Everyone these days of any professional capacity has an email signature which they use. This is usually something succinct and professional which sums up their place of employment and position in that business. People who work in positions of hierarchy in business send a seemingly never-ending list of emails every day, and it is important that you make a mark with every email you send. It is easy to make mistakes when it comes to all forms of communication with the business world, but there are easy ways to avoid making mistakes when it comes to this one. Here are seven common mistakes made with email signature use and how to avoid them.
1. Not Creating an Email Signature
Funnily enough, the most common mistake made when it comes to email signatures is not setting up one to begin with. Not only does an email signature save you a lot of time in the long run by signing every email for you, it also makes your communication immediately look professional too. It is a five-minute job that can save you silly mistakes and extra wasted time in the long run.
2. Do not Recreate an Email Signature
Hannah Waters, a marketing writer at Elite assignment help and Bestbritishessays, commented, “Email signatures are not a new thing, so there is no need to treat them like they are.” There is absolutely no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to this one. There are basic and obvious design features that constitute an efficient and professional email signature, and there is zero need to change any of these. Professionalism in an email signature is key, not inventiveness.
Photo by Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash
3. Double Check the Capability of your Email Provider
The best way to start the creation of your own email signature is to take a look at the initial capability and structure of your email provider. They are not all built the same and thus do not all have the same features. If the specific capabilities of your email provider is not obvious to the naked or untrained eye, it might be worth having a quick Google search to see what is available.
4. Do not Over-Indulge in Fonts or Misuse Them
Do not try to be too over-inventive when it comes to email signatures. As Lewis Beeton, a business blogger and editor at OX Essays and Revieweal, noted, “The main point of an email signature is to ensure your email is ended on a succinct and professional note and gives the reader everything they need to reply.” Ensure you do not try to get too creative by over-using fonts, switching up the design, or being overly unique. Ensure the structure of your email signature is well-built and not overly complicated, and do not use more than one font.
5. Remember the All-Important ‘Call to Action’
It is important to know what exactly you want your email signature to achieve when you are building it. If you simply want it to finish up an email with a professional touch, then it is absolutely fine to make it simple and succinct. However, if you want people to call you, respond imminently, or take another action; you can include a simple ‘call to action’ in the bottom of your signature. A call to action could be anything from a simple ‘call us!’ or ‘book now!’ to something more intricate. However it is important to ensure that it is nothing over-complicated, as it could make your email signature look messy.
6. Add an Image!
The business world is a visual place, your first impression is what you see; and as much as we try, first impressions count. What you see is what you get. Images and pictures are so important. Do not overcomplicate it, as always; but a simple piece of branding or a logo of some sort will allow your email signature to make an impression on the reader’s brain subconsciously.
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7. Not too Many Colours
Similar to the effect that images make, people seem to believe that colour does the same. However, this is not necessarily the case. Though colours can be used sparingly in brand images or logos attached to the signature, try not to overdo it with colours as they can sometimes make the signature distracting or disengaging.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Hines is an online content marketer and blog writer at Essay Roo review and Do my assignment She enjoys writing about new business and technology trends, especially marketing and recruitment. She also writes for other online platforms such as Simple Grad.