How to create better Email Signatures
By: Bryan Dijkhuizen
Tags: Email, Work, Entrepreneurship, Business, Marketing

Most people who send emails don’t spend time on their email signatures, which is a real missed opportunity.

Your email signatures are opportunities for you to make clear who you are, to stand out. Make sure people can reach you and not only by email. This email signature can contain more information about you personally but also as a business.

So, if you’re putting your name and a point or two of contact information in your signature, you’re not taking full advantage of the opportunity to connect and engage with the people you’re emailing.

So what should you put into your signature? It depends on what you want to achieve and on your personal preference. Here are some suggestions as you create your own:

First and Last Name Affiliation Info Secondary Contact Information Social Media Icons Call to Action Disclaimer or Legal Requirements Photo or Logo

Let’s individually look at each point.

1. First and Last name

I don’t think this point needs any explanation. You should always put your full name in the email signature.

2. Affiliation Info

Closely following your name should be your affiliation information. Your affiliations could mean your job title, your company or organization, and even your department.

Providing this information provides more context about the conversation and your role in it. Suppose it’s a recognizable organization. This helps you get the attention of your readers, so they take your message seriously.

3. Secondary Contact Information

Secondary contact information is essential, too, so that the recipient knows how else to contact you.

This might include a secondary Email, a phone number, or even a Fax if that’s still used. This might also be an opportunity for you to promote your website.

4. Social Media Icons

Your social media platforms are the primary way of representing you in the modern era. Your brand is majorly exposed to these profiles, and they need to be followed.

You can tell a lot about a person by what they post and how they portray themselves.

That’s why it’s a great idea to include links to your social media pages in your email signature. It not only reinforces your brand, but it also helps people find new ways to contact and follow you.

This can even drive online traffic to your content if you post the links online on your profiles. So if you do include social icons in your signature, make sure you’re keeping your social profiles up-to-date.

Even if you have a presence on many social media sites, though, try to cap the number of icons to five or six. Focus on the accounts that matter most to growing your business or building your brand.

5. Call to Action

One of the most important things to include in your email signature is a call to action (CTA).

The best email signature CTAs are simple, up-to-date, non-pushy, and in line with your email style, making them appear more like a post-script and less like a sales pitch.

Links to videos can be especially noticeable because, in some email clients like Gmail, a video’s thumbnail will show up underneath your signature.

6. Industry Disclaimer or Legal Requirements

Some industries, such as legal, financial, and insurance, have specific email usage guidelines and etiquette to protect private information from being transmitted.

7. Photo or Logo

An image is a great choice to spice up your email signature. If you want a personal touch so that recipients you’ve never met can associate your name with your face, consider using a professional photo in your signature.