Most of us send so many emails over the course of a day, we don’t give a second thought as to what kind of impression they can have on how others view us. Even a well written email can make us appear less professional just through presentation and style. In order to make your next email look professional, here are five things you might be doing – and need to stop.

1. Long signatures. Your name, title and company is plenty. If you really want to include your social media links, think about listing them in a smaller font. Also, avoid icons, logo’s and images whenever possible. In addition to possibly appearing as attachments, they don’t always display well on mobile devices.
2. Reply all. In most cases, replying back to the original sender is enough. Not everyone on the list needs to know your question or see your reply.
3. Writing like a text message. Poor spelling and abbreviations might be acceptable in a text, but in an email they make you look lazy and distracted. Write in a way that would make your English teacher proud. And proof your work before sending.
4. Really long emails. If you have a lot to say, it just might be more efficient to pick up the phone and have a conversation with the person. You can always send an email afterwards summarizing the key points.
5. Auto replies, all the time. Just because you’re out of the office for the day doesn’t mean you need to create an auto reply message. Especially if you’re still receiving your email. There’s nothing wrong with answering emails at the end of the day or even the next day.

Marc Gordon is a recognized marketing expert, speaker and strategist. His articles appear in over 200 publications worldwide. Visit marcgordon.ca or his online show at marctv.net for more business tips.