Gmail is probably the most popular email service available today. It seems everyone has a Gmail account. I know I do and most of the people I know do as well. After all, Gmail as some of the best spam filters of any email service. It comes with a wide range of features including an instant messenger service attached to your mail and tools to organize your emails, allowing you to be more productive. However, until now, one area where Gmail didn’t deliver was the ability to schedule outgoing emails. With the launch of Boomerang, a Chrome and Firefox extension, things are about to change.
How Does Boomerang Work?
Since it’s a plugin, Boomerang is easy to install. Simply visit the Firefox or Chrome extension sites and search for Boomerang. Click install and your browser will download and install the software. You will most likely have to restart your browser after installation is complete. Once you navigate to your Gmail account, you will find a new button available with a drop-down menu in the Compose mail window, right next to the “Send” button. You won’t be able to miss it because of the colorful boomerang icon.
Boomerang allows you to schedule an email to go out at a future time and date. You can choose from several presets, including in 1 hour, 2 hours, the following day, or even the following month, or you can set your own time and date.
The Benefits of Boomerang
The ability to schedule emails is vital to the productivity of any Internet marketer. For one, you can prepare emails that are to go out to your subscribers whenever the inspiration hits you and then scheduling them to go out at the appropriate time. This way you avoid writer’s block, which most of us suffer from at one time or another, and also avoid the risk of forgetting to send out your emails at the appropriate time.
I also find Boomerang useful for those times when I have to rush out of the office unexpectedly. Sometimes, life just happens and there isn’t much you can do about it, but working online means that you have to keep your word and if you promised a client to send them an email at a certain time, you had better do it. With Boomerang, I know that I can simply write the email and then schedule it for later, and then I can relax and not worry about getting back to the office in time.
The same goes for vacation time. After all, we all need to take a break now and again and we don’t always have Internet access. When I’m on vacation with my family, the last thing I want to worry about is sending emails. Boomerang takes this weight off my shoulders because I can schedule all my emails before I leave, whether they are messages to my list of subscribers or to clients. This way, I know my business is taken care of and I can relax and enjoy some quality family time.
About the author: This was a guest post by Danny Cohen who works for an MBA school from Israel and also is a consultant to 123 neon signs.