E-mail Etiquette: What’s the First Thing You Want to See in Your Inbox in the Morning?

Each morning, I admit, while my single-cup coffee is brewing, I glance at my blackberry out of habit to see “what’s going on”. I also admit, I am rarely up after 10pm, which is when many of my vendors and colleagues do their best work. So often I’m getting answers and questions, and to-do’s to move projects to the next step. Then there are mornings when I wake up only to this (see the image right over here).

Maybe others share my habit. I read from a so-called expert that if you want someone to read your e-mail, send it at 6:30am. I confess, I read some email as early as 5am. Listen, I don’t want it to be from my association, and I don’t want it to be even my own e-newsletter. PLEASE…

I will tolerate a “past due notice” from my hosting service, or a subscription. It’s a gentle reminder of what I should do that day.

So it got me to thinking about the best time for associations to send e-newsletters, calls to action, latest market statistics, education reminders, and other information material. So here’s a list of rules I am establishing for myself as a mid-year resolution that you might want to think about too (July 5 seems a good half-way point in the year):

1. I will clearly identify the headline with a compelling title that will encourage my clients, future clients, and my followers to read it.
2. I will carefully shorten the topic of each of my three articles with a working link, so readers can make an educated decision to read it.
3. I will insert a relevant video or cartoon to entice, entertain, and educate my readers.
4. I will measure my open rates and links to see what my readers seem to be interested in. I’ll take action to keep getting better at it.
5. Regardless that I only send one “mass” e-communication each month, I will send it on the same day, and the same time, but never first thing in the morning.

My “first things” are for catching up on what I don’t get to do the other 23 hours of the day. So unless I owe you something, or have a spectacular idea for you, I will not send general information first thing in the morning. Deal?