Tag: text

The Fate of Email: Who Is Reading It?

 

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A long time ago in a place far away, the phone rang and you answered it. You actually ran to the phone. Then came answering machines, which took away the peril of running to the phone. Then came caller ID, which filtered out any unwanted conversation. Now every phone has a big red DECLINE button and it’s amazing that anyone ever answers your call.

Your email is now in the same danger. 15 years ago people were excited to hear “you got mail,” read it, and dashed off a reply immediately. Now they see most email as some fresh hell that will steal their time .  

If you’re using tracking software to see the open rates of your emails, you are amazed at the number of people who just don’t open any email. If you’re not using tacking software, let me quite bluntly update your on your email effectiveness right now:

Did they get the email? Yeah, they got it.
Did they open it? Probably not.
Will they reply? Probably not, unless they need something from you!

Mass email marketing service providers will tell you that email is still the most important and efficient way to get your message to your audience, customers, and other consumers. But will it actually be read?

Here are a few tips to increase the likelihood of your message being read:

  1. Make your email like a text. Put the entire question in the subject line. It can be read on any phone, so even if they don’t open, they will see your message. If they don’t respond, then that’s another issue.
  2. If you do put your question or request in the body of an email, don’t make it any more than 2 or 3 sentences. That’s all that will be read anyway.
  3. Use tracking software to see which of your colleagues never open your emails. For those culprits, you will need to text them, or perhaps even pick up the phone and surprise them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calling Rules. Or Should I Say… Calling RULES!

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In the age of the text, email, and social channel messaging, an actual spoken conversation can be refreshingly productive. Do yourself a favor and instead of sending that next message, pick up the phone and chat with the person with whom you’re doing business. But as we may be a little out of practice, please keep a few things in mind: 

1. Calls on speaker phone: state upfront who is in the room.
Don’t set up your co-worker, client, supplier, or partner for a potentially embarrassing situation. If their success isn’t your success, then why are you in business together? 

2. Speaker phones on iPhones: forget it.  
The iPhone is a fantastic device. But let’s face it – the telephone part sounds horrible. Use a landline or have each person call in to a conference call number. If you’re on the run and have to conference in from a noisy Starbucks or airport, invest in a headset with microphone.

3. Use time zone labels.
Don’t just say “10” when setting up the time to call. 10 what? 10 eastern? 10 pacific? 10 pounds? 10 monkeys?  

4. Translate time zone for your client or partner.
If your client is in Mountain Time, translate your meeting time to Mountain Time. A little thoughtfulness can lead to clearer communication.  

5. EST versus EDT
Nothing says I don’t care about details like scheduling a call or meeting time in EST or CST when we’re on actually on EDT or CDT. I suspect that about one third of the business world thinks EST is a general abbreviation for EaSTern time. It’s not.

 The grammar police have “their there and they’re.” Time cops have this. 

Best practice: just drop the S or D altogether. ET, CT, MT, and PT are fine.  

 

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