Summer is here and with it comes vacation (or maybe a staycation this year) and days out of the office! But as small business owners, stepping away from work completely is difficult. There’s always the temptation to check our email or get in some work when we have a spare second. Yet, in order to truly be refreshed (and able to serve our clients well!), taking a break is important! This post goes over how to write the perfect out-of-office email auto-responder so that your clients (and inquiries!) are informed and know what to expect. 

3 Things your Email Responder Needs

Setting realistic expectations frees you up to enjoy your time away…and, in turn, be refreshed and ready to get back to work when you get home. No one likes a stuffy autoresponder. It doesn’t have to be cheesy or cute, but make it personable and on-brand! Here are three things to make sure your autoresponder has! 

1. A friendly message. 

You run a personal brand, and you want your emails to reflect that! Having a fun & friendly autoresponder will set you apart and make you memorable….plus, sending an on-brand email further solidifies your brand’s image. 

2. Realistic Expectations.

Are you getting back on Sunday and saying you’ll get to their email on Monday? That might not be realistic. You want to make promises that you can keep (or, better yet, over-deliver!), so make sure that you give yourself a day or two after getting back to respond to all the emails. 

3. Something to do.

Do you have a list of your FAQs? Or maybe you have free resources or a few incredible blog posts that your audience loves? Drop the link in your autoresponder! You’ll be able to continue helping others & educating them even when you aren’t in the office, so make that content work for you! 

I once linked this blog post in my out-of-office email auto-responder, and got this response from a client: 

“I love that blog post you just linked and it was what I needed as I sit here anxiously writing emails. You are spreading so much goodness to people’s lives — especially mine! GRATEFUL!” 

Your out of office responder is valuable real estate, so use it to point people to your most helpful content! 

Don’t need to set up an autoresponder just yet? Pin this post for later!