Personal Brand

Out of office: using your holiday auto-response to increase visibility and stamp your personal brand

Out of office: using your holiday auto-response to increase visibility and stamp your personal brand

Tuesday, 05 March 2019

Setting your emails to auto respond during your absence from the workplace is typically a last-minute task performed in a hurry. But savvy personal brand managers ensure their inbox bounce-backs pack a punch, increasing their memorability to peers, bosses and clients alike.

 

SHOUT ABOUT YOUR LAST SUCCESS

So your latest website build has gone live. Your customer service team has unveiled a brand new shop design. Or you’ve finally pressed ‘send’ on the annual budget. Find a way to share the news – as much as you are able – in a way that showcases the pride you’ve taken in the project. It could be a link to the new website with an invitation to feedback, an image of the new store, or a photograph of your team celebrating project completion (when text is accompanied by imagery, recall after 48 hours improves by as much as 55%).

 

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Are you a field expert whose inbox bulges with requests for information sharing? A prolific speaker always in demand? Reinforce your position as the go-to person: Send a link to the latest industry-watch blog you’ve written or pictures from your last brand event.

 

COMPLIMENT YOUR CO-WORKERS

If you’re advising senders to approach a specific team member in your absence, help make that person look trustworthy in the eyes of the reader. By highlighting their qualifications to step into your shoes or acknowledging their help, you’ll also be cementing your team player credentials.

 

SEIZE A NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY

Out of the office to attend a conference? Share details of where you’ll be and when, and how any contacts in the vicinity can look you up. The sender will perceive you as approachable, and someone who’s notably tapped into the industry.

 

INJECT SOME LIGHT-HEARTEDNESS

If you work in the kind of environment where sharing a gif of an excited puppy is an appropriate way to communicate your excitement at taking a well-earned break – then go for it. If yours is a more formal workplace, think carefully about how to inject fun into your OOO. For example, once you’ve communicated the nuts and bolts, list some fun trivia about your team or department, positioning yourself to both insiders and outsiders as an ambassador for your organisation.

 

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