The humble email signature is the most oft-overlooked opportunity. Many people don’t bother with setting up a signature and, if they add anything, just put their name at the end of their email. If you work at a small business, you are most likely sending and receiving more than your fair share of email. Your signature can go on every email you send out. A solid email signature can generate leads, educate your customers, bring visitors to your site and social media, and give your emails a human touch.
Why Email Signatures are Important
Give your emails a human touch
A lot of emails these days are automated. Impersonal marketing emails are sent to masses of people. A customer service email will send you an automatic reply and force you to send yet another request to get a human response. While a signature can easily be added to these, simply adding your name (and a picture if appropriate) will reassure your recipient that they are dealing with a real human.
Bring visitors to your website and social media
Including a link to your website and social media pages will bring free traffic to these sites. Not every email recipient will follow the link to your website, but it’s free. You are sending these emails anyway. With practically no effort, you can get some extra visits to your online presence.
Educate existing customers and clients
If you are contacting an existing client, they hopefully already know who you are. You may wonder what good a signature can do in this case. Every contact with your clients is an opportunity to teach them more about who you are. Including a logo or utilizing your brand’s colors will help with branding. Including a short quote or your company’s tagline will show who you are. It’s an excellent way to showcase your company and highlight what is important to you.
Generate leads and interest
If you are emailing someone new, this signature becomes even more critical. Not only does it tell them who you are, but it also helps them research you, and it provides immediate social proof. If they want to know more about you, they can click on a link rather than look you up. This is also where links to your social media pages or testimonials can play double duty, as clicking on your signature will immediately show them social proof.
You may also be emailing someone for a reason unrelated to marketing or helping current clients. Maybe you are contacting an accountant or insurance agent who doesn’t know much about your business. If your email signature identifies your business as something that interests them, it could also lead to getting a new client.
What to include in your signature
Your name
It’s your signature. Include your name. Consider your target audience, as well as how you’d like to be addressed. Adjust the formality of your name to meet the formality of your email. For instance, in most emails I would sign “Tim Greenshields,” but if I’m sending something formal, I’d change it to “Timothy Greenshields.”
Your contact information
Since you are sending an email, the recipient could always reply to you. Sometimes the recipient would like to contact you in another method, though. Some people prefer talking on the phone, for instance. This is where you can list every way that you can be contacted.
Your business/employer and title
If this is your first contact, then listing your business/employer and your title is essential. Are you in marketing? The owner? Customer service? Your recipient will know who they are talking to and allow them to look you up more quickly should they desire.
Your website and social media links
Providing links to your website and social media pages isn’t just a way to make it easier for your recipient to verify who they are talking to. It also brings more visitors to your online presence. This gives you another opportunity to demonstrate social proof and hit them with your message.
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