BRAND YOUR EMAILS
One of the easiest ways to reinforce your brand, build your opt-in list, and drive traffic to your online presence is to create a branded email signature. Items you should consider including are:

• Your name and title
• Phone number
• Your company name or logo
• Your company tagline or slogan
• Website address
• Social media links (only include the few you actively use)

Personally, I like it when senders also include their mailing address; it’s an easier reference for me than digging out their business card. You may also consider a call to action (Tell a friend, sign up for our newsletter, download our free report) with active links.

So how do you create an html email signature?

If you’re using a browser-based email, the easiest way to is to use the free version of a tool called WiseStamp. You can quickly create a branded email signature in minutes by following their instructions. Signatures created with this tool use images that are hosted on the internet, so you won’t be impolitely cluttering recipients’ download folders with unnecessary attachments. A few words of caution, though: WiseStamp makes it easy to clutter your design with extra features (twitter feeds, icons, etc). Remember as you design your signature that less is more! Also, since it’s a free tool, it’ll throw an advertisement for their product at the bottom.

If you’re using an email program like Outlook or Mac Mail, it’s a little trickier to create a custom signature. You’ll need to work with someone who knows how to code html. You can get—and tweak—sample code at a number of sites, including this one, but honestly folks…it’s not for the faint of heart. Email programs have some odd quirks in displaying html code that you’ll need to take into consideration.

Once you’ve got your html email code, here are some instructions for installing it in Outlook (watch the video for best results!), and Mac Mail. (Warning: the Mac Mail installation may make you a little crazy!!)

And just as a reminder. . .

Although we like to think that we can and should do it all, consider that for brand consistency, it’s often better to have a professional designer and programmer create your signature for you.

Tags: browser email, email footer, email signature, html email, html signature, Mac Mail, Outlook Mail, wisestamp

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2013 at 11:41 am and is filed under Design Tricks and Tips, Marketing your Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.