An email signature is usually the last thing you think about before you send an email—mainly because it’s the last thing you’ll add to the email anyways. BUT, just because it’s the last thing on your mind, doesn’t mean it’s the last thing your recipient cares about.
An email signature is your signoff, your way of saying goodbye, and you want to make sure you leave the conversation on a good note and the recipient remembers you for the right reasons. So here are some tips to help improve and clarify your email signature.
Do It Right Once:
When I say email signature, I’m not referring to you writing “Sincerely, X” at the bottom of your message. Most, if not all, email clients allow you to add a “designed” signature that will automatically publish at the bottom of your email whenever you send it. You can also set multiple signatures that alternate depending on the intended recipient.
Cut It Down:
An email signature isn’t the place for marketing speak, or sales pitches. You need to boil it down to information that’s necessary or vital to the message recipient. There also needs to be some form of hierarchy when you’re putting your signature together with the most important content around your name. It helps guide the eye and organizes the content for quick information grabs.
Simple, Focused, and To-the-Point
Link Your Social:
You’ve got all of these social media channels for your work or business, so why not leverage them for more people to see? You can add icons directing viewers to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and more. You can also link to your company blog to help attract prospects and leads, as email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing. No need to waste an opportunity, especially if your signature’s seen potentially by thousands of recipients.
Picture isn't always relevent but perfect way of listing social
Make it Impactful:
If your emailing prospects, the last thing they’ll see from you is your signature, and you want to be sure that these prospects remember you. Your content should be impactful, give them what they need, and do so in a manner that establishes your brand’s character. That’s not to say you need to load your signatures with images—the opposite in fact. You need to make the messaging concise while providing a clear closing. And a little color never hurt anybody.
Give Them What They Need:
The most important step of any email signature (or anything, really)… give them what they need! In this case, contact information including email, phone, website, address—all of it. You want to make yourself as easy to contact as possible because if you aren’t, they won’t. No one wants to go on some adventure to find how to reach you, so make sure you always include:
- Name and Title (if applicable)
- Phone Number (and extension)
- Email Address (if you have others, or want to make it obvious)
- Website URL
- Social Links (if applicable)
Overall, email signatures are important for both you and your email contacts. It gives you a chance to end your email powerfully, while linking to other channels and information that could help grow your reach and improve your email rankings.
