Like it or not, email is the main form of business communication today. Think about it: how many emails do you send and receive at work? The average is about 120 messages per day. Yours may vary, of course, but we all spend a lot of hours staring at our inboxes every day. What if you could use those views and your email signature to promote your business?
A little e-history.
Initially invented as way for the Defense Department's ARPANET programmers and researchers to quickly communicate with each other, email has become the backbone of global business communication. The very first email was sent in 1971 and consisted of the phrase “QWERTYUIOP.” Sure, it wasn’t much to look at and not very useful, but it opened a small crack that would eventually become a floodgate.
It’s estimated that 124.5 billion daily business emails were sent in 2018, and that number is only expected to increase — perhaps to 320 billion daily by 2021. That’s a clear sign that email isn’t going away anytime soon.
Since so many emails are flying around the planet, here are a few reasons to consider adding some marketing messages to your email signature.
It’s an information destination.
At the very least, you should have your contact and other important information at the bottom of every email you send. How many times have you scoured someone’s message for a phone number or the sender’s physical address? Make it easy for potential customers to find you by including these items:
- Your Name
- Company Name
- Email Address
- Physical Address
- Phone Numbers (office and mobile)
- Website
- Social Media Links
It promotes communication.
Showing the myriad ways you can be contacted demonstrates your willingness to communicate. Some prospects might be unwilling to reach you via phone, so they might find it easier to send an email or text message. Or they might be intrigued by something in your LinkedIn profile or a photo on your company Facebook page. The more contact options you provide, the better chance someone will get in touch.
It’s a branding tool for your business.
Just like traditional stationery, your website or advertising in its many forms, your emails should look like they come from your company. Viewers will associate your branding — including logo, tagline, colors and typefaces — with your business, so make sure it looks like it belongs to you.
It plays a part in inbound marketing.
When linked to your social media accounts, your email signature can play a big part in inbound marketing — drawing in potential clients so you can interact with them and provide consistent, helpful and relevant content. It promotes research by the prospect to find out about your company’s products and services. Learn how adWhite can help supercharge your inbound marketing.
It can increase conversions.
Emails with signatures receive many more clicks than those without. Clicks can come from lots of sources — by driving traffic to your site, adding newsletter subscribers, drawing attention to featured product offerings and sales — just to name a few. More clicks can mean more conversions. What can you promote through your email signature to intrigue potential buyers? The possibilities are endless.
It’s easy to set up.
All of this is possible with just a few clicks of your own. If you don’t already have an automatic signature set up in your email app, learn how. It’s an easy way to better communicate with your clients and promote your business.
PS - here's a cool Email Signature Creator from our friends at HubSpot.
