No matter what size your business is, email signatures are an important part of your business’ marketing. Think about it – every email you send and even every auto-response you trigger includes your personal or business information at the bottom of the email. This signature does more than just inform the recipient of your name, title, business name and/or contact information; it’s an opportunity to call recipients to different types of action.
As we’re rounding the corner into busy season, follow these email signature do’s and don’ts to make sure your business puts its best foot forward at the end of every email!
Do: Include all the basics, but keep it simple! Your name should be first, followed by your professional title if you’d like to include it, then your business’ name (linked to your business website). If you do business by phone you should also include your phone number, and re-typing your email address is a nice touch so that all your contact information is in one easy-to-find place.
Don’t: Go overboard with links and information in your email signature. Including every single possible way to contact you may seem like you’re being helpful, but all that information can be overwhelming. The more choices you offer the recipient, the more likely you are to cause confusion and the less likely it will be that they’ll use any of them!
Do: Encourage users to follow you on your most popular social networks. If your business is on Facebook or Twitter and you would like to highlight that content, include those links as your recipients are most likely to have their own accounts on those networks. You could also include other social links, but don’t include all of them! Remember the first point: keep it simple.
Don’t: Include irrelevant information in your email signature. It’s common that you’d like to drive traffic to your blog or various pages on your website, but not all of that information will be useful to your email recipient. You email both potential clients and current clients, so be sure to consider both audiences when deciding which links to include.
Do: Use text links and come up with a simple, short template to use for other employees. Make sure all the fonts are the same and that the parts are all in the same order for brand consistency and professsionalism.
Don’t: Use different fonts and colors and add a bunch of symbols. These often appear unprofessional, and they don’t serve a purpose to your business. Also, avoid an image as your email signature – if the image doesn’t load or doesn’t show up correctly, the recipient can’t see your information.
Do: Include your business’ tagline or a client testimonial, but only if your signature is not overloaded already. If you’re only including your contact information and a few links, feel free to include other business-focused items like your tagline. You may also want to show off a recent award to help showcase your expertise such as the 2014 Couples Choice Award if you were a recipient.
Don’t: Use caps lock. You may think typing parts of your signature in caps lock will help it stand out, but it almost always comes off as aggressive and unprofessional. Unless your business’ name or logo is capitalized, back away from the caps lock key!
Whether your business does not yet have an email signature, or you’re deciding on a professional template you can use for multiple employees at your organization, be sure to pay attention to these do’s and don’ts!
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