I talk a lot with clients and others about having a newsletter. A consistent form of communication with your network to let them know what you’re up to and give them a “taste” of the method to your madness. I just sent out my May newsletter and started wondering what time of day and day of the week had better results. There is all sorts of data out there about when to send a newsletter and who reads what, when. But the fact of the matter is, it depends on your audience and target market. Start playing with it.

Here’s my 2013 stats:

January Newsletter: sent Wednesday at 9 AM had a 27% open rate

February Newsletter: sent Wednesday at 9 AM had a 25% open rate

March Newsletter: sent Thursday at 9 AM had a 24% open rate

April Newsletter: sent Wednesday at 12:30 PM had a 28% open rate

May Newsletter: Sent Thursday at 12 PM, so far at 29% open rate (the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend)

No matter how long you’ve been sending out your newsletter take some time to play around with the time of day and day of the week you send it. you might be surprised by the results, or they may stay relatively the same. But it’s good to change it up every once in a while!

I’ll try not to make this a recurring blog series, but you never know. Here’s a couple of easy mistakes you may be making in your business that are unknowingly driving your clients or colleagues (or friends, family, etc.) crazy!

1. a lot– it’s 2 words. You know this. Your English teacher taught you this. Spell check may NOT be teaching you this, so pay attention.

2. Not Using BCC. When sending an email to a group of people more than 4 or 5, use the BCC line. If you’re sending out a document or piece of information to a group and it requires a direct response to you, use BCC. There’s nothing more annoying that having your inbox filled with responses you didn’t need to see because the sender isn’t sure how to use email. Here’s a great article from my friend Arden Clise at Clise Etiquette on Email Etiquette. Bookmark this post.

3. Texting– I am not a big fan. If you have a quick piece of information for me, an FYI, “call me when you have 5 minutes”, running late, sending me a Glympse, great. Asking me to review a website or asking me a question you need a lot of info and a thoughtful response on, pick up the phone and call me, or better yet, send me an email. If it’s not time sensitive, it shouldn’t be texted. Sure everyone else is on board with this, last week a friend said she called someone who’s voicemail said “texting is a better way to communicate with me.” That’s just fine, but it’s good to know HOW the people in your life like to be communicated with. I am not the fan of texting people seem to think I am.

On Friday morning I stopped in at the library to pick up a book I had on hold. It wasn’t on the shelf like usual so I went up to the desk to ask about it. The librarian looked around and couldn’t find it. Then another librarian came over and looked, and said “it’s inter-library loan, we got a memo you should have read about it.” and berated her in front of me. So, that’s where my tax dollars go, awesome.

I have had many co-workers I don’t care for, and I am sure I have handled situations with them about that well before. BUT, I shouldn’t. And neither should you. There are many establishments where rude employees, to me and to others, have left me with a sour taste in my mouth where I’ll never return.

The Lesson here: Don’t be a dick, it costs you business.