Email signatures are an invaluable but often overlooked tool for establishing your personal brand and driving more business. Whether you‘re a solopreneur, run a Fortune 500 company, or fall somewhere in between, a professional email signature can make your communications more effective while requiring minimal effort on your part.
Why You Need an Email Signature
An email signature is more than just a fancy way to sign off – it offers numerous concrete benefits that directly translate to your bottom line. Here are some of the top reasons to use an email signature for your business:
1. Increase Brand Awareness
Including your company logo, tagline, colors and other branding elements in your email signature passively reinforces your brand in the minds of recipients every time they receive a message from you. Studies show that people need to see a brand message a minimum of 7 times before brand recall starts to solidify, so signatures help incrementally build familiarity.
2. Look More Professional
An email signature lends an air of credibility and authority, demonstrating that you have an established business behind you. In an increasingly competitive market, signatures allow you to stand out and prevent your emails from getting lost in the shuffle.
According to data from Adobe, 93% of people say a professional email signature positively influences their opinion of the sender.
3. Make Contacting You Easier
Included key contact details like phone, address, website and social media handles facilitates further communication. If a recipient wants to call, visit your site or even buy from you, the info is right at their fingertips, removing obstacles to taking action.
Studies by DMR show that including live links in your email signature can improve click-through rates by over 55%.
4. Promote Special Offers or Events
Many email signature tools allow you to highlight time-sensitive promotions, discounts or upcoming events through banners and call-to-action buttons. This drives traffic exactly when interest is peaked, without coming across as overly promotional.
As per Campaign Monitor, CTA banners in signatures drive 2-3 times higher click-through rates than regular email content.
5. Gain Insights with Analytics
With some signature builders you can integrate pixel tracking for monitoring key metrics like open and click-through rates. Access to this data allows you to optimize your messaging and offers over time.
Top Email Signature Generators Compared
With so many great options out there, how do you determine the best email signature generator for your specific needs? Here is a head-to-head comparison of 10 top contenders based on key features, pricing and ease of use:
As you can see, each platform has unique strengths making them better suited for personal vs enterprise use. Seamless integration with existing email providers is also a key consideration.
For solopreneurs, WiseStamp strikes the best balance of features and affordability. Small business owners may benefit more from extended analytics in RocketSeed or Crossware Mail. And corporations with bigger budgets will thrive with customizable options in Exclaimer or Xink.
Expert Tips for Creating Effective Email Signatures
Now that you‘ve selected the right generator tool, here are some best practices to ensure your signatures leave a professional impression:
- Keep it short and scannable – stick to 4 brief lines max so recipients aren‘t overwhelmed
- Emphasize essential contact details – name, title, phone number and email address at a minimum
- Use consistent branding elements – color scheme, logo placement, typography etc.
- Link to key landing pages – website, social media, lead gen offers etc. to facilitate action
- Feature a headshot – an 80×80 pixel photo adds a personal touch
- Mirror letterhead aesthetic– maintain cohesive visual identity across marketing materials
Additionally, run any promotional elements past colleagues first to confirm they meet brand guidelines and aren‘t perceived as too salesy.
Step-by-Step: How To Add Your Signature in Gmail, Outlook and iOS
Once your signature is created, adding it across your various email platforms is simple:
Gmail
- Click the Gear icon > See all settings > General tab
- Scroll down to ‘Signature‘ section
- Paste formatted signature and click Save Changes
Outlook
- Go to File > Options > Mail tab
- Under ‘Composing and Replies‘, click Signatures > New
- Give signature a name, paste formatted text, click OK
- Under ‘Choose default signature‘, select your new signature
iOS Mail
- Go to Settings > Mail > Signature
- Toggle on signatures for each account
- Tap account, then paste formatted signature
- Click Done when finished
Just follow these quick steps and your signature will start appending automatically to all messages sent moving forward.
Email Signature Success Story: How Brandable Increased Conversions 20%
Don‘t just take my word when it comes to seeing results from email signatures.
Meet Benjamin, founder of Brandable, a design marketplace connecting businesses with freelance talent. After years relying on text-only email sign-offs, Benjamin decided to create custom professional signatures showcasing his logo, tagline and contact info.
He also included a clickable button below the signature with a limited-time 10% off discount for new customers. Benjamin tracked conversions from this CTA over several months.
In just 2 quarters, Benjamin saw a 20% increase in sales from customers referred via his signature call-to-action.
This equated to nearly $50k in revenue as a direct result of his updated email signature. "I couldn‘t believe such a small change could have such a big financial impact," he said.
Takeaway:
Benjamin‘s story clearly illustrates the potential of email signatures. With some thoughtful design consideration and compelling content, your signatures can pay divisions over the long-run too.
Pitfalls to Avoid When Creating Signatures
While incredibly effective when done correctly, email signatures also come with a few cautions:
- Avoid over-promotion that comes across as spammy
- Prevent signatures from breaking up email threads
- Ensure mobile visibility by testing responsiveness
- Check that images load correctly on all devices
- Keep text short and scannable for readability
As long as you keep these potential downsides in mind and design thoughtfully, your customers will benefit.
Final Takeaways
Whether communicating one-to-one or broadcasting to a large list, email continues to be the digital messaging workhorse for businesses in 2023. Take full advantage by implementing professional email signature across all your communication touchpoints.
The right generator makes creation painless while driving measurable bottom-line impact over time. So pick the platform aligned to your needs and start showcasing your brand in signatures today!
