Why Email is an Important Online Communication

Emails are the most-used business communication in the world today. The best business practice for companies using email is to create emails that sound and look professional.

Why email is popular

1.      Immediacy – Emails are sent and received almost instantaneously, whether the person is next to your cubical or across the world. People boarding planes can reply to emails. It is an easy way to communicate and receive replies quickly. A staff person in the office may need an answer quickly for a customer, and, even though, the sales person is boarding a plane, he or she can reply to the staff person.

2.      Record Keeping – Emails are permanent records which can be kept in folders on your hard drive, like you would keep folders in a file cabinet. Unless you need to keep a record in a file, there is no need to make copies, so you save on copy paper, printer ink, and labor.

3.      Low Costs – Email is the cheapest way a business can communicate with its employees and customers. Small businesses can use a Google email address for free.

4.      Marketing Campaigns – MailChimp is an email site that companies can use to do email campaigns to sell their products.

How to set up emails

If you work for a business, you will be given a company email address to use. If you are writing an email to apply for a job interview, you will need to create a professional email, using Google or Yahoo.

Ex: mary.smith09@gmail.com

• The subject line is very important. It should be short and to the point and capitalized properly. Readers look at subject lines and if there isn’t one, they might delete your email.

• Ex: Subject: Thank You – Customer Service Interview.

• Salutation: Address to Mr./Ms. and last name of person. If the person is a coworker, then use the first name. If you call your supervisor by his/her first name, then write Dear Kate/John.

•  Body of Email: Three paragraphs are usually adequate to explain the purpose of your email.

• The first paragraph would state why you are writing the email; the second paragraph would provide more details; and the third paragraph would end with a good will closing, thanking the person and that you look forward to hearing from him/her.
• Closing: When formal email, use a complimentary close such as Sincerely. If you are writing to a coworker or someone you know, you don’t need to use a complimentary close.

• Attachments – If you have an attachment, click on the paperclip in the insert tab in the email and find your attachment and click on it. It will pull your attachment into the email.
• Double space between the Salutation, the Body of the email, and the complimentary close. If you have an attachment, do not type attachment at the bottom of the email.

 

A video about emails