{"id":3544,"date":"2021-03-19T18:53:24","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T15:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/?p=3544"},"modified":"2024-09-26T19:43:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T16:43:20","slug":"salutation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/salutation\/","title":{"rendered":"Salutation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Selecting a proper greeting is a tough task because casual daily salutations aren\u2019t always suitable for formal business correspondence. The choice of a greeting always depends on the context and the communication strategy you use to establish strong relationships with your <a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/prospect\/\">prospect<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"salutation\">Salutation definition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <strong>salutation<\/strong>, or a <strong>greeting<\/strong>, is a word or phrase used to greet a recipient in a personal or business letter. A salutation line is usually the first line in the email, followed by an email body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two types of salutations \u2014 formal and informal (casual). The most commonly used salutations in emails are <strong><em>\u201cDear\u201d<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>\u201cHi\/Hey,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> followed by the recipient\u2019s title or name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/JTENe9qIa_Pt03AKaaDaupCt1LQnT0DCrIdehNpTB0c4EFeB3zcjF55WCc4oVtz7mPllOsx4bp_PjpyEfp6_bXhcMGbMLlKExxbtiYicqwqyfBdUnPAXTkB3T1PZxX5sXOJjKV2E\" alt=\"salutation example\" style=\"width:680px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"examples\"><strong>How to select the best salutation for business letter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To choose a proper salutation for a business letter, you need to know at least some information about your recipient to greet them by their name. It helps you avoid any mistakes or misunderstandings and gives space for <a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/ua\/how-to-personalize-your-email-ua\/\"><strong>personalized modifications<\/strong><\/a> to your salutation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider the following points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>How close you are with the recipient. If you are quite friendly with them, the best idea is to use their first name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The purpose of the email you are writing and its style. If you are creating a formal business email, it\u2019s better to use a formal salutation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, there are cases when you neither know the name of the recipient nor have any additional information about them. In this case, you might be better off beginning the email with a simple <em><strong>&#8220;Hello.&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"939\" height=\"411\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image7.png\" alt=\"salutation examples\" class=\"wp-image-3547\" style=\"width:680px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image7.png 939w, https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image7-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image7-768x336.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 939px) 100vw, 939px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Formal business salutations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Business greeting depends on how you want to approach your recipients. Context and intention are crucial, as they influence the way you present your message, the way it can be perceived, and the recipient\u2019s impression of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the safest ways to begin your formal business letter is to address the recipient with <em><strong>&#8220;Dear Name.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> At the same time, you better avoid gendered salutations like <em>\u201cDear Sir or Madam\u201d<\/em> because they can be petty, exclusive, and offensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides, such salutations show you didn\u2019t do your research, which may convey a negative meaning in job application letters or sales emails, for example.&nbsp; Meanwhile, gender-neutral language will let you come across as polite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best examples of formal greetings examples are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Dear [Name]&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Hello [Name]&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Hello&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Mr.\/Mrs.\/Ms [Last name]&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Casual salutations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are writing to a friend or a close colleague, or if your business marketing campaign has a target to look as friendly as possible, it\u2019s good to choose a casual greeting. Some examples of casual salutations are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Good morning \/ afternoon \/ evening&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Hello&#8221; \/ &#8220;Hi&#8221; \/ \u201cHey\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHow are you?\u201d \/ \u201cHow are you doing?\u201d \/ \u201cHow is it going?\u201d \/ \u201cHow\u2019s everything?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cGreetings\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Think carefully about your corporate culture and branding strategy before starting your email with a casual salutation in a large-scale <a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/cold-email\">cold email outreach<\/a> campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.snov.io\/register?lang=en&amp;signup_source=glossary&amp;signup_page=snov.io%2Fglossary%2Fsalutation&amp;cta_type=banner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"317\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drips-1-1024x317.png\" alt=\"Email drip campaigns\" class=\"wp-image-1183\" style=\"width:680px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drips-1-1024x317.png 1024w, https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drips-1-300x93.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drips-1-768x238.png 768w, https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drips-1-1536x476.png 1536w, https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drips-1.png 2028w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creative and personalized alternative salutations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Formal and neutral casual salutations are a safe choice, but they can be boring, especially when you realize that your recipient probably has hundreds of such emails in their Inbox. Sometimes you need a fresh breeze!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to use personalization and segmentation techniques to adjust your message to your audience. This way, you will show your clients that you care and that you remember some details about them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>weather<\/strong> is often the best ice-breaking topic. However, you should know the recipient\u2019s current location or live in the same area to make sure you are on the same page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cDid we catch you enjoying the summer sunsets, Peter?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIt\u2019s a delightful day today, isn\u2019t it, Jane?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSnowball fight or skiing today, Peter?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are greetings you can <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/ua\/follow-up-email-templates-ua\/\">follow-up<\/a> with<\/strong> after you send your recipients some useful info:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cI hope [The last file you sent] was helpful!\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWas the information about [Client\u2019s pain point] useful?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s how you can <strong>exchange opinions<\/strong> about something both of you know commonly known things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cHave you seen that new [Industry-related lecture]?\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIt\u2019s been a whole month\/year\/decade since [Sales event]! Can you believe it?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cDid you see the crazy news about [Industry-related news]?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All these variants sound friendly, and if your marketing strategy allows casual style, they can make a good impression on the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unacceptable salutations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An inappropriate greeting can spoil your whole message. Avoid abbreviations, shortenings, and slang words. You might think that such phrases sound friendly, but the prospect isn\u2019t your homie and can consider you overfamiliar and disrespectful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples of inappropriate salutations:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;:-)\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cYo!\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHowdy!\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cG&#8217;day mate!\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSup?\u201d or \u201cWhazzup?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHiya!\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;TTYL&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One more way to get on your prospect\u2019s nerves is by using foreign words. Instead of adding uniqueness, they can cause confusion. The recipient might misunderstand the phrase, or it might appear politically incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to show that you care about the recipient, use fresh and personalized salutations in your emails. But first ensure they align with your corporate style, branding, and marketing guidelines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make sure your work brings fruit, use <a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\">professional platforms like Snov.io<\/a>, designed to create successful cold outreach campaigns. It will help you skyrocket your email deliverability, nurture, engage, and smoothly convert leads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A salutation is a word or phrase used for greeting a recipient in business or personal correspondence. Here are the best salutation examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[300],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}