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Business Email Etiquette Significance in 2024?

ByJudith Hours Posted on Hours Updated: Reading Time: 4 minutes
Business Email Etiquette Still Matters

Business email will continue to be an essential business communication tool in 2024. However, many business emailers need help seeing the difference between their business email communications and those to family and friends.

When I started writing about these topics almost 30 years ago, I did think this would be a limited-time engagement. But that turned out not to be the case. Folks new to business are creating startups all the time. The guidance provided on the topic of Business Email Etiquette, I’ve been told, has been invaluable. So I soldier on.

Let’s first review the difference between business and personal email communication styles. This is where many new to business email communications assume email is “informal” and overlook the critical difference.

Business vs. Personal Email Styles

  • Tone and language: Business emails generally have a more formal style and use professional vocabulary. On the other hand, personal email is often more informal and may include slang, jokes, or other personal references.
  • Purpose: Business email is typically used for work-related communication, such as sending messages to colleagues, clients, or vendors, sharing project updates, or responding to inquiries. Personal email is often used to communicate with friends and family, share personal updates, or arrange social plans.
  • Content: Business email typically contains information that is relevant to work, such as project details, client requests, or business updates. On the other hand, personal email may contain personal stories, news, or other content unrelated to work.
  • Format: Business emails are usually formatted in a way that is easy to read and understand, with clear subject lines, formal greetings, and proper signatures. Personal emails are more casual in their formatting, with shorter messages and more relaxed salutations and signatures.
  • Security: Business email often requires more robust security measures, such as encryption and password protection, to protect sensitive business information. Personal email may have fewer security measures since it typically does not involve sensitive or confidential information.

Business and personal email differ in their tone, purpose, content, format, and security. Understanding these differences and adapting your communication style can help ensure that you communicate effectively and professionally in both personal and business contexts.

Still Writing About Business Email in 2024?

I received an email this week asking why I was still typing about “old news.” They were intimating that everyone knew all of this information already. They even stated they felt it was unnecessary to dedicate an entire website to the topic.

Well, that’s not what I see in my inbox. Instead, I still see emails from “business folks” who, in 2024, do not realize the importance of style, content, and professionalism in their business emails. And I get asked questions and help direct folks in the right direction daily.

So why am I still writing about every angle of Business Email Etiquette?

  • Professionalism: Email is a formal mode of communication that reflects a business’s professionalism. Sending business emails using a company domain name adds credibility to the communication and helps to establish trust with customers, partners, and other stakeholders. I get emails from gmailers and yahooers every day.
  • Efficiency: Business email provides a fast and efficient way to communicate with others, allowing you to send important messages, documents, and requests quickly and easily. It’s much easier than how we did this back in the day.
  • Record keeping: Email communication creates a record of the conversation, which can be helpful for legal or business purposes. Keeping a record of email exchanges can help document agreements, track project progress, and address disputes. I refer to previous emails all the time.
  • Accessibility: Email is a convenient mode of communication that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, making it easy to communicate with people across different locations and time zones. I can’t tell you how many times that has come in handy.
  • Marketing: Email marketing continues to be a cost-effective and efficient way to promote products and services, generate leads, and build customer loyalty. But only when done correctly and with due diligence.

And along with all of the above are nuances and skills that need to be developed to use email properly and effectively, specifically for business. So that’s what I’m here to help with.

Hone Your Skills and Thrive

So, it’s clear that business email is an essential tool for businesses in 2024, providing a professional, efficient, and convenient way to communicate with customers, partners, and other stakeholders while facilitating record-keeping, marketing, and other business operations.

Knowing the difference and communicating with that in mind can make a difference in attracting and keeping mutually beneficial business relationships and partnerships. That’s not going to change for a long while to come.

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