Email signatures can play a more significant role in your communication efforts than you realize. Learn what to include in your email signature with this guide.
We've all been there: You're just finishing an email, only to realize you have no idea how to end it. Should you thank the person you're corresponding with or is a simple “best' more appropriate?
This part of an email is known as the email signature, and that difficult word choice has led to a more advanced email signature design. Today, many companies end every email with a large, detailed signature and use an email signature template to ensure communication consistency.
So, why are email signatures necessary, and what should you put in your email signature?
In this article, we'll discuss what information people put in email signatures and why they're an important part of email content and design. If you want to maximize the ROI of your email marketing campaign, here's what you need to know about what to include in an email signature.
If you are wondering how to set up a business email, you need to think about your email signature. A professional email signature consists of the text automatically added to the bottom of every email you send from that account, which is a crucial part of your email design.
An email signature typically consists of your name and contact information, such as your phone number, website, location, and additional information.
If you look at email signature examples, you will see that some email signatures consist of only a name. Then other email signatures might include phone numbers, company names, and photos. With so many variations, you may wonder how to create an effective email signature that grows your brand and boosts conversions.
Plenty of options are available when you are trying to assemble an email signature, so you need to understand how to format an email signature as you build your email list. Below, you'll find more information on why you need a professional email signature and how to create one.
Professional vs personal email signatures
First, it's essential to understand the difference between professional and personal email signatures. While using a professional signature instead of a personal one isn't a big deal, you don't want to use your personal email signature in a professional email you're sending to customers or clients.
Many people use personal email signatures to put a personal touch on emails they send to friends and family. These signatures can also help people verify that you're sending them an email because an imposter may send a plain-text email. You don't necessarily need a personal email signature, but it's a smart idea in an increasingly digital world.
Professional email signatures differ from personal email signatures because they're designed specifically for business use; they're a company-branded email signature. This means that your professional email signature will typically include information about your company, your position, and any other relevant details about your professional life.
A proper email signature is important for your business, so you should include a professional signature with any email from your company.
Why you need a professional email signature
There are several reasons why you need to have a business email signature. Keep in mind that there is never a second chance to make a first impression, and your email signature could be an important part of that impression. That is why you need to consider your email signature's professionalism when starting a business email account.
Some of the reasons why you need to make sure you use the best email signatures include:
Build trust
One of the first reasons you need a professional email signature is that it can help you build trust.
While you can sign your email with your name, providing your company colors, contact details, and links to other relevant accounts can help build trust with the recipient because it will look professional. It could even be an important part of your lead generation strategy.
Provide contact information
You can also make it easier for people to contact you. Many email signatures contain essential information, such as your phone number, other email addresses, and even a work address.
Even though you should certainly be careful when sending emails to people you do not know, you can make it much easier for people to get in touch with you. It could even help you improve client retention.
Grow brand awareness
Having a strong email signature is also important for branding. It might be an important tool that can help you make a stronger connection with your target market, so you need to think carefully about how you craft it.
You may want to include a picture of yourself, a company logo, and a personalized touch. They encourage recipients to engage with your email actively, which can help you expand your brand's footprint.
Expand your social media strategy
Even though providing your contact details is important, using an email signature can also be an important part of your multichannel marketing strategy. For example, you might want to include links to your Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook accounts.
Wherever your company has a strong presence on social media, it can be beneficial to include a link to that page. You can generate more followers on social media, helping you improve the effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy.
Showcase personality
As you assemble your email marketing, you need to find a way to humanize your company. One of the best ways to do so is to showcase its personality. When you put together a solid professional email signature, you can include a variety of images, layouts, sizes, fonts, and colors.
All of them are vital design components that can make you stand out from the crowd. You want to be creative and professional at the same time, which could help you generate more leads.
Email signatures have changed a lot over the years, but one thing has remained the same: including the right information is important. Your email signature should tell people who you are, what your job is, and how they can get in touch with you, but there's a lot of other information you should include as well. If you want to make the most of your email signature template, here's what your email signature should include.
Full name
The first thing you want to include in your email signature template is your full name. Your full name should be the first thing people see when they look at your email signature, and it should be easy to read.
If people know you by a different name in the professional world, you can include that name at the end of your emails. This makes it easy for people to quickly figure out who an email came from and who they can contact if they have any questions or feedback.
You should always include the full name of the person who's actually sending the email. For example, you shouldn't use your email signature if somebody else is sending an email on behalf of your company; each employee or executive should have their own unique signature.
Job information
As important as your name is, it still doesn't give people all the information they need about who's sending them an email. In addition to your full name, you should include detailed job information in your email signature details. You can start by mentioning your job title, which tells people whether they're dealing with an executive, an employee, or an HR staff member. You should also mention which department you work in, that way people know what your responsibilities are and how to reach out to you.
Including job information in your email footer and as part of your email signature template gives people a better idea of who's emailing them, which is important when you're sending out emails that represent a business. Provide as much information as you're comfortable disclosing about your job.
Contact information
Whether you're responding to a customer service inquiry or sending out marketing emails, it's important to give people a way to reach out to you with feedback or questions. This is why contact information is near the top of the list regarding what to include in an email signature.
After you tell people who you are and what your job is, you should provide them with contact information they can use to get a hold of you.
The contact information you put in your email signature should include your work and/or personal phone number and the phone number and address of the company you work for.
Important links
Providing links in your email signature makes it easier for people to take action after reading your emails.
Use these links to direct readers to your social media accounts using social media icons, give them an easy way to access your website,e or allow them to contact your company by simply clicking a link. You can even include social follow content blocks instead of links to your social media accounts.
The goal of these links is to make it easier for people to respond to your emails, whether they respond by visiting your website or sending an email through your contact form. At the very least, you should include a link to your company website.
Legal requirements
Depending on your jurisdiction and what kind of company you're running, you may be legally obligated to include certain things in your email signature.
In the UK, you must provide your company name, company registration number, and the location where you registered. You must also include an opt-out clause allowing people to unsubscribe from your emails.
Some other legal details you may want to add to your email signature include legal, financial, and insurance disclaimers. Protecting your company from liability is an essential part of email marketing.
CTA
A good call to action can be very effective in an email marketing campaign.
The goal here is to gently guide the readers in the right direction, whether you want them to check out your new products, shop your clearance sale, or reach out to your company with product feedback.
Keep in mind that your call to action shouldn't be too pushy. You don't want to pressure readers into taking action; you want to let them know what they can do if they're interested in your email. Including a link makes your call to action even more effective and more accessible for customers to engage with.
Pronouns
You never know who you're dealing with on the other side of a computer, so it's polite to briefly introduce yourself to any new people you may meet.
Including your pronouns in your email signature is an integral part of making sure people know how to address you if they reach out with questions or feedback. You can do this by listing the terms you prefer to be addressed by, such as “he/him” or “she/her.”
Including your pronouns keeps other people from making mistakes when they send you an email, which, in turn, helps people feel more comfortable reaching out to you.
Social channels
When sending emails, you must think carefully about the customer journey. What do you want the recipient to do next?
Whether you send emails to business partners or clients, you should include clickable buttons to your social media channels. You need to drive more traffic to your social media accounts to increase brand awareness.
If you include links to social media or social media icons, you encourage recipients to learn more about your company, which could help you expand your footprint in the marketplace.
If you want this strategy to be effective, ensure your social media profile's content works well with the information in your email signature. You want your social media accounts to show the best side of your company.
Photo or logo
You may also want to include a photo or logo in your email signature. The biggest reason you want to include a photo or logo in your email signature is that it is one of the best ways to capture someone's attention. Your email has plenty of words, but there aren't a lot of images. A photo or logo can help you draw attention to the email signature and build trust with your audience by showing the person or brand behind the email.
Some of the best practices to follow include:
- Make sure the text is readable in the photo or logo. The image will have to be small, so if there is any text, such as the company name, make sure it is readable.
- Ensure the image is not too big. You do not want it to compress the body of the email.
- Do not make the photo or logo too busy. Too many details can distract the reader, as they might not know where to look.
Make sure you get the most out of the photo or logo you add to your email signature.
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What to avoid in your email signature
Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to include in an email signature templates. You want your signature to be readable by everybody, so don't include any custom fonts that some devices or email clients might not support. You should also avoid including unnecessary contact information to keep your signature short.
As tempting as it can be to fill emails with graphics and other neat-looking media when using a free email signature editor, it can cause your emails to load slowly and display incorrectly on certain devices. Avoid including bullet points, animated GIFs, and videos in your email signature to ensure it loads quickly and is easy to read.
Your email signature is one of the main things people use to identify your emails, so knowing what to include in an email signature is important.
Your email signature should include your full name, contact information, job information, important links, legal requirements, a call to action, and pronouns. You want to write a detailed email signature, but don't go too crazy.
If you're having trouble learning the ropes when it comes to email marketing, Mailchimp can help. We've got lots of great resources that can help you write better emails, plus we offer email automation tools that can save you time. Try Mailchimp and see what a better email marketing service can do for your brand.
Tips for creating an email signature
To create one of the best email signatures, consider what information to include carefully. Many design options are available, so how can you ensure your email signature does what you expect? Some of the most essential tips to keep in mind include:
Use consistent branding
Make sure the branding in the email signature is consistent. For example, you should ensure the color scheme is consistent with the company brand. If there is a motto or slogan, you need to make sure it is consistent across the board.
Ensure all links work
If you include links in your email signature, make sure they work. For example, you might include a link to the company homepage to ensure the destination URL is correct. \
If you include links to your social media account, make sure they work correctly. Keep in mind that URLs might change occasionally, so you will need to update your email signature as well.
Include white space
Even though you might be tempted to cram all the information in your email signature into one small area, including white space, the recipient may have difficulty reading all the information if the email signature is too compressed.
It will make your email signature appear busy, causing recipients to have a hard time figuring out where to look. Make sure to include some white space to make it easier on the eyes of the reader. Also, remember that signatures will be rendered differently on the major email clients.
For instance, your signature might look different on Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail, and Outlook.
Choose the font carefully
You need to choose the font in your email signature carefully. Even though it does not have to match the body of the email perfectly, you do not want the font to be difficult to read. You also need to choose a font that reflects professionalism. Getting creative is always accepted, but do not stray too far from what is readily accepted.
Double-check your contact information
Always double-check your contact information to make sure it is correct. Your phone number, address, and office location may change occasionally, so if it does, do not forget to update your email signature. If the recipient realizes that the contact information in your signature is inaccurate, it may not reflect well on your company and can result in a lost lead.
These are just a few points you need to remember if you want to craft a strong email signature. With these tips, you can ensure you create a professional email signature that performs well.
Email signature examples
Now that you know what email signatures are, their importance, and how to create one that stands out, let's take a look at a few email signature examples. Below, you'll find three email signature examples that you can draw inspiration from. You can download all 3 templates as well for your own use!
Email signature template #1
In the email signature example above, you'll notice that Michelle includes a clear headshot as their photo, uses plenty of white space, and has clickable links to her social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Email signature template #2
In Eric's email signature example, viewers can easily note his position as manager and find his contact information, such as his phone number, email address, website, and location. Additionally, Eric has a link to connect with him via Zoom, which can help drive conversions.
Email signature template #3
Jon takes a different approach in this email signature example. Above, you'll notice he has his company logo, which helps increase brand awareness, as well as his role listed as a financial advisor with his contact information below. Although simple in design, this email signature gives viewers all the information they need to contact Jon directly.
Get everything you need for your email signature
Email signatures can play a more significant role in your communication efforts that you realize. Learn what to include in your email signature with this template.
Wrapping up: What to know about email signature formats
Your email signature is one of the main things people use to identify your emails, so knowing what to include in an email signature is important. Your email signature should include your full name, contact information, job information, important links, legal requirements, a call to action, and pronouns. You want to write a detailed email signature, but make sure it isn't too cluttered.
If you're having trouble learning the ropes when it comes to email marketing, Mailchimp can help. We've got lots of great resources that can help you write better emails, plus we offer email automation tools that can save you time. Use our free email signature maker to make your emails more personal. Try Mailchimp and see what a better email marketing service can do for your brand.