Gotcha Grammar: Email Etiquette

COVID-19 has required many of us to work either from home. To maintain work correspondence and productivity, fine-tuning your email with proper formatting and grammar could be essential to maintaining communication in your digital workplace. McCauley Marketing Services has experienced many of the same work from home issues that you and your small business have. As a small marketing company with the majority of our work published through the digital landscape, we are vastly familiar with emailing both for client correspondence and digital coworking. Because of this, we would like to share our knowledge of common mistakes in business emails.

Pay Attention to Details

Take the time to spell the name of your staff, coworkers, bosses, and clients correctly. Take the time to double-check your grammar. When replying, make sure to remember who you are speaking to and whether you should be replying to one or all persons cc’d in a message. A message accidentally sent to the wrong client or coworker could cost your business dearly, depending on the sensitivity of the content. A postponed thorough email is better than a rushed and careless one. Lack of care in the little details will lead your client to believe that you do not care about their business.

Format Fiercely

Think of an email as a less formal version of a written letter. It requires a greeting, closing, and signature as well as an important and descriptive subject line.
Let’s break this down for you:

• Greeting: Every email needs a nice little opener such as a brief “Hello” or a mention of the recipient’s name.
• Closing: Your closing should include a brief sign-off. This could be as simple as a swift one-word response. Be certain that your sign-off is polite and concise. When using two-word sign-offs, only capitalize the first word, just as you would do in a formal written letter.
  • One-word Sign-off Responses: “Best,” “Thanks,” “Sincerely,” “Regards,” “Congratulations,” “Respectfully”
  • Two-word Sign-off Responses: “Kind regards,” “Many thanks,” “Thank you,” “Best wishes,” “Talk soon,” “Sincerely yours”
• Signature: This section often contains your name, company name, job title, contact information, and any disclosure statement your company may have for legal reasons. Think of your signature as a digital business card at the end of your email. It should be clean, attractive, and concise. A signature too long may distract your receiver; a signature too short may neglect vital contact information.
  Pro tip: Try playing with font sizes, bolding, colors, italics, and underlining for a more visually eye-catching signature.
• Subject line: Your subject line should be the most concise part of your email. It should be written in a way that will make it easier for your client to understand what kind of information is contained in the email. A concise subject line will also make it easier for you and your client to find the message later on.

It Never Hurts to Double Check

Always re-read your message before sending it. Even the most seasoned writer is bound to catch a typo here and there. On top of this, you may catch rambling run-on sentences that you can revise for clarity. It is important to review your emails, not only for grammar, but also to make sure they accurately respond to the email prior. Be sure that your email answers any questions or concerns. Your recipient should have all of the proper information necessary to carry on the correspondence.

Save the Personal Stuff for the Work Group Chat

So, this issue has less to do with grammar and more to do with formality. Keep your emails somewhat formal. You can do this by keeping small talk to a minimum and maintaining formal greetings and closings. If you do want to include small talk, confine it to the first line or two of the email. Use other outlets such as work group chats and for small talk.

Emails can be tricky, but these tips will help improve your email mistakes and help your business communicate both inside and outside of the office. If you are interested in any of our services such as our small business packages, please contact us at (770) 447-1114. Don’t forget to follow us on social media to discover our next Gotcha Grammar blog.