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How to Create A Memorable, Social Media Savvy E-mail Signature

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TO START
We all know the rudiments of making a good first impression with in-person networking. Dress neatly and professionally. Smile and shake hands with a firm, not limp or crushing, grip. Be a good listener. Exchange business cards and jot down notes on the back of received cards as a reminder of where you met and other important business details.
But there is another spin on the first impression scenario. What if one does not have the opportunity to make that good first impression in-person or needs to follow up that good first in-person impression with another form of communication. Let’s say using e-mail. How do you make a lasting impression that can also promote your business using e-mail?
I used to say and still find that volumes can be told about a person and their business from their business card. The same holds true for e-mail signatures. So let’s explore some tips to see if they work for you.

WHAT NOT TO DO
First I want to suggest what NOT to do. Have you ever noticed how some people sign off with a long underlined text list of all their contact info, including Skype and chat contacts, social media, etc.? It is a vertical blur of one monotone link after another. For example, one person I needed to speak with ASAP had about 10 linked lines of copy for how to be reached. I visually scrolled down the list only to find there was no phone number. (Growl), that was frustrating.

WHAT TO DO
Let’s see if we can come up with a list of what to do to not only make a really powerful and memorable first and lasting impression but also throw in a bit of social media marketing, too.

A list of how to create a memorable, social media e-mail signature

A list of things to do to create a memorable, social media e-mail signature @ Alison Gilbert


Let me add one thing about phone numbers. With so much promotion taking place for local businesses with the flourishing of Google places pages and Local Online Business Directories, potential customers want to see a local number to get a sense of where a service provider or vendor is located (especially if an address is not included).
Since business has become global, I suggest adding time zone, state and country, info. The last thing a home based business owner wants is to be called at 2 am because the potential customer thinks it is 2 pm. Here is an example of how I write my home number (a fictitious example) 987-654-3210, EST, NY, USA.

Here is an example of what this all might look like:

A memorable e-mail signature

A memorable e-mail signature @ Alison Gilbert



CONCLUSION
Let me know what you think, if you find this helpful or if you do not agree with these suggestions. Thanks.
AUTHOR:

Alison Gilbert is a Digital Age Storyteller and photojournalist. She is a regular contributing author to DBME, writes The Marketing Byte Blog and is The New York Graphic Design Examiner. Alison is the owner of MARKETING BYTES Solutions 4 Local Biz. She has been a marketing pro and entrepreneur for over three decades. Her company specializes in local/small and start up businesses with a boutique (very personal style) approach to client service.
The MARKETING BYTES ProTeam consists of experienced marketing, design, technology and writing professionals offering the latest online Inbound Marketing technology, social media, graphic and web design, illustration, photo and video, content management as well as the best of traditional advertising. Her client base has covered just about every commercial industry.
Although located on Long Island, NY, MARKETING BYTES serves clients everywhere there is Internet access. To learn more, visit our site, Marketing Bytes, our local biz facebook page, Marketing Main Street USA, and join our local biz facebook group, Local Biz Is The Solution.
To contact us: e-mail or call 516-665-9034 (EST, NY, USA).

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Comments

  4. Thanks Craig for you comment. Being a visual person, I always like to add some spice to anything verbal I have to do. In the case of an e-mail signature, it breaks up the monotony of type and actually makes it easier to digest and respond to all the information in a signature these days. I am eager to see what you come up with.

    Reply

  5. I have wanted a similar signature for a while and the solution was http://www.wisestamp.com but it doesn’t work with outlook. Since I have both hotmail, gmail and by company email address it was not possible with wisestamp although they are working on making it work in outlook.
    They will also be able to assign different signatures to different email addresses which is pretty cool if you have several different social media platforms.
    I guess my question is how Alison has managed to create a signature that I desperate want?
    Jorgen
    ps. I completely agree with what you’re saying. Right now I use http://www.xeeme.com/jorgenpoulsen which I feel is better than 10 lines.

    Reply

    • Thanks Jorgen for your comment about my opinion about and style for e-mail signature. I actually tried WiseStamp.com and liked it. In fact, one of the other comments on this post is from someone at WiseStamp.
      If I can find an app or a program that makes something simpler for me to do, I like to go for it. Setting this signature up in GoDaddy was not easy. In fact, the hardest part was finding where the set up was (under settings). I could have called them for help but sometimes I live the challenge of figuring things out myself. The POP feature on my MAC did not allow for any images if I remember correctly.
      I also set up a signature on one of my gmail accounts. But they severely limit the number of images that one can use. That might be a good place for me to try WiseStamp again. I hope my methods can help you. I will check out your URL.

      Reply

  6. I think one problem with this approach is that many email clients do not auto load images. Many people, myself included, won’t choose to view images sometimes, so all that work is for naught. And anything that’s in an image that is not also in text is lost.
    I see your point about breaking up a long signature but viewing your example still makes my head hurt. I feel that’s still too much info for a signature that ends up on every email. I think keep it very simple. Pick your most important contact info, don’t include every platform under the sun. That’s what Google is for. Pick one public profile, a good phone number where you get voicemail, job title and email and leave it at that. Include a photo if you must.
    Remember that many people will be viewing your email on their mobile devices and too much info really clutters your email, especially after repeat correspondents.

    Reply

  7. I think one problem with this approach is that many email clients do not auto load images. Many people, myself included, won’t choose to view images sometimes, so all that work is for naught. And anything that’s in an image that is not also in text is lost.
    I see your point about breaking up a long signature but viewing your example still makes my head hurt. I feel that’s still too much info for a signature that ends up on every email. I think keep it very simple. Pick your most important contact info, don’t include every platform under the sun. That’s what Google is for. Pick one public profile, a good phone number where you get voicemail, job title and email and leave it at that. Include a photo if you must.
    Remember that many people will be viewing your email on their mobile devices and too much info really clutters your email, especially after repeat correspondents.

    Reply

    • Thanks for your comment Greg. I am sorry that my signature made your head hurt. You do raise one point that I agree with and that is about mobile devises. We do need to really consider that with everything we do. I am originally from the print Graphic Design planet and have a strong sense of visual presentation. I know how this can be a hindrance in the digital age if there is not a seamless translation from analog to digital thinking. That is something I will continue to work on. I do appreciate your taking the time to comment even if you are not a fan. Conversations and connecting are more important than fans in my book. Send me an e-mail, if you like, so I can see your signature: maven4localbiz@gmail.com

      Reply

    • Josh@Wisestamp, Thank you for your comment and compliment. I am a fan of WiseStamp and I have tried it. I am not sure why I did not use it for my latest signature or mention it in my post. So I am glad you mentioned it. In fact, another person who commented on this blog post did mention WiseStamp.
      This is what he said, “I have wanted a similar signature for a while and the solution was http://www.wisestamp.com but it doesn’t work with outlook. Since I have both hotmail, gmail and by company email address it was not possible with wisestamp although they are working on making it work in outlook.
      They will also be able to assign different signatures to different email addresses which is pretty cool if you have several different social media platforms.” jorgen.poulsen@catalystpartnership.com
      Maybe you can contact him and make some suggestions. I am going to check out WiseStamp again as well. I finally got my signature almost perfect on GoDaddy for my POP accounts but gmail seriously limits the amount of images on a signature and that is really cramping my style.
      Good to hear from you. Let’s stay in touch.

      Reply

      • Hi Alison,
        I just wanted to add that I have actually spoken to John and have promised to write a blog about wisestamp but haven’t gotten around to it yet (sorry John). As soon as he has a solution that works for outlook I’m 100% going to use it.
        Jorgen

        Reply

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