Email Signatures

To help you jump start the new year, we’re posting thirty-one technology and business treats, one for each day of January.

Email signatures are like professional letterhead from the olden days. It is simple and concise and contains what’s pertinent to alert the recipient to who you are and how to contact you. It’s one of those details, like having a real email address, that lets others know you are professional.

Business Email Accounts

Some companies, but not as many as one would think, do have an email signature standard. In that case, you will want to comply with that standard. If, however, your company does not have an email signature standard, then you will want to create one for yourself. Remember less is more, but do provide people with the information they will need to contact you. This is also your opportunity to teach others how you’d like to be contacted. By putting in only your email address and no phone number, for example, you’re letting the recipient know that is the preferred method to reach you.

The pertinent professional information usually is:

Your name, company and position, email, and phone.

You may want to also include your professional Twitter account if that’s part of your communication responsibilities.

The result is a clean, simple, functional signature. Here’s what we use at Cloudtippers:

What NOT to Include

Some may want to rage against the corporate machine and express one’s individuality. There is a way to accomplish that goal without violating some simple guidelines.

Pictures

First, do NOT make your signature a picture. Yes, I know there are some that want a pixel-perfect signature to showcase their design skills. The email signature is not that venue. Some email clients may see the image as an attachment and block them by default. Every email client has their own set of rules how they render stuff.

Pictures are often huge files that can take forever to download. No one wants to wait for an email to download, especially on a mobile device. Many people have pictures turned off in their browser. For some, this is a hold-over from the days when viruses were hidden in pictures. For others, it’s a personal preference. Either way, if the signature is a picture, it will not render.

A small logo can be appropriate, but only the logo should be a picture, not the entire signature.

Fonts and Color

Stick with standard web fonts and use extreme caution with any color.

Confidentiality Statements 

Some professional are required by law to include a confidentiality statement. You know who you are and what is required.

Random Quotes

Random quotes may be fun with friends, but you run the risk of offending a client or associate. As with other things in life, be safe.

Miscellaneous Stuff

Some things might go without saying, but just to be sure we all understand we’re talking about business email signatures, here are a couple of other items to make sure you do NOT include:

Any personal contact details, websites, and blogs;

Your entire skill set, certifications, CV … you get the idea;

Backgrounds, borders, decorative embellishments;

Anything animated. Enough said.

Personal Email Signatures

Most people don’t think about adding an email signature to their personal email accounts. It’s a great way to make sure your current contact info is available for those who may need it. I can’t tell you how many people I have email addresses for but no cellphone number or Twitter details. Including your personal website or blog is also appropriate.

Here’s an example of one of mine (yes, it gives you a clue as to my past life):

One Final Thought

Most of us handle our email from many devices. Just because you set up an email signature, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will also show up in the same way on another device. Be sure to check your email preferences on each of your devices. You may have to set up your email signature separately on each of your devices.