Email Protocol
I recently participated in some online professional development (by choice, I know I’m crazy) that focused on many online tools of benefit to educators.
One of the sessions was devoted to email protocol. I’m going to share a few tips as it can apply to bloggers as well.
- signature, phone, address, website, social network icons
You want your professional life to be two-way in terms of communication. If you are just talking at people, you will never develop a network. Therefore, you must make yourself available. On the internet, the way you do that is provide all the social media avenues so an individual can find you. Ensure your email signature can easily be read, include a phone number, address to your business (do not include home address), a possible website to find products or learn more about your background, and of course the infamous social network icons. You will increase your influenced circle by providing a variety of ways to remain in contact with followers. Nothing worse than an email that is not signed and no other way to check out the source before responding. Be transparent. Do not be afraid to have your talent on display. Let your work, character, and influence speak for you before you even hit reply!
- BCC to class list or newsletter
This year I had a TON of parent involvement and was in constant communication with parents. They willingly gave me their contact information and I never thought much about it as I sent off mass emails. However, these parents did not willingly give each other their contact information and my email includes a monstrous list of email contacts. I soon realized this is quite the breach of privacy. Thus, the utilization of a blind copy (BCC). I send the email to myself so only my email address is available to see for all email recipients. I then place all parent email addresses in the BCC section so that it becomes “blind,” and no one can see each other’s private information. I wish I had sat down and thought about this beforehand. It’s not that profound of a discovery, but sometimes the most obvious things are not brought to the forefront of our minds. Whether it be with parents, friends, or fellow bloggers…respect the privacy and use the BCC! 🙂
- professional font- don’t stand hard to read
I am an elementary school teacher. I LOVE CREATIVITY! I love color and cute fonts. But, professionally speaking it is distracting and does not give you much credibility. An email signature of course is different (as long as it is legible). The body of the email needs to be a widely recognized font. Many professionals read emails from their phones and some phones do not convert certain fonts. Thus, you end up with weird symbols. Use the K.I.S.S. principal (Keep It Simple Stu…well, you know). Â I also want to add… please do not type in all capitals for the entire email. As you see in a previous statement, it was important enough that I included that particular statement in capital font. But, if you are shouting your entire email it is a bit abrasive and not professional. Your email may look boring, but really…are you trying to be likable because of your font or by what you have to say?
- detailed subject line
I have a million reasons to be specific in your subject line, but I will spare the details and endless stories. Think about yourself. You judge a book by its cover and you judge an email by its subject line. As a professional I receive a large amount of emails each day. To open each email, read a few lines and later decide to delete, I have learned to make a judgment based on the subject line and then hit delete or open. If you do not catch me in that one tag line, I missed all the wonderful things you had to share. In terms of the classroom, as I said before, I was constantly sending emails to parents and needed to differentiate the topic of the emails so I myself could find what I needed later. If all of my emails said “Hey Parents,” it would take eternity to find the specific email I was looking for. If you want to expand your business or blogging influence, be purposeful in your subject line to hook your readers. Mix up your salutations not only to keep things fresh, but help you organize yourself too! Be brief. Be concise. Be purposeful.
- 2 way ongoing communication
I mentioned this before but you never want to just talk at your audience. Get them involved. That is the whole point of blogging…sharing your thoughts and people piggy backing off what you shared. This is an open forum. Like, a collaborative journal so to speak. Ask questions and interact as much as possible. Ensure your emails or blog posts end with a phrase that allows the readers to know they can contact you and you encourage their input.
So, that’s my 5 email tips. Thanks for reading and I hope you can apply them to your unique situation.
Are there any tips you would like to add?
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.