Quick Summary: Email is often a spontaneous afterthought in health communication. The medium is brisk and conversational, but it should also be strategic. Which of these 9 common mistakes are you making?
Many workplace communicators rely too heavily on email. It’s time to inject value into your employees’ in-boxes. Here are 9 problems and 9 solutions:
1. You don’t get in and get out. Think of each email as a sprint, not a marathon. Before hitting “send,” delete any sentences (even paragraphs) that don’t move your message forward. Be sure to deliver maximum information in the top 2 to 4 inches of the email (the visible portion without scrolling).
2. You don’t integrate other media. To reduce the number of emails you send—and to help ensure the messages are consistent—place similar information in an electronic news bulletin. Issue the bulletin twice a month and keep items brief. Also, create a Web site library of major communication where you can store information on benefits, providers, wellness programs, and other topics. Staff can download what they need, when they need it.
3. You don’t consider new delivery options. The mechanics of how you get your health messages to employees are important. Using an HTML template—a simple Internet search yields many free or inexpensive options—provides a more appealing email design, gives you the ability to easily organize content, and generates higher “read rates” (the percentage of recipients who actually open the message).
4. You don’t test all links in each email. It’s smart to include links to more information that can be found on your company’s intranet or in online stories that expand upon your topic. But make sure links work—bad links wreck your credibility.
5. You don’t make responses come back to a specific email address. Your own email inbox is likely cluttered. Consider setting up a separate address, so you know immediately when employees reply to the message.
6. You don’t track who is opening emails and what links they’re clicking on. Statistics provide a window into who needs to be contacted again (perhaps in a different format), and what information employees seek.
7. You don’t use email as part of a multichannel effort. Combine these messages with information delivered in meetings, at events, or with posters, for example.
8. You don’t consider the “From” line, “Subject” line, and preview pane view. Establish a consistent “From” identity. The subject line should simply provide a brief description of what the email is about. A good one is descriptive and states a benefit to the recipient or piques his or her curiosity.
9. You don’t match the message with the method. If you’re brainstorming or expect many questions, don’t rely on email: Set up a face-to-face meeting instead.
Next Steps:
• Utilize “lists” and “groups” functions built into email software. You can customize messages to specific audiences (for example, to women, or to those in a certain wellness category such as employees with diabetes).
• In your next health communication survey, ask how many people took action as a result of reading your emails
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