In a world where the average professional is sending and receiving an average of almost 200 emails per business day, you can provide added marketing and brand awareness value to email recipients if you follow these simple, but not so obvious tips. In the process, your company will generate more opportunities and make the lives of your email recipients a little bit easier, too.
Place your signature ABOVE quoted text in replies
You want your recipient to easily locate your full contact information, including your phone numbers. Through your email program settings or preferences, choose to automatically include a signature on each email. Your signature should be placed above the quoted text in your reply email. If you skip this step, some email applications will include your signature at the very bottom of your message chain. This may be too far down for most people to scroll to, especially if the chain of emails is extensive.
Include a brand link in the signature
Including a link, or soft marketing call-to-action, to your website within your email is tremendously beneficial for your business and brand. Linking to a social media page isn’t recommended unless it’s a specific post that serves relevance. Signature links are a quick and easy way to promote products or services that you are offering or a way to share recent news about your business. Many email programs offer the ability to randomly place an email signature based upon a predetermined bank of signatures. For Google Workspace users, you can have multiple signatures and specify which ones to send to your new outgoing emails or your reply emails.
Here’s an example:
Trillion has been recognized for outstanding web design by GDUSA! See the projects.
Include your phone number in your “Full Name”
This is mainly worthwhile for the solo entrepreneur who is looking to differentiate themself amongst the pool in a recipient’s inbox. Now, when a recipient receives an email from you it appears in their inbox as “Lou Leonardis (908) 219-4703”. Doing so allows them to easily find and contact you without even having to open the email. It is especially helpful for those who conduct a lot of business over the telephone. Here’s how to do it. Just go into your email settings and locate the tab for “Signature,” then add your phone number after your “Full Name” and you’re all set.
Do not use Gmail or similar free domains for your professional email address
First impressions are important for your brand. The company name should be present in the email address and I don’t mean yourcompanyname@gmail.com. Nothing reduces your brand’s value more than having a business with free email domains. Setting up a custom domain name such as yourname@companyname.com will ensure a professional brand image. With proper setup, you can still take advantage of free email services AND utilize your custom domain name. The annual cost is minimal for email hosting and domain name registration. It can start at less than $10 per month.
Include animated logos in your signature… wisely
A few years ago we listed putting a logo in your signature as a big no-no. This is because whenever the logo is included as an attachment and does not live on your web server (which is a common mistake most businesses make) it can cause your email to arrive in a spam folder.
You can now host a logo file, or even an animated logo file on a web server. There is no need to include extraneous artwork attachments so go ahead and further make your brand recognizable! Trillion’s animated logo has gained recognition and further distinguished our agency for our creative design and thoughtful execution.
Here’s what the animated logo in our email signature looks like:
Include email signature formatting and setup in your brand guidelines
Once your format is established, incorporate it into your brand guidelines so everyone in your company presents a consistent voice to the world. Keep in mind the platform your IT team chooses to utilize such as a platform like Microsoft Exchange that allows you to deliver a consistent format across the globe. Having a buttoned-down “email brand” for your company makes a good impression and helps build brand awareness and exposure to all email recipients.
Trillion builds and refines brands and leverages email signatures to support marketing efforts
Implement these 6 tips into your email account and make your brand more identifiable and easy to interact with. When you consider how many times your brand is exposed to prospects, clients and associates through email, these changes are a no brainer.
