Best Practices for Creating a Professional Email Signature

Remember when a business card was the most important thing you needed to use to get your business’s name out there? Let me ask you this: How many business cards do you hand out and how many do you think people retain? The truth is that business cards may be useful, but the number one thing that matters now is your email signature. That is your business card now. With much of our daily business being conducted online, it can be the first impression someone gets to learn more about you.

What should your email signature contain?

• Your name
• Your title
• Your website
• Your phone number
• Your mailing address
• Your picture (yes, your picture!)
• Your logo
• Links to your social media accounts

Most people do not realize that it should contain your phone number. The reason for this is sometimes people will need to speak to you once they get your email (not everyone wants to communicate via email) so it is best to make sure they have a convenient way of reaching you and hearing your voice. With most smartphones all you must do is hit the phone number and it calls for you.

There is really no need to include your email address, because of course with an email signature, you’re already sending the message from the address! If your email is forwarded to someone, again the email address is attached. It would only be necessary to include an email address if you have another one you use for something.

Although it may feel fun to showcase your personality or beliefs, you should not have a quote or something witty in your email signature. Avoid clever sayings or inspirational quotes in your email signature, because it is just encouraging people to ignore what you have to say if the quote doesn’t resonate with them.

You should choose a font size that is easy to read but not so large that it throws off the layout of the whole thing and makes it difficult to read from a small screen. Remember that more often than not, your email will probably be viewed from a smaller screen like a smartphone!

Keeping your signature short, professional and to the point, avoiding any unnecessary words or images and only including whatever is necessary for others to communicate further with you will go a long way in making a good first impression for potential clients.