Messaging apps might be getting all the buzz lately, but most people still prefer to do business via e-mail. Global e-mail users totaled 3.7 billion in 2017, and by 2022, this figure is projected to grow to 4.3 billion users. Your ability to close deals, bring in more clients and generate more revenue comes down to many factors—including how well you communicate via e-mail.

Millions of e-mails are sent every day. In 2017, 269 billion e-mails were sent and received each day. By 2021, this figure is expected to grow to almost 320 billion daily e-mails. Whether you’re trying to land a new client or nurture a current client, you must make sure your e-mail communication is on point or you risk losing business.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, Hillel Fuld, a tech marketer and startup adviser who has worked with companies including Google and Microsoft, spotlights some common e-mail blunders. Read this roundup to ensure you’re not inadvertently making mistakes when sending business e-mails.

Replies are better than starting a new thread. People are busy and might not remember your last conversation. When you send an e-mail from a new thread instead of replying to the original e-mail or continuing the trail, the recipient might be confused.

By sending a new e-mail, recipients don’t have the context and might ending up deleting the communication rather than responding to it. If previous communication exists between you and your client, colleague or employee, always include the thread when sending a new e-mail.

Don’t overdo it with BCC. When you choose to send an e-mail and BCC an individual or group, you’re basically allowing those on BCC to eavesdrop on the communication. It’s dishonest when all parties involved in the communication aren’t aware of who’s receiving the e-mail. It’s best to lay off BCC unless there’s a specific reason to use it.

Say, for example, your colleague introduces you to a new vendor. You can reply to the introduction and BCC your colleague so that individual isn’t bombarded with unnecessary e-mails. The bottom line: Use BCC sparingly or not at all.

Be concise. While most people prefer to communicate at work via e-mail, this doesn’t give you the liberty to be as detailed as you want when sending an e-mail. When you send a long-winded communication, you’re also failing to take the recipient’s time into consideration. People have busy schedules and don’t have time to sit down and digest long e-mails.

Always make your subject clear and relevant and aim to summarize your point in a few sentences. If you don’t think it can be done, consider calling a meeting instead. Recipients should be able to scan your e-mail and get the gist of your message. It’s also helpful to format your e-mails in a way that’s easy to understand. Consider boldfacing or underlining important points or including a bulleted list.

E-mail inboxes are crowded and noisy. Give your e-mail the best shot at getting read by following the tips above.

Source: Hillel Fuld is a tech blogger/vlogger, startup marketer, leading online influencer and public speaker. His work and insights have been featured on CNBC, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur and TechCrunch, among others. Fuld collaborates with companies such as Google, Oracle and Microsoft to help entrepreneurs and their products scale. He also gives keynotes on tech and marketing to audiences worldwide.