Make Your E-Mail Signature File WORK for You!

Your Signature File: A Convenient Resource

People appreciate easily accessible information. Your clients may have your phone number stored somewhere, but they'll appreciate being able to find it quickly in an email. In today's digital age, someone needing your phone number quickly is more likely to retrieve it from your latest email than from a business card.

Moreover, if people want to add your information to their contact management software (like Outlook, ACT, Palm, etc.), they can simply copy and paste it from your sig file.

Introducing Yourself to Strangers

When you email people who aren't familiar with your business, your sig file can serve as a subtle sales pitch. For instance, as a co-chair for NY Women in Communications Inc. (WICI), I often book speakers for our monthly cocktail events via email. These people only know me as a representative of WICI; they have no idea what I do for a living. However, after spotting my sig file, one woman promptly wanted to learn more about my services.

Your Signature File: A Traveling Salesman

Emails are forwarded all the time, and you never know where yours may end up. A recipient of a forwarded email may be interested in your service or product. I experienced this when I received a call from a prospect in Israel who had learned about my services from a forwarded email.

A Powerful Promotional Tool

Think of your sig file as a little messenger who speaks to everyone you send an email to. What do you want it to say? Do you have great news? A new product or service? A free newsletter or report? Let us know via your sig file!

Crafting Your Signature File

Here are several items to consider including in your sig file. However, don't try to include them all! Choose what's most important for your business:

• Your name and title
• Your company name
• Your company tagline, or a short phrase that describes what your company does
• Your address
• Your phone, cell phone, and/or pager numbers
• Your fax number
• Your email address
• Your Web URL (be sure to include the "http://" prefix to ensure it will translate as a hyperlink on most email programs)

You might also consider including promotional info in your sig file, such as:

• An offer for a free report or product you offer
• An offer for a free consultation or trial offer
• A company announcement (new client, new product, award won, etc.)
• A hyperlink to your latest press release, article, or website feature
• An invitation to subscribe to your free e-newsletter

Remember to keep your offer or announcement to one or two sentences only. Most email software programs allow you to create and keep several signatures on file, so you can change them easily and often.

Prioritize What's Important

It's possible to include too much information in your sig file. Avoid including random quotes that have no relation to your business, cute illustrations made up of keyboard characters, or your weekend phone number. Try to keep your sig file to a maximum of eight lines. More than that will overwhelm the reader, and it will look silly if your sig files are always longer than your email messages!

Make Sure Your Signature File Clearly Communicates What You Do

Even seemingly complete sig files can leave people wondering, "Thanks for all the info, but what do you DO?" We all know what IBM and Kodak do, but the whole world doesn't know what your business does (yet). For now, it's your job to help us all learn. Include a tagline that describes what your company does or a short phrase that helps us understand. If your sig file consistently delivers a clear impression of what you have to offer your prospects, it will reward you numerous times in the future!