Constantly adding email addresses in the “to” and “cc “fields is a thing of the past. If you are in regular correspondence with a group of people, it is better to create an email group in Gmail. This is more practical, especially for construction project coordination, sales strategy updates, regular office memos, and more.
Creating an email group is a better way to send a group email. There are two ways to create an email group which will be discussed later. First, let’s explore the benefits of sending through an email group.
What are the advantages of having an email group?
No more typing in several email addresses all the time.
Yes, there is the autofill function. However, with a group, you only need to type the first few letters of the name of the group (it would appear in autofill as well). Unlike inputting individual email addresses, you have to type in several names’ first three letters or so.
No risk of missing out on somebody.
Everybody in that regular correspondence group is automatically included. No need to worry if you forgot to cc somebody else.
No more bounced-back emails.
Email bounces back if you’ve entered an incorrect email address. When you have an email group, it is no longer necessary to type in several email addresses.
Saves time
Inputting the first few letters of the name of the group (as autofill will do the rest) gives less strain on your finger muscles than entering a dozen names.
How to make an email group list?
There are two ways to create an email group list.
One is through Shared Contacts for Gmail app.
1. Open the app. If you haven’t installed it yet, please follow the link on how to install Shared Contacts for Gmail for free.
2. Click the green ⊕︀ icon to create a new contact list.
3. Type in the group name and Click “Save”.
4. Now, you can find your newly created groups in the left pane. Click the yellow ⊕︀ icon to add contacts to your group.
5. There are two ways to add contacts. You can check the contacts you wish to add or utilize the search bar. Click on “Add this contact to this contact list” when you’re done.
6. As you return to Gmail, you can now simply type in the name of the group.
The second method to create an email list is through Google groups.
1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. Click “Create group”.
3. Enter the group name and click “Next”.
4. Choose the privacy settings of the group then click “Next”.
5. Add members of the group. When you’re finished, click “Create group”.
6. Go back to your Gmail. Now, you can simply type in the name of the group.
A Brief Comparison
Both approaches are easy enough to set up. However, Shared Contacts for Gmail offers more as it allows you to share contacts like you share Google Docs. If you share that list to those who are part of the group, the email addresses of everyone will appear in their contacts as well, unlike simply using Google groups.
Furthermore, Google Groups will only display the name of the group in the “to” field. Though it looks less cluttered, it loses the transparency of who is in that group. You can hover over the group name to have a quick look at the member though. But clicking on the “+ more” to view the rest of the members will open another tab.
Moreover, when you decided to exclude one member from the group email, you can no longer use the Google group.
On the other hand, Shared Contacts for Gmail will show the names of each member as saved in your contacts rather than the group name. You can easily view who is in the group and simply delete anyone you don’t think needs to receive that email.
Conclusion
Gmail users account for 28% of the email client market share with over 1.8 billion users. It would be beneficial to you and your business if you would know how to maximize its potential. Learning more about useful add-ons and other compatible apps like shared Google contacts would help you do so.
- How to Manage Your Shared Contacts
- Benefits of Contact Management Apps
- 10 Best Practices for Contact Management
