E-mail Etiquette

Do you have problems sending e-mails that are not being received? You could be doing one of the following: Here are some things you need to note.

1. Your email does not have a signature.

It is a requirement by spam act that you put an address in your e-mail footer, that is why signatures have the company name, addresses, telephone numbers and email

2. You used spam trigger words in your subject line.This is CRUCIAL because spammers have abused most of the words that business refer to always in e-mails. Words like invoice, PO, Proforma Invoice, Statement, Receipt, Insurance, payment, offer, contract etc. How do you get round this?

For instance if you need to send an invoice no INV0008, never mention anywhere in the subject line or in the body the word invoice, you can use the abbreviation *INV0008* or *INVCE0008* in the body (in the message) of your email. A list of some spam trigger word will be found at the bottom. In the subject line you can mention the product, service the invoice is referring to with the abbreviation of the word invoice eg INV SONYBRAVIA300 or Service Cont INV for SONYBRAVIA300. Not the word contract may be flagged as spam.

So perfect your subject line

3. Who is the recipient/ Note the correct e-mail AddressConfirm who it is you put on your ‘To’ field or that the e-mail is correct
4. NO CAPITAL LETTERS IN THE SUBJECT LINE.Do NOT use *CAPITAL* letters in your subject line.
5. Improperly formatted e-mail.Emails replaced the traditional letters. In letters there is/used to be a salutation, a reference (RE: ), the body, the signature and the address for official letters. E-mails are supposed to look the same. Just writing PFA or FYI without salutation and the signature in your e-mail will not suffice. Be thorough and patient when writing e-mails even when in a rush. Always plan what you will write.
6. Having a large number of ‘people’ in the To field.Sometimes when you are sending an email to a large number of people, especially those marketing emails, you end up typing. The best approach is to pick one key person to address in the To field and putting the rest in the Cc or Bcc fields.
7. Minimize the use of links in your message
8. Use reputable Third Party E-mail MessengersIf you have more than 20 e-mails to send to, always use a mass e-mail service like mailchimp who are authorized to send mass e-mails and for e-mail campaigns.
9. Correct spelling and grammarBefore you click send make sure you have checked your grammar and spelling mistakes. Outlook and other e-mail programs have an in-built spell checker you can use.
10. Check if you are a blacklisted senderIf your IP address has a bad reputation in the virtual world, your targeted emails are more likely to land in the spam folder. The reputation of your IP address affects your email deliverability rates directly.

There are certain tools, like Multirbl.Valli (http://multirbl.valli.org/lookup/) or MxToolbox (http://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx), that let you check if you are a blacklisted sender.

All it takes is to enter IP address or domain name in the box, and click ‘check’.

11. Update yourself on Anti Spam LawsAlways be up-to-date with spam filters technology, ISP practices and anti-spam law. his might seem like a tedious and boring task since it requires you to be constantly alert to the technological changes and the upcoming laws.