10 business email mistakes you should avoid

Over the past five years we've seen a massive variety of writing and presentation styles, and as a result we've composed some tips on what small business owners should try to avoid when composing email correspondence.

Presentation

The first thing an email recipient will see when opening an email is the way it is presented - colours, font face, font size, etc. In our experience, email should always be composed using standard font faces and sizes (such as Arial 10, or Times New Roman 10). Any emails we receive which aren't roughly in line with the 'norm' usually come from unprofessional businesses. There's nothing worse than an email with coloured text, or even worse - some kind of 'background' image which not only takes up the whole screen when reading it, but also remains when you attempt to reply.

Subject

Always use clear wording in the subject line of emails. We're amazed at how often we receive emails with blank subject lines (even from fairly well known companies). As with we page 'titles', the subject is the first thing a recipient will see, so it should encourage the user to open the message. Don't use ALL CAPS whatever you do. If the spam filter doesn't remove the message, the end user is likely to.

Signature

An email signature is an essential part of any correspondence. We often receive emails which don't contain any contact information whatsoever. If you want to present a professional image, you should include your full name, title and company name (if this applies). You should also include phone details, and email/web/postal address if you wish. Business opinion seems to be split on whether including an image beneath the signature is a good or bad idea. I'd say a small, professional, fast-loading image isn't a problem.

Personal Accounts

We'd strongly recommend you always use a business email address for all correspondence. Although you can use free providers such as Gmail (which is probably the best service out there), it won't look professional. You can buy a domain name for under £10 from companies such as Easily.co.uk, which will enable you to set up professional-looking email addresses @yourbusiness.co.uk. Read more in our guide to choosing a business domain name.

Etiquette

Although there are no strict rules when it comes to signing off an email conversation, 'Regards', 'Best Regards' and 'Kind Regards' are very widely used in business. Others, such as 'Cheers' are fine for people you know well, but probably not advisable when firing off an initial enquiry to a potential customer or client.

Grammar, Spelling

A significant proportion of the 1000 or so emails we are sent each week contain spelling or grammatical errors. Most email programs have in-built spell checkers, so there are no excuses not to use them. Some of the classic errors include misusing "their" and "there", "your" and "you're". These mistakes can make an otherwise good email look completely unprofessional.

Legal Requirements

You may well want to add a disclaimer to your email if you deem it necessary. This is standard practice in larger companies to protect the company from 'problem' emails with originate from an employee's email account. If you run a limited company, you also have to include certain information (such as your company name and registration number) in all correspondence - for more information read our guide to the E-commerce regulations.

Read receipts

One thing we particularly dislike at Bytestart is the use of 'read receipts'. When you open an email, the author has requested that you confirm receipt and a button appears to make this possible. Not only is this an invasion of privacy, but a 'read receipt' doesn't necessarily mean the email has actually been read. If you are sending an urgent message which warrants a reply, simply ask the recipient to respond as soon as possible - in the body of the email.

Attachments

You should avoid attaching anything to initial emails. Not only can they take time for the recipient to download, but they can often be mistaken for potential spam. Additionally, they may also be unreadable if the recipient doesn't have the right software to read the attachment, or if they are using a mobile device. Photos included alongside press releases and suchlike are also worth avoiding - you can always offer additional material if the recipient requests it.

Be Prompt

You should try to respond to emails quickly, and politely. Not only does this provide a good impression of your company, but may well lead to more business. A potential client is more likely to remember a company that responds in a professional and timely manner. If you know you are going to be offline for a period of time, either divert your email to a colleague, or set up an 'auto-responder' to let people know when you'll return and who to contact in your absence.