What's Your Sign?
Creative Email Signatures
Email has become an essential part of our daily business, and in most cases, we
type the necessary correspondence, push send, and move on with our day. It's easy
to jump into most email programs and add the basic contact information, but why not
use every email interaction as an opportunity to impress the recipient, brand
yourself, and ask for referrals? There are a variety of ways to add strength to your
email signature. Here are just a few:
In order to impress potential clients, you have to look impressive, and that includes
your email. There are many easy-to-use tools available that make every email you
send look like a business letter on your own company letterhead. Check out
www.LinkedIn.com, which is one of many free networking sites that offer a powerful
signature tool.
Utilize every email to brand yourself as a professional. One way to do this is to add a short testimonial after your
signature. If you don't have any testimonials, make it easy for your clients to provide them. Every time a client makes a
great comment to you about your service, thank them and then ask if they would mind if you wrote the testimonial down
right then and there.
If you're just getting started in your industry and don't have a wealth of past clients to call on, ask your peers, your
manager, or your mentor to write a short personal endorsement. You'll want to replace them with client testimonials once
you have them, but in the meantime, any testimonial is better than none!
Remember the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words"? Well, your picture may be worth thousands of dollars. We
live in a visual world and your picture on outgoing emails will create familiarity - an essential part of attracting clients.
Place a professional picture of yourself directly below your name and contact information. This step is especially crucial
with clients that may only communicate with you by email and phone. This gives them the opportunity to see your face
and feel connected to you.
Take your email signature to the next level by consistently asking for referrals in the space below your contact information.
We'd all like to think that our clients constantly have us on their minds to refer to others - but the truth is, unless we
remind them that we'd really like their referrals - it may not be on their mind. Here are a few examples:
"The highest compliment I can receive is a referral from a friend." "P.S. While my business is good and growing steadily, it is important for you to know that I am never too busy to help those you refer to me: your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers." "Don't keep me a secret! Take a minute to let your friends know the value you received from my services."
If you use a different type of slogan in your marketing, consider adding that to your email signature as well. You don't want
to get too wordy, but you do want every contact to know your values and determination to work on referrals.
We all have many opportunities each day to impress, brand, and ask for referrals. Unfortunately, we often don't take
advantage of these opportunities. A business growing primarily on referrals is a strong business. So ask yourself
again...Are you getting the most out of your emails, or is it worth taking a closer look?
If you'd like to exchange more ideas on creating branding and marketing, please don't hesitate to give me a call.
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