On average, more than 300 billion emails are sent and received on a global scale every day. The email marketing industry is set to reach $17.9 billion by 2027. Despite these amazing statistics, many still treat their email signatures like an afterthought, which is a big mistake!
Although seemingly small, email signatures have the power to make a big impression on the person you email, establish a brand identity, convey the ethos of you or your company, and help you secure that crucial meeting.
In this article, we explore why email signatures can make or break your entire email pitch. We also give you 5 great email signature examples that you can use to level up your email signature game.
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What Is An Email Signature?
Whether you're a content marketing agency or a freelancer trying to secure your next job, email signatures can make a difference in ensuring that you leave a good lasting impression. So what exactly is an email signature?
An email signature is a customized information block, most often located at the end of an email. It includes crucial information about who's sending the email, including their full name, contact information, job title and company name.
It can sometimes include additional elements like your logos, qualifications and social media handles. In addition to this basic information, email signatures can also be used to promote an upcoming project and track recipient activity.
Design-wise, email signatures can be as minimalist or complex as you want. Regardless of the format, they serve as your digital business card, as they convey topline information about you, the sender. As a result, they're your key to further communication and engagement with the person who's receiving your email.
What Is The Importance Of A Good Email Signature From An Email Marketing Standpoint?
A great pitch is all well and good, but having an email signature that makes your business look suspicious or unreliable can quickly put the email you've spent hours writing in the bin.
Email signatures play an important role in improving the work you've already done on your email marketing strategy, as they help boost the credibility of your brand and encourage the recipient to engage with your email, even as you begin your email warm-up.
Here are the top reasons why your email signature might be the final piece of your email marketing puzzle.
Brand consistency and recognition
Having an email signature that's consistent with your overall branding is important, as it helps potential clients remember who you are and what your brand is about.
Ensure your email signature includes the same logo, font and brand colors you're using across all other communication channels, including your website and social media.
In an increasingly competitive business environment, this is particularly important to increase brand awareness and strengthen brand recall.
Higher traffic and click-through rates
Strategically placed call-to-action (CTA) links or buttons can do wonders to your website or calendar traffic. By providing a link that recipients see time and time again, and linking to content that your recipients are interested in, you're not only guaranteed higher click-through rates (CTRs) but also higher conversion and traffic rates.
The best CTAs are simple and direct. Going overboard or coming across as desperate can harm your brand, rather than help.
Enhanced professionalism
A well-designed email signature not only helps the recipient know who you are but also conveys a sense of professionalism and credibility. Including important contact information helps build a trust-based relationship - which is particularly important when you're doing business. First impressions count, so don't waste that opportunity!
Promotional space
Think of your email signature as a free promotional space. It's prime (digital) real estate to promote your latest project, campaign successes or upcoming webinars. By tastefully including links or promotional graphics, you keep your email recipient up to date with you or your company's key successes and marketing initiatives.
Relationship building
Personalized email signatures, including the sender's full name, photo and company mission statement, add a human touch to each email, which is invaluable when building connections. Adding these elements to your email signature helps potential clients and business partners put a face to the name, leading to a higher chance they'll actually reply.
Compliance with legal requirements
In certain industries and states, email signatures may have to comply with regulatory standards, such as data protection disclaimers, company registration numbers, or an unsubscribe button. Including the necessary regulatory elements in your email signature not only eliminates potential legal issues but also shows the recipient that you're representing a legitimate business.
Mobile-first design
Since most people check their emails on their phones, it's important to design mobile-first email signatures. It's no use adding a high-quality graphic to your email signature if it can't be opened on a mobile device or takes ages to load.
Every email signature you create needs to be optimized to mobile to ensure that every recipient can see it as it is, and that the email is not flagged as spam.
5 Email Signature Examples That You Can Use As A Template
Do you want to create the perfect email signature, but don't know where to start? Do you already have an email signature, but need to know whether it's representative of your brand?
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, we've got you covered. Here are 5 excellent email signature examples that you can use as a template to create your new and improved email signature.
Email signature example #1: Simple and straightforward
Credit: The Unsigned Guide
This email signature is simple and straightforward - but still informative. Recipients can easily identify the sender's name, pronouns, job title and company without any additional faff. By presenting this information in a simple and structured way, you make your email skimmable, while still exuding a sense of professionalism.
Email signature example #2: Branded and interactive
Credit: Yesware
This email signature works because it's not only straight to the point, but also includes the brand's logo and colors. By incorporating these key brand elements, recipients immediately know what company you're representing and start associating you with the company, making for excellent brand recall.
Not only that, this email signature example is also interactive, as it includes social media icons. These clickable icons are important because they add an extra layer of information and allow the recipient to learn more about your company on their favorite social media platform.
Email signature example #3: Promotional and engaging
It's no secret that sometimes you need to use your email signature to promote your wares. A promotional email signature, like the one below, serves as a powerful tool to drive people to an external link, promote a campaign or offer, and encourage them to interact with your email signature.
Credit: HubSpot
Essentially, you transform your email signature into a CTA by compelling your recipients to take action. If you want to go down this path, make sure your recipients can reach the intended landing page with just one click. In this way, you can track conversions and make the most of your promotional email signature.
Email signature example #4: Highly personalized
Credit: ByBrand
A personalized email signature makes the email feel more "human," which instigates a sense of connection with the recipient. A quote in your email signature can also serve as a good conversation starter and encourage the person at the other end to reply to your email (which can be incredibly helpful even when sending cold emails).
Make sure that the quote you include not only reflects you as an individual, but also the company as a whole. It has to align with the company's ethos and brand messaging. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense and can deter rather than encourage the person you're trying to connect with.
Email signature example #5: Putting a face to the name
Credit: Complex Creative
You can take personalization to the next level by adding your photo to your email signature. Emails can sometimes feel a little cold, so adding your photo not only helps the recipient put a face to the name, but also makes the email a bit more personable.
If you set up an in-person meeting, it can help avoid awkward stares at your meeting spot, as the other person can recognize you immediately and cut straight to the chase.
Final Thoughts
Whether you're sending bulk emails or a single recipient email, having an email signature that represents you and your brand can make a world of difference in securing meetings and ultimately, deals. If you want to create an eye-catching email signature but don't know where to start, check out SendX.
With SendX's easy drag-and-drop editor, you can create attractive emails and email signatures with the click of a few buttons. Plus, you don't have to worry about optimizing your email and email signature for mobile, as SendX does that for you.
Claim your 14-day free trial here.
