Council Post: The Secrets To Email Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Entrepreneurs use email throughout the day as they communicate with employees, network with industry colleagues and set up interviews with journalists and at industry events. However, they often have so many emails that they don’t know how to deal with them efficiently, mitigate risks to their business and take email to a professional level. 

Here are a few tips you should know to maximize your time spent on email and optimize the experience for everyone, including the people you message. 

Be mindful of your email time.

People are forecasted to send over 300 billion emails daily this year and nearly 350 billion a day by 2023. That’s a lot of messages floating around. 

As an entrepreneur, you might feel that a good portion of those is coming into your inbox, so you must develop good email habits. Otherwise, you’ll spend entire days with email and never get anything else done. 

To optimize your email experience, you can track how much time you spend on email every day. Then, you can only respond to them at set times throughout the day, leaving you free to focus on other tasks. Tim Ferris of The 4-Hour Workweek advises people to do this and even has a template readers can use to set one up for themselves. 

It works because it tells recipients when you’ll see their email and how to get in touch with you if it’s urgent (such as by phone or text.) You may have to go through a period of training people to respect your schedule, but once you’re past that, you should be fine. 

Use an email client.

Even if you use a webmail provider such as Gmail or ProtonMail, you sometimes want to see a different user interface or have access to different features. There’s Apple Mail, Airmail and Spark for iOS users, while PC users can try Thunderbird, Outlook or Mailbird. 

For entrepreneurs, an email client may help you manage the volume of email you receive through advanced filters, folders and tagging. Plus, you probably have multiple email addresses that you check throughout the day, so an email client may help you do that more easily. 

Many clients offer both a desktop and mobile app to sync your email across devices and accounts. The one you choose will depend on the number of accounts you have, where you email from most, what features you need and more. 

Add marketing flair to your email signature.

Instead of leaving your email signature blank or with only contact information, you could use it to promote your company. 

• Insert links to your latest content marketing asset to demonstrate the valuable information you publish. 

• Add a thumbnail of a behind-the-scenes video that shows off the human side of your company. 

There are even email signature marketing companies out there such as Sigstr that can help you turn your emails into targeted ad channels. How you use your email signature is up to you, but don’t miss out on the opportunity to market your company in every email. 

Don’t follow up daily with other entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are so busy that there’s no way you can respond to every email immediately. Besides, not all emails need an immediate response or even a response at all. 

However, some entrepreneurs forget how busy their fellow entrepreneurs are and follow up frequently on their initial emails. By frequently, I mean daily. “Have you had a chance to read my earlier message?”

For most entrepreneurs, that’ll get your email tossed into the trash bin and maybe even marked as spam. You don’t want that for your emails, so give your fellow entrepreneurs a break. If you need a response by a specific date, put that info in the subject line so the recipient knows. Consider giving them a different way to reply, like with a phone call, if it’s urgent. Many entrepreneurs may be more likely to respond with a phone call because they know they can get it done right away. 

Email is still a valuable tool for entrepreneurs, but you’re probably struggling to keep up with the volume of messages you receive. Optimizing your email habits will make you more productive while keeping you updated on everything going on with your company and industry. Use these tips to create better email habits for you and those with whom you communicate.