Tackling your inbox is a topic I feel like everyone can benefit from. I thought this would be a fun episode because it will hopefully help you to spend less time emailing and sifting through your inbox (which NO ONE enjoys) and more time doing something you do enjoy….like working on your craft or spending time with your family and friends. But honestly, email is SOOO important. It is a great and professional way to communicate with clients! I love email because it keeps me organized and gives me a way to always look back on conversations with clients. So, I hope this episode is helpful for you!
Below are a few things you’ll hear me talk about in the episode:
- Using Boomerang
Of course, I still spend time in my inbox but I used to be so obsessed that I would sit in gmail all day, never accomplishing anything else! That is a huge mistake and one that kept me from growing. Email, like anything else, needs to be prioritized which is why I use a program called boomerang. So to boomerang an email is exactly like the toy, you send it away for it to return. If there is an email sitting in your inbox that you need to respond to but not until a specific date, you can simply ask boomerang to return it to your inbox on a specific date. Amazing right? Examples of this may be a reminder to myself to put together a postcard ad for a venue. It is something that I would email to myself but maybe doesn’t need to be done right away so I will boomerang it to return on a certain date.
- Email at the time of day when you can focus
I opened the email and it read “Catherine! What are you doing up at 2AM?” I did not mean to send an email that late, and I had intended to send it in the morning. But, I accidentally hit send out of habit and there was no getting it back. Personally, I just feel more focused and less distracted at that time of day. So, it is no surprise that I send emails out then, too. However, boomerang has not only solved my problem of prioritizing my inbox, but also allowing me to send late night emails without my clients and colleagues knowing. Sometimes I am emailing super late at night or early in the morning. Do I want clients to know this? Absolutely not! Not only is it unprofessional, but I would not want them to think that I was disrespecting their time and/or privacy as well. So, I simply tell boomerang that I want the email to arrive in their inbox at 8am and just like that, the email is scheduled!
- How to move Clients from Text to Email
I think one of the most common questions I get during my one-on-one workshops is. “How do you get clients to correspond with you via email instead of text message?”. Email is definitely my method of choice. I love that I can reference old emails, search with ease and honestly, I am much faster and more organized at my computer. Plus, if myself or clients look to correspond outside of normal business hours, I find an email to be a more respectful way to communicate at those times. When someone texts me something that is better corresponded via email, I just respond from my inbox! I will let them know why (which is all the reasons previously mentioned) and then move on to answer the question or reply to their text! So easy and it works!
- Unsubscribing from Emails
This may seem like something small, but removing yourself from email subscriptions that you are not interested in being a part of anymore will definitely save you time. It may take just a few seconds longer to find the unsubscribe button at the bottom of an email and remove yourself from the list. But, you will never receive that email again! Also, I will add that if you have not yet, I would encourage you to switch to gmail for email. It has the most effective means of blocking spam and can really help you weed through at least some of the junk landing in your inbox.
- A Professional Email Address
For years and years I did not use a professional email address! I didn’t even realize it was a thing. If you have not done it yet, it is ok! Switching to a professional email is really not hard! So, how to switch to a professional email? I contacted Tyler Woerner of Pixelbrush to help me with the process, but from what I can tell it is not very difficult! G suite by Google Cloud allows you to create a professional email using your domain for $5/month. If you do not already have the domain, you can purchase it for an additional fee. I would think $5/month is worth it if it means that you will set a good impression with your colleagues and your clients!
- Using email templates
When I started my business, every time I would write an email I would write out every single word. Even if it was something I explained over and over again. Thankfully about 4 or 5 years into my business I learned about email templates! If there is something that most clients will need to know there is no point in re-writing it every time. You can always leave certain areas empty to fill in a name or unique information, but why rewrite it? The next time you write an email that you have either written before or think you will write again, SAVE IT! I use Shootq as my primary workflow program and store all of my email templates there. Side note: Some professionals in specific industries offer email templates for sale! If you are not an excellent writer you may want to consider searching for those as well!
- Text Expander
If you do not have a program that you are using such as Shootq, you can also use Text Expander for email templates! It is pretty incredible how many of the most efficient entrepreneurs I know use text expander. Text Expander is approximately $4/month and allows you to use specific symbols or keystrokes to save specific templates. For example, if clients are asking about rescheduling due to weather, you could create a template for your response and save the text expander snippet as “ifitrains” and as soon as you type this in your entire template will pop up!
- Outsource Your Email Inquiries
I used to feel so discouraged when I traveled. Everyone I traveled with was having fun and enjoying the scenery while I was tied to my inbox answering emails. Even if I was traveling for a session or wedding, I always felt a bit of anxiety knowing that I could not answer email inquiries while I was away from my computer. Having someone with daily computer access who is able to respond to inquiries on my behalf has been extremely helpful. I just recently hired an office assistant who is doing an amazing job helping with this; I am truly grateful for her and her skills!! But, I do not know that I would ever outsource my emails entirely because I feel that client correspondence and interaction is part of the service I want to provide. However, for those emails to vendors and initial inquiries there is definitely no harm in having someone help with this!
- Draft It…Think on It…THEN send it
Have you ever sent an email to the wrong person? Or sent a draft prematurely before it was ready to send? I have. First off, try not to put the recipient’s name in the To: area until you are ready to press send. Another cool feature about gmail is that it gives you the option to undo the send for 30 seconds after the email is sent. I probably use this feature 5 times a day! Nothing surprises me more than when I receive an email from someone with improper grammar or misspelled words. I KNOW I have done this as well, but I definitely try my best and encourage you to do the same in order to send professional and well written emails!
- Using Email as a Reminder Tool
It happens so often that someone text messages me or asks me to do something, and I forget. I open my inbox every single day and even if I am not responding to emails on Saturday and Sunday, I am still checking them to make sure there are no emergencies! As a result, if there is something I need to do, I have started to send myself an email. Maybe others have come up with a better system for this. But for me, it works. Once something has been completed, I delete the email!
- Backup your inbox
For the first time this year, I backed up my inbox and I can not believe I have waited this long! I could not even imagine if everything in my inbox disappeared! It was an overnight process, but it ran in the background so it was not even a big deal! I am planning to do this now every so often to ensure I do not lose all of my important information and correspondence.
- Keep Your Inbox Organized
I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent sifting through emails trying to find a flight schedule or receipt. Even when you use the search feature on gmail, it is not always 100% successful. If you are using your inbox as much as I think you are, try separating your emails into folders such as “correspondence”, “teaching opportunities”, “publications”, etc. This will make everything easier to sift through when you are trying to find something in the thousands of emails you have sent and received.
- Your Email Signature
Text Expander could come into play for this, especially if you are looking to have different signatures for different projects or businesses while sending out emails from the same inbox! But, I am a firm believer than an email signature is a great addition to your drafts! I know that when I search for someone’s phone number or email address, the first place I go to is my email and then their signature! It is a great way for people to reference your contact information as well as business hours. Especially when your email is being forwarded to another person, it is nice for them to have your contact information or links to your website and/or social media platforms to have a means of contacting you!
- Using an Auto Reply
Think about when you press send on a contact form, you receive a thank you reply… correct? I have begun to view email the same way. If someone is reaching out for the first time and is not sure if you are even active with that email address, an auto reply is so nice. Even for the podcast, I have been so impressed with some of the auto replies I have been receiving. They vary from a cute “Thank you so much for your email; I will respond to your message in the next 24 hours.” to full-on frequently asked questions depending on the type of email they may be receiving! I have to say, it has been extremely nice when emailing some one I have not before to know that my email has been received!
- Response Times
As far as email etiquette goes, I would definitely suggest responding within 24-48 hours. There are obvious exceptions to this such as when emails are sent on Thursday evenings and you are a wedding vendor. But as general rule of thumb, even I start to wonder after 2 or so days if someone does not respond. If you are away, send an away message. If you are contemplating a response, let them know! I have absolutely told others before things like: “Hey! I just wanted to let you know that I have received your email. If it is ok with you, I would love to respond more thoroughly to your email sometime tomorrow afternoon! I definitely do not like to rush these sort of things. Thanks so much for your patience and I will be in touch very soon!”
- Never be afraid to pick up the phone
All the smiley faces and exclamation marks cannot replace the power of someone’s kind and understanding voice. If you have not heard Episode One on how to handle mistakes, it is worth a listen. The first tip in that podcast was to pick up the phone and call someone when things get unclear. I know it is hard and I do not LOVE to talk on the phone all of the time either. Especially in today’s day in age, texting is absolutely more accepted. But, I am still a firm believer that things will not get as lost in translation when they are spoken in conversation rather than typed onto a screen.
Who would have thought there was so much to say about simply emailing? I even surprised myself a little when I starting putting together this podcast episode. I suppose when you have spent so many hours a day drafting, sending and receiving things in your inbox it becomes a pretty important place for you!
If you have any additional email tips please feel free to leave them in the comments at mistakesmakemagic.com…or better yet, email them to me!
LINKS REFERENCED:
Boomerang
Text Expander
ShootQ
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