Knowing the difference between formal and informal situations when writing an email

Knowing the Difference Between Formal and Informal Situations When Writing An Email

Copyright (c) 2009 Luie De Von

An e-mail marketer should be able to tell the differences between formal and informal situations if he/she wants to make his/her email marketing strategy works. Formal wordings are used when writing an email for business purposes. It shows how professional the sender is. On the other hand, you can write an email for friends and family members using informal words and phrases. Here are some of the differences between formal and informal that you need to know and remember when writing your business emails.

— Standard English terms are used for formal e-mail writing. Informal writing allows the use of colloquial words and expressions. Colloquial words are widely used by people all over the world, but still, it is not yet considered formal.

— Always keep in mind that when you are using contractions, write them in their complete form like will not, have not, do not, should not, does not, can not, etc. People often make the mistake of using won’t, can’t, don’t, shouldn’t, doesn’t, haven’t, etc.

— Using clichés like vast majority of, each individual child, utilization of resources, etc. when writing an e-mail is also not considered formal. You can use terms such as preferred like most, each child, the use of, and others instead.

— You should also be cautious when using abbreviations in your e-mails. Keep in mind that you should never use shortened form of words such as tv, digicam, aircon, pro, photo, etc. Instead, you should use television, digital camera, air conditioner, professional, photograph, etc.

— When writing a formal e-mail, you should always use the passive voice while active voice is for informal writing.

A business letter is always written in a formal way. It uses a formal tone to make it more professional. But when it comes to e-mail marketing, marketers have found that using a more informal tone makes their communications have a friendlier tone. This generates more positive responses from prospective customers.

Let us enumerate the differences between formal and informal e-mail writing when it comes to email marketing.

Use proper opening and closing salutations. It is very important that you maintain civility when writing your salutations. Using Mr., Mrs., Madam, etc is still the best way to address your recipient. Addressing your recipients by their first names or nicknames is only used when you are writing an informal e-mail. Also, do not forget to say «Thank You» to show appreciation that they spent time in opening and reading your letter.

Do not use smileys. Although it is important to show your recipient how you feel through your e-mail, never make the mistake of including smileys. Although it is an informal tone you are using when writing the business e-mail, it is still inappropriate to use smileys.

Check your grammar and spelling. How would you feel if you received an e-mail that is supposedly for business purposes and the grammar is really bad or there are lots of misspelled words? This is why it is important to proofread your message before hitting the «Send» button. You should always use the correct form of the words, phrases and sentences. Scan the letter for possible typographical errors and check as well if you have used the correct punctuation marks.

Do not use all caps. Sometimes, readers feel that the sender of the e-mail is somehow shouting or yelling at them when words are capitalized. That is why you should avoid capitalizing all the letters of a word or words when writing a formal e-mail. You can either italicize the word or put an asterisk before it to show emphasis.

Observe correct capitalization. Whether it is a formal or informal e-mail writing, always bear in mind that proper capitalization is very important. The first letter of the first word in your sentences should be capitalized. Proper nouns should also be capitalized.