An email chain is a sequence of emails, usually sent by one person to a group. The first email in the chain is sent to the first recipient, and then each subsequent email is sent to the following recipient in the chain.
Anyone from the group who received the email can reply and ask questions about the email. This allows collaboration and conversations to occur within a safe and controlled environment. It is a digital way of routing emails through different channels, such as emailing, faxing and texting.
Email chains can also be used for digital marketing automation, customer outreach, and customer retention. Its features make it easy to share information, coordinate campaigns and grow your business. Email chains are often used to email series with links or other content you want your recipients to follow.
In this article, we will discuss what an email chain is, its advantages, and the practices you should use to create an effective email chain.
Advantages of using an email chain
Email chains are a way of sending emails to multiple recipients in a series of steps. They are often used in email marketing, where an individual sends an initial email to their list and then follows up with a series of emails that go out to one recipient at a time, who then forwards the message to others.
This can be especially useful when a conversation has occurred over time and multiple emails are involved. Email chaining makes it easy to follow the discussion by seeing all the messages at once and in one place. It allows you to engage in conversations with your audience regularly.
Read on as we explore the advantages of using email chains:
It makes it easy to track an email
An email tracking feature is a valuable tool for marketers who want to ensure that their emails reach the desired audience. It makes it easy to track an email, and an essential part is that it provides analytics on how effective the content is.
Tracking your emails using email threads can be helpful. Email threads keep all email messages related to a topic together, making it easier to search and track them. It is also a great way to keep track of critical communications, especially for busy people who have lots of emails to keep tabs on.
Keeping everyone informed
Using an email chain, you can reach out to more people than you would have with just one email. With such a large number of people involved in the group conversation, it is no wonder that some members may get left out. With the use of email chains, you can ensure that everyone receives the same information simultaneously, so they don’t miss out on anything important.
Everyone will be kept updated on the project’s progress and won’t be left out of the conversation using an email chain. You can also use it to give your team members up-to-date information about what is happening in the project. This can include invitations for feedback, deadlines, project milestones and more.
It reduces email inbox clutter.
Although it’s easy to create email threads, the inbox can sometimes be cluttered. That’s why companies are turning to email threading as a solution for reducing email clutter.
Chaining emails helps reduce clutter in the inbox by grouping all emails together and not displaying them individually. You might have an inbox filled with 11 different emails if you receive ten replies to your email without an email chain.
Best practices to follow for an effective email thread
Using an email thread may sound simple, but it can be tricky to use and organise it in a way that is efficient and understandable to all recipients. If you want to maximise your use of email threads, follow these best practices:
Keep one email thread for only one topic or project
In an email thread, it’s easier for people to understand what’s happening when all the discussion related to one topic or project is kept together. If you need to send an email unrelated to the topic or project, send it as a new email. This is because it can cause confusion and cause people to ask a lot of questions to understand what you’re saying if you discuss another topic in the thread.
Only discuss topics that require insights from more than one person
Asking for help is hard, especially when you don’t know what you’re doing. But when the question is too big or time-sensitive just to be posted on a message board, email the person directly if you need something that doesn’t require a response from two or more people.
Don’t turn the email thread into a chat.
In most cases, when people send one-word replies like “Thanks,” “Got it,” or “Okay,” an email thread becomes too long and cluttered. There is no value in sending these replies, which can annoy thread recipients.
Establish ground rules and specify how often people should reply and update the thread’s status. This can be done every other day, weekly, or even every other week. This way, the recipients will know that they don’t have to respond to the email to acknowledge it.
Add only the contacts who have to see your replies
You should avoid adding people unnecessarily to email threads that are not relevant to them, as it clutters up their inboxes and annoys them. Instead, add only necessary people to the CC or BCC and make sure they receive emails related to the topic.
Avoid stretching the thread too long.
After completing the project, it is best to end the discussion in the thread. Using the same thread to communicate with the recipients can lead to a long thread. If you want to discuss a new topic, you can start a new thread with the same members.
Conclusion
An email chain can be used in many ways, but the most common use case is when a group of people brainstorm or collaborate on a project. It can also be used as a marketing tool to collect customer feedback. Email chains have several benefits, such as it is easy to organise information, keep track of messages sent out and received and keep everyone informed about the topics.
Listed below are some essential practices you have to remember to optimise the usage of email chains:
- A single email chain should be used for only one topic or project.
- Discuss topics that require more than one person’s insight.
- Email chains should not be turned into chats.
- Make sure only the contacts who need to see your replies are added.
- Avoid stretching or lengthening the chain too much.
FAQ
How do you reply to a chain email?
The best way to reply to a chain is by sending a personal letter, not an email. It’s better than replying with an automated response because it will be more likely that the person you are responding to will read your letter.
How do I stop email threading?
There are two ways to stop email threading:
- Click the “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of the email, or
- Change your settings in your email account so that you don’t receive emails from that person.
How do I see all emails in a chain?
With the help of an email client, you can see all emails in a chain. This could be helpful if you need to see the context of an email or reply to a chain.
If you are using Gmail and want to view your entire inbox, click on the three lines in the top right corner of your inbox, then “View all conversations.”
If you are using Outlook, click “Inbox” on the left-hand side of your screen. Then go to “Conversations” and select “All Conversations.”
