From straightforward and clean, to cluttered and overwhelming, to the inevitable “Sent from my iPhone.” If you’ve been in the professional world, even for a brief amount of time, you’ve seen a wide array of email signatures.
More often than not, companies treat email signatures as afterthoughts; just information at the end of a message about who you are and how to get back in touch. If that’s your perspective, you’re missing out.
Emails are frequently our first contact in business, and your signature will be the last thing they see in that communication. Your sign-off is as critical a component as the message itself. Your entire email should leave them wanting more.
So, how do you accomplish that through a few lines at the end of a message? We’ll walk you through why it’s so important and how you can create a functional and impactful email signature.
Benefits of a Custom Email Signature
Think of your email signature as a branding opportunity. If email is your initial contact, this is your first chance to convey your identity and develop brand recognition from the start. Creating something professional and visually appealing is critical given how the human brain responds to images versus written content.
Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than the written word. And, on average, individuals retain 80% of what they see compared to 20% of what they read. Capitalize on that by making your signature clean and aesthetically pleasing.
A professional, on-brand email signature illustrates that you value communication and appreciate the time they took to engage with you. It also positions you as an authority in your space and helps you stand out from the countless emails a person may get in a day. This will help build your relationship and differentiate your brand from others.
Finally, don’t forget your calls to action. Begin the reader’s journey with your brand by encouraging them to engage with your website, blog, review opportunities, or social channels directly from your signature.
How to Create an Email Signature
Think of your email signature as your virtual business card. Some elements are fundamental and essential. However, there are specific components that allow you to customize and elevate your signature.
In its simplest form, an email signature should contain:
- Company Logo
- First & Last Name
- Company Name & Job Title
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Office Address
Format these elements in a clean and sleek way, allowing the reader to quickly locate the information they need.
From there, it’s time to create your brand experience. Use branded colors and fonts. Consider adding a company motto or quote. Encourage engagement by linking to your website, social channels, top blog posts, or customer reviews.
Make the Most of Your Signature with HTML
While you can create your email signature using text and images, HTML creates a better user experience and enhances your marketing efforts.
Each component is clickable, whether it’s your email address, logo, or a social media icon. This helps direct your reader to the information you want them to see. HTML signatures can also help bypass spam filters triggered by a low text to image ratio.
Now, if you’re not a coder, there’s no need to fret. Online tools, such as MySignature and WiseStamp, generate beautiful and functional signatures without any HTML knowledge required.
Things to Avoid in Your Email Signature
You’ll want to convey helpful information and establish your brand in an email signature, but it is possible to do too much.
To keep your signature from overwhelming the reader, follow these guidelines:
- Avoid using too many colors or shades that are difficult to read.
- Keep decoration, such as highlights, underlines, and callouts to a minimum.
- Use no more than 4 social icons.
- Do not use emojis.
You also want to avoid uploading your signature as a single image. Depending on a user’s email settings, they could be blocking externally hosted images or have a firewall that prevents access. In those cases, your contact information would not be shown to the reader.
Even if that’s not the case and the user can see all the images, you can’t make different components clickable in a single image. You’ll lose your chance to market by driving them to your other digital properties.
The ROI of Email Marketing
Email is one of the few marketing channels you have complete control over, so make sure you take full advantage by optimizing each component of your message, including the signature.
Creating something that conveys your brand, that’s also thoughtful and clean, is a simple and effective way to increase your brand’s value and strengthen your relationships with those you contact.
While a compelling signature is a great start to building relationships through email, you can take it further. You can implement newsletters, promotional blasts, and drip campaigns, to name a few. When these communications are a part of your larger marketing strategy, they have the potential to generate a significant return. On average, you’ll get $36 back for every $1 you spend on email marketing, making it a channel you should be investing in.
Capitalize On An Email Campaign
If you’re ready to grow your business through email, Square 205 can enhance your branding with a professional email signature. For even higher ROI, consider adding a targeted email marketing campaign and CRM development to your strategy.
