What Do Your Business Emails Reveal About You?
Read your professional emails and see what's revealed about you.
Your email responses are like a window into your personality, habits, and current mood. The kinds of emails you send and receive can say a lot about who you are as an employee or client -- so think carefully before choosing to respond to the next email received in your inbox.
Writing's not the only thing that determines what you say.
Think about how you interact in real life. What would your communication style be like at a dinner party? A business meeting? In the comments section of a news article? Your email responses reveal your personality -- as well as your emotions and concerns -- in a way that can come across when you're reading through them later.
You are who you send to.
Sometimes, there's more to an email recipient than just their name and title: "To Whom It May Concern" is usually followed by some kind of identifying information, such as first name, last name, or even "Full Name. (Just call me 'Full Name.'" That's usually followed by a middle initial or two.
Then, the email is addressed to you by name.
Think about how your business emails -- and even the ones you send to others -- could be perceived by the recipient. If you want to send some important correspondence, it's best if it's not addressed to "To Whom It May Concern," but rather to a specific individual. You can find out the names of everyone in your company by using Google Groups or similar search utilities. When an email comes from an unknown person, it can be very intimidating.
Business Emails Reveal Your Personality In A Way That Goes Beyond Writing
Your contact information is what we see when we first look at your email either by webmail, Outlook or G-mail or on our mobile devices. And seeing you as a real person is what can make or break your business relationships. That's why it's so important for you to have an email signature that shows who you are as a person and how your personality comes across when you're interacting with others.
Why Your Signature Can Be So Important
According to a study by Microsoft, the "From" field and email signature are the most frequently read parts of an email message (i.e., after the subject line). In fact, people spend 30 percent more time on the "From" field than they do on the subject line. And, since most email signatures include the sender's name -- or at least their first and last name, you are essentially your own "From" address.
Adding a Business Email Signature can be Fun!
Now that you know what your business emails reveal about you, it's time to take that information and make it work for you. This means adding a signature to all of your emails so that people know who you are as a person -- not just a business owner or employee. You can design your own personal email signature with free tools such as G-mail or Outlook, or you can hire a professional to create one for you.
Your Signature Can Say A Lot About You!
In general, having a business email signature that includes the following details will help your business to be perceived as more professional:
Your name. Your company name. Your personal website URL (if you use one). Your professional contact information: (e.g., phone number, cell phone, fax number, and address). The names of those who work with you at your company -- including the titles of their positions. The context of the email message's subject line (i.e. a person's name used instead of a company name).
For more ideas on what to include in your business email signature, see the "What Your Email Signature Says About You" article at TheBestSignature.com.
About the Author
Kathryn Fitzgerald is the founder and president of TheBestSignature.com, a website dedicated to helping companies communicate effectively in all forms of professional and personal communication by providing affordable marketing solutions and services for business consulting, graphic design, logo design and web development. When not leading her company'a clientele or writing for popular blogs on marketing itself, you'll find Kathryn busy writing about how she's changed her life through successful business marketing strategies. You can always follow her progress by adding her on Twitter or subscribing to her blog.
More Articles from Kathryn Fitzgerald:
"The Top 10 Tips For Writing a Successful Business Plan"
http://thebestsignature.com/the-top-10-tips-for-...
"How Time Management Skills Can Help You Become More Productive at Work"
http://thebestsignature.com/how-time-management...
To read more articles like this, see the full archive of articles from Kathryn Fitzgerald at TheBestSignature.com.
To view more articles from other business experts, visit www.fastvisionsinc.com.
Reference: http://thebestsignature.com/do-your-business-em...
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Conclusion: How to Use Social Media for Your Business or Personal Brand
With the above tips in mind, let's conclude with a few final points about how you can use social media for your business and personal branding:
1. Don't Forget to Make the Most of LinkedIn. While social media is generally less formal than other forms of marketing, LinkedIn is just as important as any other platform when it comes to building a network and essentially creating a new identity for yourself. If you want to get noticed, you need to invest time into building your network on LinkedIn -- not only so you can find out what people are saying about you, but also so that people recognize that you have a presence on the network.