Business Email Etiquette

Nothing says true professional quite like a quality business email. That being said, knowing proper business email etiquette is essential to a quality business email. It’s important to understand that the emails that you send between your colleagues and superiors are a reflection of your professional communication skills. In order to ensure that your message is clear and that you maintain a professional interaction, you should take some time to ensure that you understand proper business email etiquette.

Subject Lines

Never leave the subject line blank. This section allows the reader to quickly identify what your email is about so they can classify it properly. Avoid general subject lines such as “Hello” as this does not offer the reader any valuable information. Simply generalize the body of the email by providing a quick subject line that is a few words long.

Include an Introduction

Over time, you may be tempted to get more casual with your colleagues. However, you should always include a proper introduction in your emails. If you are conducting your first email exchange with an individual, make sure that you address them by their name and include your title and first and last name. This helps people understand your role within the company and will help people connect your name with your position.

Proper Salutation

Make sure that you greet people professionally. Avoid terms like “hey” or “what’s up?”. Instead, focus on more professional greetings such as “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” as this is more appropriate when interacting professionally.

Sarcasm is Bad Business Email Etiquette

Remember that the content of your email will lack tone or body language. This means that you should avoid sarcasm or any jokes that may be taken the wrong way. Instead, make sure your language is friendly but direct. You don’t want to chance offending someone or causing confusion.

Remember to Proofread

You want to be sure to scan your email before you send it. Make sure that you are sending the document to the right person and that you’ve avoided grammatical and spelling errors. Most emails include a spell-check feature so make sure that you use that before you hit send. Doing so will ensure that you sound competent and professional.  

For more tips, check out Habits Practiced by Highly Successful People