Top 6 Do’s in Your Email Signature
We have all heard many stories of how different companies set up their email signatures. The format of your email signature should not just include the obligatory name and phone number. It’s a great opportunity to share contact details and marketing messages. Here are the top 5 suggestions and best practices to enact when it comes to creating your email signature.
- Treat your email signature format as part of your marketing campaign
Your email signature format should be given as much thought as any marketing campaign. Ask yourself who you are targeting with your email signatures and establish what behaviour you want to drive through this exposure.
- Market to your contacts
Don’t stop at just providing contact details. Email deliverability rates for mass marketing email is on the decline. One of the most efficient routes to the inbox of your customers, prospects and partners is via peer-to-peer email, the email we send every day. Use your signature to squeeze in some information about a campaign your business is engaged in.
- Consistency is key
Ensure your signatures are consistent across Outlook and other email platforms. An important aspect of this is to consider that your email signature is presented to all recipients, regardless of your computing device. You want to make sure that your email signature is delivered consistently across all prospects’ screens.
- Test before sending
Spam filter test your signature before using it. All too often, a horribly configured/designed email signature adds to an email’s spam score. Send emails internally amongst your colleagues to test the effectiveness of your email signature.
- Email signature used to for promotion
If your website doesn’t get the traffic it used to, then use your email signatures as a means for promoting internal company information.
- Readable in plain text format
Always remember that some users choose to use plain text format for the e-mails they receive to avoid receiving links that can be used to compromise their security. Your signature should include your name, telephone number and any other important information in text and not as an image so that it will still display this information in plain text views. The same goes for whether the recipient chooses to download images or not when they receive your e-mails. If the information in your e-mails is formatted in images, the recipients will simply see a blank e-mail where there should be information, should they choose not to download images.
When it comes to designing email signatures, there are a lot of things to remember. Make sure that you define alternatives on all platforms, so that all recipients are able to appreciate the company brand image.
