How to Create a Signature in Outgoing Emails
In email marketing, it’s essential to not only craft attention-grabbing subject lines but also to conclude your communication effectively. An email signature is a component that fosters trust in your brand, simplifies customer interaction, and even promotes products and services. In fact, 62% of marketers use the email footer for marketing campaigns.
Creating an email signature should be a well-thought-out action. Many opt for specialized services or generators while adhering to common guidelines. In this article, we’ll delve into configuring an email signature, making it personalized and impactful, both in terms of branding and marketing.
Why an email signature matters
An email signature is a must-have for brand communications. This seemingly small detail becomes the ‘face’ of your company and a crucial element in building its reputation.
Here’s why an email signature holds value in your emails:
Personalization. By communicating from a recognizable sender’s name rather than an impersonal account, brands garner more customer trust.
Brand recognition. A well-designed email signature with your company logo that recipients see frequently becomes memorable. People become accustomed to your brand, making them more likely to recognize your products across various platforms, both online and offline.
Communication simplification. Typically, an email signature includes contact details such as email and phone numbers. This ensures customers always know where to reach out for inquiries or feedback.
Cross-channel promotion. Email signature text often incorporates icons of other brand social media channels, enticing users to visit and follow. It’s a simple, cost-free way to grow your audience and develop omnichannel presence.
Product and service promotion. Email signatures can feature call-to-action buttons and promotional elements like banners showcasing special offers or appointment booking forms.
Elements of the email signature
There are various ways to complete an email. Let’s examine a comprehensive email signature example from utm.io to illustrate.
Here are the key elements to include in any email:
- brand logo;
- physical company address;
- links to social media accounts;
- update email preferences link.
There can also be additional elements, important but not mandatory:
- brand slogan and appreciation message;
- explanation of why the customer received the email (self-subscribed);
- location link, etc.
If your brand communicates from the perspective of a specific manager or a group of individuals, email signatures should also feature their names, titles, direct contacts (if appropriate), and optionally, photos.
Tips for making a signature in mail
A successful email signature is concise yet includes all essential information for the client. Here are tips for creating one:
- Provide contact options with the company or specify that questions can be asked via reply or a dedicated form on the website.
- Design the signature to align with the brand’s corporate style, considering the overall email design. Fonts and colors should harmonize while being noticeable.
- Incorporate visuals like a logo icon and an employee’s photo if the communication is from their perspective.
- Craft legible text without excess, creating an appealing signature. Highlight key elements and condense information into a few lines (up to six).
- Include links to other communication channels with recognizable clickable icons. Incorporate calls to action like “Contact us” or “Subscribe here.”
- Integrate selling points when necessary. While main offer details are in the email, it’s permissible to include links to case studies, blogs, or lead magnets in the signature. Utilize UTM tags for tracking.
- Enhance the signature with brand quotes or slogans, maintaining moderation in content.
Attention!
- Ensure users always have the option to unsubscribe directly from the email. The unsubscribe link should be included within the digital signature, while the support email address can remain for other queries. If users can’t easily unsubscribe, they might mark your email as spam and report the sender.
- Adapt signatures for mobile devices.
- Regularly verify contact details and link functionality.
How to make a signature in Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail
Gmail
An email signature in Gmail can be consistent across all emails or configured separately for outgoing and reply/forward messages. To set this up, follow these steps:
- Click on the “Settings” gear icon in the upper right corner.
- Choose “See all settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Give a name to your signature.
- Configure the content, its design, optionally add a picture.
Outlook
Creating an email signature in Outlook is also done through a new email. In a new message, go to the “Message” tab, click on the “Signature” icon, and select “Signatures.”
Click “New” and give the signature a name. Then, using “Edit signature”, input your details. Templates are also available.
Yahoo Mail
Login to Yahoo. Click Settings on the upper right-hand side. Click the gear icon and choose “More Settings.” Select Writing Email from the left side menu. Then select your yahoo email address. Find the “Signature” section and toggle on the Signature switch to the right. Type in your signature or paste it in as HTML. Scroll down, hit “Save,” and it’s set for outgoing emails.
Some services to create a signature in the email
Configuring email signatures is a task that can be easily automated with specialized services. Let’s explore popular options.
The signature is generated after adding information to one of the templates. You can include a logo, photo, social media icons, and customize colors and font styles. The service offers a user-friendly interface.
Generates signatures in real-time. You simply need to fill in the form fields (name, contact details, company information), choose colors and a template.
There are several ready-made options with customizable CTAs for creating a signature, without the need for HTML or coding knowledge. The service offers a pleasant and user-friendly interface.
A versatile generator for personalized and creative signatures. The editor allows you to add videos, quotes, images, CTAs in the form of banners, buttons, schedules, and other elements.
A platform where you can easily create fully personalized designs: adjust image sizes and even add a selfie, especially if the signature is for a manager. It offers dozens of ready-made icons to link to other brand channels.
How to create a signature within Altcraft Platform Template Editor
Altcraft CDP includes an email editor, where creating a signature will take just a few minutes.
- First go to Templates — Create, and select Editor.
2. Then click “Email”
3. By default, the HTML version of the email will open. Switch to the “Visual editor” (located at the top right corner of the editor).
4. On the right sight of the window select Blocks, then select the appropriate block on the right among Text, Image with text, Text with image, Menu and Socials.
5. Let’s imagine you need a signature with an image. Add the desired template to the end of the email.
6. Fill in the template with information and upload a photo of the manager who handles the correspondence.
7. Drag and drop the block with social media icons (if reqired). Keep only the ones that are relevant to you.
8. The link to another communication channel is added in the right menu. Click on the icon and insert the address of your page or group here.
9. Do not forget to save the changes clicking the check mark.
In the editor, you can also see how the email content appears on different types of screens. To view this, click on the device images at the top of the editor.
The template element with an unsubscribe link is automatically added at the end of the email.
Summary
An effective email signature serves to enhance brand recognition, streamline communication with customers, foster trust, and can even contribute to marketing campaigns. Typically, email signatures include contact information, logo, links to other social media platforms, and an unsubscribe link. Additional elements like a geographical address (if relevant), slogan, and persuasive elements could be added. If emails come from specific managers, their name, title, and the possibility of adding an avatar should be included.
Signatures should be concise, align with the overall email style, and feature legible text. Special generators are used to create this element, making it easy to design a personalized format. For instance, Altcraft Platform allows the addition of a unique signature through a visual editor with just a few clicks.
The article was originally published here.
