Deal with Business Email 

Business email is big business
Active users of the Internet, including most business people, get a lot of email. The problem of dealing with it efficiently has led to the development of new software and services. It has also led to hiring more employees just to deal with mail.

Some companies, like Xerox, value mail and set up a small workgroup to deal with it exclusively. Xerox has garnered a lot of favorable opinion by using personal rather than "canned" responses to the 350+ inquiries it gets daily.

Other companies try to deal with the mail glut by using pleasant but highly automated response systems. Unfortunately for them, most readers can easily tell the difference between a real human author and a machine. Automated responses to email questions are often so far off target that the results are laughable. If you want to see this in action, write a top government official about something mundane like asking for a photograph. More than likely the response will include: "Very Important Person shares your concerns and is actively working to find a solution to the problem."

Finally, some companies opt to leave email entirely alone. For them the Internet is a one-way broadcasting system and they don't want to hear from the listeners. Although these companies irritate visitors and sometimes get bad press, they may be making a very wise business decision. They know that they don't have the resources to deal with email (or don't want to allocate them), so they make it as difficult as possible to send. Suggestion: If you aren't going to answer email in a timely fashion, don't encourage it.

Email tips & tricks
Common sense and good software can make dealing with email a bit easier.

• Use filtering to manage incoming mail more effectively.
  
  
• Delete junk mail immediately.
  
  
• Ignore "spam" rather than wasting time following up on it.
  
  
• Keep track of the email lists you subscribe to by maintaining a folder with the original welcome message. If you decide to drop your subscription this will be quite useful.
  
  
• Use a few boiler plate paragraphs for parts of email responses but avoid a totally "canned" message.
  
  
• Avoid opening email attachments from unknown sources; they may contain viruses.
  
  

Email messages reflect management style and attitudes. According to David Owens of Vanderbilt University:

• Middle Managers — tend to have long messages that are earnest and competitive ("I vote for the March date, since it seems that a smaller, earlier, more focused meeting is better at this preliminary stage.")
• Top Executives — e-mail is short, curt and tends to have the most spelling and grammar errors ("Agenda items: update on people, equipment, collab space, etc.")

Source: ABCNews.com

Make sure that email and website messages to customers, prospects, and suppliers project the best image of your company.

Using autoresponders
Autoresponders provide a cheap and easy way to promptly satisfy customer requests for information. They are simple scripts that tell a mailing program to follow a set of instructions when mail is received for a specific email address. For example, info@jane_doe.com might be programmed to email a catalog, while bookdeal@jane_doe.com sends a book coupon.

Autoresponders don't require a website. They can be used to test different marketing messages. For more information, visit one of the leading providers, sendfree.com.

By the way, typical responses from autoresponders are much less irritating than "canned" responses from a real person. Most people recognize the difference or your script can state that "This is an automated response, but if you write auntjane@plumpudding.com, she will personally answer your mail." Folks will like that and perhaps smile at the thought of darling Aunt Jane reading their email.

Creating an email signature for marketing
A basic signature file should include your name, email address, and company. Since you can have more than one signature file, you can use them to test various sales or marketing messages.

• A basic signature with informative "brag" might look like:
  

  Jane Doe, Sales Manager
  jane_doe@fineproducts.com
  Fine Products: http://www.fineproducts.com
  (507) 123-4567 or (507) 123-4568 (fax)
  Rated #1 widget distributor by Gadgets Today!

• A more sales focused signature tries to hook the reader:
  

  Jane Doe, Sales Manager
  jane_doe@fineproducts.com
  Fine Products: http://www.fineproducts.com
  (507) 123-4567 or (507) 123-4568 (fax)
  Be sure to ask about our Internet widget special!

• To promote website traffic, offer something free:
  

  Jane Doe
  jane_doe@fineproducts.com
  Fine Products: http://www.fineproducts.com
  (507) 123-4567 or (507) 123-4568 (fax)
  FREE just for being a good customer:
  Download our award winning "Widgets in Motion" screensaver now.

Be sure to market your products or services with your email signature!

Starting your own email newsletter
Email is the easiest way to keep your employees, customers, and suppliers informed about your company or website. You can create an "opt-in" mailing list for folks who want to know when you are going to release the next version of your widget-master software. Add other newsy items and snippets from your website and pretty soon you have a real newsletter. Be sure to read The Dos and Don'ts of Opt-In List Building (PDF file). Want to try an email campaign? Visit GotMarketing Campaigner for free trial.

Viral marketing
Reach Online definition: "Any advertising that propagates itself the way viruses do." If you want to draw folks to your website, you need to create a buzz. There are lots of ways to do this:

• Put "send this to a friend' buttons on your content pages
  
  
• Let visitors create online wish lists from your product catalogs and alert their friends and family
  
  
• Make your own or co-brand free online greeting cards
  
  
• Offer free screensavers, music clips, or printable checklists related to your website or products
  
  
• Link to affiliate partners (not competitors) offering related freebies like subscriptions or coupons
  
  
• Put coupons on your website or in your newsletter and encourage people to share them with others
  
  
• Add promotional items in every package you send a customer including gift packs
  
  

Viral marketing has been effectively used by companies Hotmail, ClubMom, and Scope to increase their online audience.