The first and last things you say to a person are the things they’ll remember most. This is true whether it’s face-to-face or via email. Email greetings may seem like just another mundane thing to worry about, but people would be surprised by just how important it is in building up fruitful relationships in business and networking.
There are a dozen opportunities to reach out to people, but there’s only one chance to make a good impression. Although there are now a plethora of options to reach out to leads and potential clients online, the reliability of a well-crafted email can still make bank for your business to this day.
Why Are Email Greetings Important?
Most professionals make it their morning habit to check their emails, and while it’s not guaranteed that they’ll click on your messages, it’s important that they like what they see when they do. Otherwise, it could lead to them disinterestedly clicking out of your email and ignoring your other messages in the long term.
This is why email greetings are so important. It may seem like a small thing, but plenty of small things lead to big success. Think about how many great ideas are out there in the world that aren’t given the proper attention due to a lack of good presentation. Here are some of the best email greetings to use:
Hi/Hello
One can never go wrong with a simple Hi or Hello. There’s no functional difference between the two other than terseness, and it’s a very safe opening greeting. Everybody says it, it’s casual but not to the point of personal, and there are plenty of ways to follow this up. Introducing yourself right after a chipper greeting puts people in a good and receptive mood.
Dear [Mr/Ms/Mrs. Last Name]
Sometimes, you want your messages to be a bit more formal and important sounding. There needs to be a way to communicate to the email recipient your sincerity. Commonly, this is followed up by having an honorific and the person’s last name, i.e. “Mr/Mrs. Smith”. This is best used for family businesses or putting in a resume.
Good Day
Reliable and risk-free, nobody turns away a greeting of “Good Day”. This is a charming and semi-formal way to greet prospects, business partners, or employees. If you’re congratulating the recipient, adding an exclamation mark could excite the recipient and convince them to read further, ensuring that they get the reward you’ve decided to give them.
Season’s Greetings
When there’s a holiday around the corner, this is a great greeting to start with. It’s seasonal, obviously, and this communicates two things to the recipient. One, that this email isn’t going to be a generic year-round message, and second, tells the recipient that the sender cares about the holidays, which can make the sender more personable.
Why are Email Closings Important?
For much the same reason that email greetings are, but with the added caveat that you’ve managed to hold their attention long enough to actually reach the closing. That means this is where you need to reel them in. In addition to being polite, you’ll need to provide them with all the relevant information about you and your business. Make sure you give them your name and that the signature contains links to all relevant channels.
Much like greetings, email closings depend on the level of intimacy and professionalism you have with the recipient in question. Different people value different things, after all. A close friend might want to hear something more casual, while a complete stranger would prefer professionalism. In any case, here are the different types of closers to use:
With Thanks
Simple and to the point. They’ve reached the end of your message, which means they spent the precious time they have for you. The least you can do is thank them, and this is a formal but not overly stuffy way to do so. Thanking people should be more common in your business vocabulary regardless.
Best of Wishes
An informal and charming sign-off, this signifies that you want to leave the reader in better spirits than they were before. The familiarity here is good, especially with established partners. Not much else to say here, it’s a perfectly safe bet.
Sincerely
This is a versatile closer and should be used mostly for serious and formal messages. Sincerely is a good tone to end on for resumes. However, it’s also a great ender for heartfelt messages to staff or partners to who you feel personally indebted.
Cheers
This could also be stuff like “As Ever” or “Much Love” depending on the intimacy, but the core thing to consider here is that this is personal. For friends, family, and longtime business partners, ending on a casual note puts them in a sense of ease and denotes that your relationship with them remains as friendly as ever.