Teaching Your Team: Marketing With Every Email

Every email your team sends to a client, an architect, or a subcontractor is a piece of marketing. It either makes people like your company a little more or a little less, and over the course of a project, those small impressions add up to whether or not they refer you.

Most of us think we know good email etiquette, but all of us break the rules every now and again. Every one of these rules boils down to one question: does the person receiving the email clearly understand what we’re trying to convey? We’ve all received an email and wondered, “What job are we even talking about?” or “Why is this person being so aggressive?” only to realize we completely misread it. You can never eliminate misunderstandings, but these six rules will keep your team out of hot water most of the time and, in the end, make you more money.

1. Master the “Reply All”

Leaving key people out of the loop creates confusion and delays. If you hit a standard “Reply” instead of “Reply All,” subcontractors or architects miss critical updates.

Use “Reply All” to keep the project ecosystem informed, but always double-check the recipient list before hitting send to ensure you aren’t accidentally sharing internal-only details.

2. Use an Appropriate Subject Line

No one likes to receive an email and have to solve a mystery just to figure out why they received it. We’re all guilty of typing just the town name or something generic like “Plumbing” as the subject line. Anyone who receives that email, even months later when it gets forwarded, may be working on a few “Plumbing” projects. Giving people context right out of the gate works wonders.

The Protocol: Use “Project Name – Specific Topic.” For a client couple with different last names, write “Smith / Johnson – Grout Colors.” Taking a brief moment to include both names prevents anyone from feeling left out. If a project involves an extended family with multiple names, use a shared identifier like a lot number or address. Whatever you choose, consistently using the same project name plus a short description gives people instant context.

3. Set the Tone of Voice

If you can master this one thing, you will do well. It’s a simple concept, but not many teach this in the context of email. Written words are full of misinterpretation.

Say the phrase “The front door needs to be shut” out loud. Did you say it with kindness or with aggression? It could easily go either way, and it depends entirely on the mood you’re in.

As much as possible, you want to eliminate the opportunity for an email to be misinterpreted, so set the tone right from the beginning with phrases that are almost always used in the tone you intend. If an email opened with an insult, you would know exactly what the tone was, because insults are rarely said with a smile and a sing-song voice. The same works in reverse. What if you were to open an email with “Good Morning Team”? It sets a positive tone instantly. Come up with your own openings and phrases that set a positive tone and build relationships. If nothing comes to mind, “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon” works just fine.

4. Write Complete Thoughts

When you are out in the field, it is tempting to reply with a quick, three-word answer like “Yes to all.” While clients understand that a mobile reply from a muddy job site won’t look like a polished business letter, it shouldn’t look lazy either. It must be as thoughtful and thorough as it needs to be in order to be clearly understood.

If an email causes more questions than answers, you should wait until you have time to do a proper job. One trick is to use voice-to-text, then go back and edit it.

5. Set Up Your Signature

This is a simple one you can set and forget. No one wants to hunt through an email chain to find out who sent a message, and it is incredibly frustrating to look for a phone number that isn’t there.

Your signature must include your full name, company, and direct phone number. Crucially, ensure your email client is set to append this signature to both new messages and replies.

6. Reread Your Emails

I can’t count the number of times I’ve caught major mistakes in my emails simply by rereading them. Even with that habit, plenty of mistakes still slip through the cracks, but a quick reread is always wiser than sending too soon. One more tip: if you’re angry, have someone else proofread the email before it goes out.

Every Email Is Marketing

These six rules aren’t hard, and a little extra effort goes a long way. Your company is a cut above the rest, and you want people to know it. The reality is that people won’t remember your fancy signs and trucks, or even the work you did. They will remember how you made them feel. How you made them feel is what they tell their friends and family!

Teaching your team to write clear, kind, and thoughtful emails is one of the simplest, lowest-cost ways to elevate your brand reputation and secure your next referral.