Email can be an effective way to communicate with owners and other Board members in your HOA…but only if your emails are opened and read. In today’s world where many people have a full inbox, they choose what to read based on just a few parameters. Communication is critical in a homeowner association, so your emails must capture attention. Here are some golden rules to help get your emails opened and read.
Add details in your subject line. If response is needed by a specific date, include that in your subject line. When a project is delayed, title your email accordingly, “Landscaping Project: Phase 3 Delayed”. Including details in the subject line helps owners understand why they need to read the email.
Get to the point. If you ramble through a couple of paragraphs before stating your main point, chances are that you’ll lose a lot of your readers. State your purpose in the first sentence and then add supporting details. For readers using auto preview, seeing the purpose in the first sentence helps them make the decision to read your email.
Check your email frequency and content. No one wants to receive numerous emails that don’t contain relevant information for recipients. Avoid general updates and lengthy emails. Watch your cc line. It’s a fine line between including everyone who has a need to know and sending it to people who don’t need it. If it takes more than 5 minutes to read an email, pick up the phone or schedule a meeting.
Share useful information. Homeowners need information about the association, the budget and the community. Establish trust with your homeowners by making sure that they benefit from reading your email. When you send future emails, owners will know that you have something important to say.
Make it personal. Write an email as if you’re talking to a close neighbor because you are talking to neighbor(s). That’s how people get to know and trust you.
Create a second email account instead of using your personal email for Board communications. It’s free and easy to set up an email account for Board communications to owners, and may be a feature of your association management company’s community website offerings. Consider a standard format for emails for multiple Board and committee members. Ex: president@HOAname, presHOAname@gmail.com, etc. You can customize it to include your name, which helps readers quickly recognize your name because it includes the association name. It also separates community emails from your personal emails, which can be a big advantage in keeping electronic communications organized.
Take the time to build your email relationships because they are just as important as personal relationships in HOA communications. You’ll be a success if you remember the Golden Rule—“Do Unto Others….”
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Wise Property Solutions is a property management company serving East Tennessee with offices in Knoxville, TN and the Tri-Cities, TN-VA. Specializing in Condominium Association Management, Home Owners Association Management, HOA Management and Gated Community Association Management.