Every email you send is an opportunity to make a good impression. With a poor email signature or one that is completely nonexistent, you’re sending a message that you aren’t professional or perhaps not too credible. Emails remain the main form of business communication. Therefore, it’s crucial that you put time and effort into creating an email signature that reflects your brand, just as you’d put time and effort into creating marketing material and other brand elements.
Get a little personal
Your email signature doesn’t have to feel overly “corporate.” However, it should still make you come across as a professional. Get a little personal (but not too personal) by incorporating a bit of your personal brand into your email signature. For instance, you can link your LinkedIn and maybe your Facebook. Don’t include every single account you have – two or three is more than enough. You could even link to a great blog post you wrote or an offer to download an ebook.
That being said, it’s important for you not to include too many things in your signature. A cluttered signature doesn’t appeal to the eye and most people will probably just skip it. It’s usually best to set the focus on one personal element. A photo is a great idea. People usually see photos before they even pay attention to the text. A high-quality photo will make you look like a professional and allow people to put a face to the name.
This could be a good email signature to start
This email signature was created with Bybrand
Include social proof
An email signature isn’t just a place for you to put your contact information (although that is important). It’s basically free advertising space that you can use for a wide range of things. One of the best things you can include in your signature is social proof. If you’ve written an article that was picked up by a big name publisher, include an “as featured in” blurb. If you’ve received any noteworthy awards, you could put that in too.
This increases your credibility points by quite a bit. You could also put in case studies, testimonials, or other things. Some people even link the latest photos from their feed! When it all comes down to it, just ensure that your social proof is relevant to your business email.
Incorporate seasonal elements
There’s no reason for you not to spread the festive spirit in your email signature. This can be great for marketing. Offering a special Christmas deal? Try some seasonal branding – creative social buttons and links to holiday sales will catch people’s eyes. You could even have your entire team using the seam seasonal signature to promote a cohesive brand. Throw in some holiday-specific blog content to top it all off.
It’s easy for a seasonal email signature to get messy, so make sure you remember that when creating it. You may want to have a smaller version to use when replying to an email thread – a full-sized email signature for every single email may be a little bit too much.
Prioritize readability
The most important thing to remember when creating an email signature is to ensure that it’s readable. A lot of people try to cram a lot more than they should into their signatures – links, social media profiles, and even quotes. People won’t be spending that long on your email signature. In fact, they’ll skip over it entirely if it’s too overwhelming. Learn to get to the point.
When it comes to colors, less is more. One, two, or even three in some cases may be possible, but every single color from your branded color palette is going to be pushing it.
It’s the same case with fonts. Simple, legible fonts are what you want to use. When you use too many, people won’t want to read anything you have to say. Remember – less is more.
Wrapping up
A great email signature takes time to make. When you take time to get personal, include social proof, incorporate seasonal elements, and prioritize readability, however, you’ll be well on your way to an incredible email signature that will inspire everyone to redesign theirs.
Bybrand creates unique, high-quality signatures for businesses and professionals. Start your 14-Days Free Trial today!
