As a busy professional, you probably send dozens if not hundreds of emails to clients each week. But how many of those messages actually get read and responded to in a timely manner? If your email response rates are disappointingly low, it may be time to reevaluate your approach.
Even in our hyper-connected digital age, email remains one of the most popular and effective ways to communicate with clients. However, with the average office worker receiving 121 emails per day, it‘s all too easy for your message to get lost in the shuffle—or worse, deliberately ignored.
To boost your chances of getting a prompt reply, make sure you‘re not committing these 10 cardinal sins of client emails:
1. Sending Generic, Impersonal Messages
One of the biggest email mistakes you can make is failing to personalize your messages for each recipient. Clients can spot a generic mass email blast from a mile away, and most won‘t bother reading past the first line.
Instead, always take a few seconds to include the client‘s name in the greeting and mention any relevant details you know about their business, goals or recent interactions. Personalizing the subject line with their name or company can increase open rates by up to 20%.
2. Writing Vague, Rambling Emails
We‘re all busy, and no one wants to spend 10 minutes deciphering a long-winded email to figure out what the sender wants. If you‘re hoping for a timely response, make sure your message is clear, concise and gets straight to the point.
Clearly state the purpose of your email within the first two sentences, and provide any necessary context or background details as briefly as possible. If you‘re requesting specific information or action from the client, spell that out and include a deadline if applicable. Avoid unnecessary fluff or tangents that distract from your core message.
3. Bombarding Their Inbox
Resist the urge to overload your clients‘ inboxes with a constant barrage of emails. Sending too many messages in a short time period is a surefire way to irritate people and cause them to tune you out entirely.
As a general rule, only email a client when you have something truly valuable or important to share. If a topic requires significant back-and-forth discussion, it‘s often more efficient to pick up the phone or schedule a meeting. Fun fact: Sending just 4 emails per month instead of 1 can increase your unsubscribe rate by nearly 50%!
4. Crafting Misleading Subject Lines
The subject line is the gateway to your email, so it needs to be compelling and informative enough to convince busy clients to open your message. But there‘s a fine line between an interesting subject line and one that feels like clickbait.
Avoid vague or sensationalized phrases like "You won‘t believe this!" or "URGENT!", as they tend to trigger spam filters and erode trust. The best subject lines clearly describe the content and intent of the email in a direct yet engaging way. For example: "3 Ideas to Boost Sales This Quarter" or "Feedback Needed: New Website Design."
5. Using a "No-Reply" Address
Nothing says "I don‘t care about your response" quite like sending from a "[email protected]" email address. This mistake instantly makes your message feel robotic and impersonal, and prohibits the recipient from asking questions or continuing the conversation.
Always send emails from a monitored address with a real person‘s name (ideally your own). This shows clients that you value their input and feedback, not just the ability to blast them with one-way messages.
6. Including Too Many Images or Attachments
While a relevant chart or product photo can enhance your email, going overboard with large files and images is risky. Not only do they take forever to load (especially on mobile), but they also commonly get flagged by email servers and sent straight to the spam folder.
As much as possible, keep your emails concise and light on graphical elements. If you need to share a large document or media file, upload it to cloud storage and include a download link rather than attaching the file directly. This also makes it easier to track who has viewed the document.
7. Neglecting Mobile Optimization
These days, the majority of emails are opened on a mobile device rather than a desktop computer. In fact, over 70% of people read their email on a smartphone or tablet. If your messages aren‘t optimized for small screens, you‘re essentially ignoring a huge chunk of your audience.
Before sending an important client email, always preview how it will look on mobile and make any necessary tweaks. Keep the design simple and uncluttered, with a single-column layout and large, touch-friendly buttons. Use a responsive template that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes.
8. Omitting an Unsubscribe Link
If you‘re sending any kind of marketing or promotional emails to clients, you‘re legally required to include an unsubscribe link under CAN-SPAM laws and GDPR regulations. Failing to do so can result in hefty fines and damage your sender reputation.
But including an opt-out option is a good idea even for transactional emails. It shows clients that you respect their inbox and their preferences. Just make sure the unsubscribe process is clear and easy to complete in 1-2 clicks.
9. Forgetting a Call-to-Action
The most effective emails have a clear purpose and a specific call-to-action (CTA) that guides the reader to take the next step. Without a CTA, your message is likely to be read and forgotten, even if the content is interesting.
What do you want the client to do after reading your email? Schedule a call, complete a survey, review a proposal? Whatever the goal, make it crystal clear with a prominent, descriptive CTA button or link. Emails with a single CTA get 371% more clicks than those with multiple or no CTAs.
10. Following Up Too Aggressively
It‘s definitely frustrating when a client goes radio silent and fails to respond to an important email. But resist the urge to bombard them with daily follow-ups or "just circling back" messages. This is more likely to annoy them than elicit a response.
Give the client at least 2-3 business days to reply before sending a polite follow-up. If you still don‘t hear back after 1-2 nudges, it may be time to try a different communication channel like phone or text. Or simply wait for them to respond in their own time. Not every email requires an immediate reply.
Key Takeaways
By avoiding these common mistakes and following email best practices, you can drastically improve your client communication and boost response rates. Remember to always keep your messages concise, relevant, mobile-friendly and focused on adding value for the recipient.
It‘s also worth A/B testing different subject lines, send times and calls-to-action to see what resonates best with your specific audience. Every client is different, so don‘t be afraid to experiment and iterate until you find the winning formula.
At the end of the day, treating your clients‘ inboxes with respect is the key to keeping them engaged and responsive over the long run. Send emails that are genuinely worth reading, and you‘ll soon become a name they look forward to seeing in their inbox.