 11, 2001, Transport Secretary Stephen Byers' special adviser Jo Moore emailed colleagues suggesting it was a good day to bury bad news.
She had to apologise after the email became public and later lost her job over accusations she had made a similar recommendation for the day of Princess Margaret's funeral.
How not to do it
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Business Email Account
What does your email address say about your business?
Personal / free [email protected]
info
sales
accounts} @joesbusiness.co.uk
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Business Email Accounthow it may be used
Business
Personal
Internal
Marketing
Personal
Business
External
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsPersonal Email Use – Internal and External
• Ensure that an Email use policy is written into Employment Contract
- The business has the legal right to monitor use
- Send, receive, solicit, print, copy or reply to offensive emails
- Sending inappropriate emails either internally or externally
- Chain emails
- Fake / Anonymous
- Indecent Mail
- Libellous Content
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Use the correct field, To, CC, BCC
To – people you are directly addressing
CC – people you are indirectly addressing, FYI and CYA
BCC – refrain from use unless conducting e-marketing
Spelling and Grammar
Spell check before sending. (Set in Options for auto spell check)
Don’t use excessive punctuation !!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t use fancy fonts.
DO NOT SHOUT
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Abbreviations and Smilies
Only use those in common use – and only to colleagues / friends
FYI and BTW for example
:- ) ;-) - not recommended
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Abbreviations and Smilies
This Means This
:-) Smiley face
;-) Wink (light sarcasm)
:-| Indifference
:-> Devilish grin (heavy sarcasm)
8-) Eye-glasses
:-D Shock or surprise
:-/ Perplexed
:-( Frown (anger or displeasure)
:-P Wry smile
;-} Leer
:-Q Smoker
:-e Disappointment
:-@ Scream
:-O Yell
:-* Drunk
:-{} Wears lipstick
This Means This
BCNU be seeing you
BTW by the way
FWIW for what it's worth
FYI for your information
IMHO in my humble opinion
OBO or best offer
ROTFL rolling on the floor laughing
RTFM read the funny manual
TNSTAAFLthere's no such thing as a free lunch
TTFN ta ta for now
TTYL talk to you later
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
The Subject Line
Always have a subject
Make the subject line relevant to the email
– Helps get through Spam Filters
– Helps encourage opening
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Replying and Forwarding
Only use “Reply to all” when everyone needs your response
Remember, the contents of the email may be confidential. The sender may not be happy for you to “Forward” to anyone.
When BBC Five Live acquired the services of football commentators Andy Gray and Jonathon Pearce for the 2002 World Cup, executive editor of BBC Sports News, Graeme Reid-Davies, jokingly replied to an email that advised a large number of staff of their arrival saying "I think they're both crap."
He accidentally “replied to all” and copied his message to 500 members of the BBC sports staff - including Gray and Pearce. “I can't believe I was such an arse," he later reflected.
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Don’t send or forward libellous, defamatory, racist or obscene content
Shortly after Gordon Brown returned from a charm offensive in China, Treasury press officer Robbie Browse sent an email to some friends which made fun of Chinese people's eyes.
He accidentally copied it to his press list, containing 83 leading national newspaper journalists.
One them immediately replied asking: "Will we all be invited to your leaving party?"
Browse faced disciplinary action.
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Be ConciseEmail should be brief and to the point. If the message is long –
think again
Joseph Dobbie briefly met a woman at a barbecue party.
He later acquired her email address and sent her a 500 word toe-curling message, describing her smile as "the freshest of my special memories" adding that he was sure she would "be able to see sincerity where others would see cliché".
Instead, she forwarded the message to her sister and millions ended up reading it.
Dobbie had included his phone number on the message and was bombarded with mocking calls from around the globe.
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Double check any attachments
Is the required attachment actually attached? Is it the right attachment?
Get the right address
Before hitting “Send” double check to make sure you have the right email address and it is in the right field
Devon schoolgirl Claire McDonald found herself receiving emails containing top secret information from the Pentagon after being accidentally added to a round robin list by a navy commander.
One of them was offering advice to the UK on how to prevent secrets from being leaked.
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Opening
Use the most appropriate salutation
Non-Business – Dear Joe or simply Jo
Business – think how you would speak to that person
- If unsure, then play safe and go formal
Signature
Casual
Simple / Informal
Formal – Compliant with legislation
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Signature - Legislation
Mandatory Information – not required for Sole Traders
Company Registration numberPlace of RegistrationRegistered Office Address
Discretionary Information
Confidentiality noticeDisclaimerIf email is monitored – a statement should be included to that effect
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Closing Signature
Casual – friends and close business acquaintances
Regards
Andy PYour man 4 IT
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Closing Signature
Simple / Informal
Regards
Andy PoultonBusiness Adviser - ICTMobile: 07966 547146
Please consider the environment before printing this email. Double side and print in draft where possible.
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Signature - Formal
Regards
Andy PoultonBUSINESS ADVISER – ICTBusiness LinkGreat Western Business Centre, Emlyn Square, Swindon, SN1 5BP
Mobile: 07966 547146 | Customer Information Centre: 0845 600 9966Email: [email protected]: www.businesslinksw.co.uk
‘Business Link provides the information, advice and support you need to start, maintain and to grow a business’
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
To see how your business can reduce its impact visit www.businesslinksw.co.uk/environment
Registered Address: Northern Arc Ltd, Great Western Business Centre, Emlyn Square, Swindon, SN1 5BPCompany No.: 05607342 VAT No: 927 2729 04
DISCLAIMER: This e-mail is intended for the addressee only and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it.
If this email has been sent to you in error please notify us immediately by telephone 01275 370865
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsEmail Etiquette
Pause, re-read and think before hitting send
Once it’s gone – it’s gone
Don’t send an email you would not want your mum to read.
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
:: Human Relations
Senior personnel officer John Crook recommended one of his colleagues for a pay rise and was asked by his line manager why he felt his colleague deserved it.
He gave his reasons and jokingly added: "She was a grrrrrrrrreat shag as well!"
He lost both his job and a subsequent claim for unfair dismissal.
How not to do it
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsAuto responders
Can be invaluable to
Confirm an email has been received
To set or manage an expectation
Can be problem causing
Perceived to be impersonal if not carefully used
May confirm valid email address to spammers
May send wrong message if people send to wrong email address
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsAutomatic Out of Office response
Use if unable to respond in a reasonable time – Email is believed to be instantaneous
Don’t mention the fact that you are on leave
Remember to switch it on when leaving and switch it off when back
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Email Marketing
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
• Build Loyalty
• Remind former clients that you are still around
• Advise clients of full range of services
• Provide easy access to latest – news/advice/offers
Why
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
It’s Not Expensive
Why
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
It’s Effective
Why
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Sector Sent Delivery Open Rate CTR Response
B2CAcquisition
100% 91% 29% 27% 6%
B2CRetention
100% 91% 32% 28% 12%
B2BAcquisition
100% 88% 32% 25% 4%
B2B Retention
100% 90% 37% 30% 13%
Source – DMA Email Marketing Benchmarks Survey
Why
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsWhy
Direct Marketing Association Survey 2009
$1 spent on Email Marketing
$46 generated
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
• over 95% of site visitors = “Window Shoppers”
• x 6 = the cost of winning new clients
• Web users like them (over 95% have subscribed)
• 65% have made a purchasing decision
• 37% find the invaluable
Why
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
• Develop your database
• Existing Client Data
• Encourage Subscription through website
Offer enticement to subscribe
Exclusive deals, Top Tips, early access to information
• Subscription through other routes
How
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Quality Content
• Relevant
• Tailored
• GRAB attention
• Frequency
• Legal
• Measure, Measure, Measure
How
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
What can be measured
• Number of emails sent
• Number of bounces
• Number opened
• Number deleted without opening
• Action taken
How
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
• Pre-existing relationship
• Reason why the recipient has been included
• Opt in or Double Opt in
• Sender is clearly identified
• Unsubscribe instructions with EVERY email
Law
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
• Mail Chimp www.mailchimp.com
• Vertical Response www.verticalresponse.com
• Constant Contact www.constantcontact.com
• iMailer www.emailtools.co.uk
• Lyris www.lyris.co.uk
• Mailing Manager www.mailingmanager.co.uk
• Graphic Mail www.graphicmail.co.uk
Who
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Viral Marketing – How & Why
• Get other people to do your marketing for you
• It’s free
• Give them something in return if possible
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Viral Marketing – How & Why
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40020 x 20
400 x 20 8000
400 x 20 160,000
160,000 x 20 3.2m
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Viral Marketing - How
• Refer a friend
• Competitions
• Video
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective EmailsViral Marketing
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Now go Sell Something
• Where the emails go
• Email Policy
• Effective Email Etiquette
• Out of Office Message
• Auto-Responders
• Email Marketing
• Viral Marketing
Summary
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Communicate or Alienate – Effective Emails
Andy Poulton
Business Link
M: 07966 547146
Thank You