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For PR practitioners, staying in constant contact with clients is of the utmost importance.
Over the course of a work day, e-mail is the quickest way to share ideas and information to ensure both sender and recipient are on the same page.
With PR pros having to juggle multiple projects under tight deadlines, the attention to detail in crafting e-mails can slip at times, as the focus is often more on getting the note sent quickly than on making sure it is written properly. With that in mind, here are three mistakes PR pros should avoid when writing e-mails to clients.
E-mailing too often: Didn’t you just send me one of these, like, yesterday? While it’s impossible to determine the precise frequency for distributing e-mail updates, unless you are providing truly essential, timely information, keep your finger off the "send" button.
Overloading the e-mail: Keep the expression "too much of a good thing" in mind when sending e-mails. Attachments, embedded photos, an excess of active links and even certain words can easily result in having the e-mail redirected to a spam filter. Send attachments only when requested and list active links sparingly.
Not personalizing e-mails appropriately: When communicating by e-mail, don't go the route of generic salutations. If you are communicating with a potential client for the first time, address them as "Mr. X" or "Ms. X"—you don't know the person you are contacting, so don't be too informal. Once you know the contact better, then it is appropriate to go by first names. And this also applies to the e-mail subject line. Using a subject line such as "For Mr. X, as requested" will catch the eye (provided that the spam filter doesn't catch it first).
Follow Jamar Hudson: @jamarhudson