Aside from being one of the most popular email programs in the world, Gmail can complement a host of hidden tools and tricks that optimize a business experience in remarkable ways. The various applications inherent to the program, as well as apps developed by third-party contributors, can streamline multiple operational facets. Included among these are scheduling, group chat, and handy email templates. If marketers don’t feel like doing the virtual “dirty work” that comes with their position, they don’t necessarily have to — Gmail might be able to do it for them. Gmail, if used optimally, can be more than just a reliable email provider — it can be a marketer’s very own personal assistant. Here are some Gmail tricks marketers can use to vastly spike their productivity levels.
The Undo Button
The undo button is a sacred Gmail feature that can save an email marketer from making crucial errors in judgements. At one point in their careers, all marketers have hit the send button when the email draft could have used a third or fourth revision. “Many users still don’t know about this native butt-saving tool, perfect for when you realize a mistake immediately after hitting send,” writes Entrepreneur contributor Brad Hines. “Use this awesome function to retract a sent letter before a timer expires. Simply go to Settings > Labs > Undo Button > Enable.”
Email Scheduling
Hines says: “With popular apps Boomerang, Yesware or Streak, type up that email now to be issued later. Scheduled emails can be helpful for anything from bills to birthday wishes that you know you must do at some point yet would like to get out of the way today.” It should be noted that those apps are not only useful for sending mail to others at a later time; they are also perfect options for temporarily cleaning out inbox clutter.
Customer Relationship Management
While a formidable email engine on its own, Gmail optimizes a host of third-party apps that aid in streamlining nearly all functions. “Signals by HubSpot, Streak, Boomerang, Yesware and Bannatag let you use a suite of sales-conversion tools that can be integrated with Gmail for tasks like following up with customers, monitoring email-open rates and creating letter templates,” offers Hines.
Gmail Chat
By engaging with a group through Gmail chat, marketers will find themselves saving clicks while switching between email work and inter-staff consultation. Hines writes, “There’s a good chance that most of your team has Gmail. One often overlooked way to message all of them on the fly is through the chat function right on your inbox. It’s in on lower left (although a setting option can move it to the right).”
Templates
Marketers looking to wholly optimize their time should seek the services of Gmail templates. It’s in an emailer’s job description to type up variations of the same message time and time again. Through the use of templates, standard messages can be quickly brought up and modified if necessary. “There are few things more productive in the realm of email than having your top response types whipped into templates that you can alter as need be,” writes Hines. “Next time you find yourself typing essentially the same email for the umpteenth time, copy it and make it a template. Find it at Settings > Labs > Canned Responses > Enable.”
Reminders
Just like a useful personal assistant, Gmail can effectively remind marketers of details that might have slipped from memory. According to Hines: “I use free third-party app FollowUpThen to schedule an email to be bounced back to me in whatever period I specify… While seemingly boring, reminders are brilliant for tackling follow-ups and therefore tapping more business. If you’re writing a response to clients and at the same you want to include a copy of the message to yourself for a future time include send a blind copy to a followupthen.com address.”
