For information on branded email, see Domains, Hosting and Email.
A business email has some important elements that make it successful. First, the name that shows on your emails should be your name – not the company. It is important to have a person associated with any email correspondence or it may get caught in a spam filter. Next, the subject needs to be something meaningful and describe the contents of the email. It is important to consider if someone wants to file this email in a folder and refer to it at a later date, what should the subject say so they remember what it was about?
Emails start with a salutation – Dear, Good Afternoon, etc.
Always use proper grammar and spelling in email. As there is a built in spell check, there is no reason to send an email with spelling errors.
Your signature is something you can automate. In Outlook, go to Options to see Mail Format and enter your signature. Do not include logos or other pictures or unusual fonts as they can cause your email to be caught in a spam filter. It is a good idea to include your name, title, company name, mailing address, email address, web address and phone number. Including your email address is nice in the signature because there are situations where an email will be forwarded or otherwise sent on and the person will not be able to see your email address at the top of the message.
You also have the option of including a vCard in your email. A vCard is a virtual business card and when opened, will automatically add your contact info to the other person’s Outlook.