As a virtual marketing assistant for small businesses and a business owner myself, I am used to working with highly energized, passionate entrepreneurs who understand that owning a business requires wearing many hats, working long hours and balancing many tasks in order to develop and grow their vision.  Usually, I am called on to perform a specific task to start…like create an online newsletter, or redesign documents, etc.  It’s during this time that I  am able to see areas where a basic lack of organization is to blame for lost production, missed opportunities for growth and added stress.

How does this happen?  It’s hard to tell — sometimes systems are never put in place to start, or they become unmanageable as the business grows and the pile of hats become difficult to juggle.  Many times the owner relies on help from unskilled workers (family members, office help, etc.) who want to do a good job, but who really don’t have a head for marketing. In some cases, the business owner is not very comfortable with changing technology and tries to compensate until it becomes to difficult to keep up.

So, can a new business avoid organizational meltdown?  Absolutely.  Today we start with organizing your email.

5 Steps To Improve Your Email Communication

1. Use folders to organize your messages. For example, I have folders set up for clients, vendors, social networks, web hosting, media, associations, and news articles. As emails arrive, I slide them easily into the folder that corresponds with the message.  By grouping emails together I can retrieve messages, passwords, product vendors, etc. easily.
2. Set filters to weed out most junk mail. Is your in-box overloaded with spam? Don’t waste valuable time sifting through mail you never requested.  Change your security settings and request help from your email host if necessary, but can the spam!
3. Empty your trash frequently. There’s no need to save everything forever.  I set a schedule to have my trash deleted automatically.  Once per year clean out folders.
   
4. Write quality emails. Part of organizing your email starts with knowing what your messages contain.  When writing, choose subject lines that are precise.  Avoid grouping several subjects together in the body of your message.  It makes it difficult trace a reply later.  Encourage others to do the same when writing to you.  It’s better to receive five emails, one per subject, than one huge email with a long “to do” list.  Trust me on this one.
5. Use a professional signature. Make sure your signature includes your business name, address, phone, fax, email and website. If possible, use an email address that refers to your website, ie. johnq@mybusiness.com.  Your signature can also be a great marketing device.

Part II – Organizing your desktop (coming soon!)