Is your business email signature dressed for success and looking its best? After all, you don’t want to go through the year with a tired-looking email signature displaying out-of-date details, making you look unprofessional and risking your business missing out on valuable marketing and sales opportunities. To ensure this isn’t the case, here is a quick guide on how to update your email signature, for 2022.
1. Update your job title
Have you recently been promoted? Do you now have a shiny new job title? If so, this is the first – and most obvious – element of your email signature that requires a revamp. Failing to update your title straight away can lead to confusion and mistakes. You want everyone within your organisation to understand and recognise your new position.
It also helps when communicating with clients. By keeping them up-to-date with your job role, they know exactly who they are conversing with within your organisation.
2. Refresh your contact details
Over time, your contact details are naturally going to change. Say you have recently moved offices, or staff are working remotely and need to be reachable on mobile. In this case, it’s imperative you edit your email signature, replacing the old number with the new one.
Changes to your signature’s contact details aren’t only applicable when you upgrade a previous communication channel. You also have to refresh your signature when you adopt a new communication type. For example, it’s not uncommon for new social media platforms to climb into prominence seemingly overnight, and you may want to adopt these straight away. In that case, you should embed a new social media icon – complete with a hyperlink to the appropriate social media profile – into your email signature.
Providing your contact details is the main aim of a signature. The last thing you want to do is supply recipients with outdated information that’ll lead to a communication breakdown.
3. Provide a new headshot
How long has it been since you took the headshot that currently resides in your signature? Has it been a few years? If so, it is time for an update. To convey trust, your headshot has to be accurate. A decade-old picture, for instance, is only going to lead to doubts from recipients – and a surprise if you meet on a video call or in person!
When updating this element of your signature, use it as an excuse to shoot a much-improved, professional headshot. Ensure the photo is clear and in focus. Look directly at the camera, dress professionally, and put your smile on full display. Also, to guarantee all focus is on you, make the photo’s background a neutral colour.
4. Add in a call-to-action (CTA)
Many people that use an email signature are not using it to its full potential. They simply include their basic information, display it in a uniform way, and then never give it a second thought.
If you fall into this category, it’s time to change your mindset. It’s time to start maximising the impact of your email signature by incorporating a clickable call-to-action to actively drive recipient engagement.
A CTA can be placed at the bottom of your signature as an eye-catching button or within a banner in your signature or at the top of your email. Don’t worry about it being overlooked. Simply add in a concise and effective message, and a generous click-through rate is a given – assuming you’ve got the right offer of course! Your CTA could be for anything,from a free eBook download to a special product discount. Want to design the perfect CTA button? See our recommendations on what makes people click.
5. Make sure your email disclaimer is correct
Okay, this might be the least thrilling aspect of your business email signature but your email disclaimer is a necessity. After all, you don’t want to put your organisation in a position where it’s breaking the law.
Depending on your location and business type, email disclaimer requirements can vary significantly – and you have to check where your company falls in that regard. To ensure you’re compliant, covered and confident, check out our comprehensive Email Disclaimers guide.
6. Revamp your email signature marketing banners
If you’re using marketing banners below your signature or at the top of your emails, you need to ensure that you’re not displaying outdated marketing campaigns. Check your imagery, copy and calls-to-action. You don’t want to be running last year’s campaigns by default!
If you’re not currently using email banners, now’s the time to start. Make 2022 the year you really transform your everyday email into an engaging marketing channel! Here are 33 great email signature banner examples to give you some inspiration.
Planning for the year ahead? The right email signature software can save you a lot of time and stress by enabling you to automate the scheduling of your email banners to match your year’s promotional programme.
7. Measure your signature success
Make 2022 the year that you really find out how effective your email signature is at engaging your audience. After all, what’s the use of getting your email signature right if you can’t see the results?
Does your current email signature software give you the analytics you need to track your email signatures and banner campaigns, and measure all recipient engagement (including real-time click alerts you can follow up on immediately)? Now’s the time to get these extra insights by utilising an email signature manager that supports your signatures with full analytics and reporting.
Ready to update your business email signatures?
These are just a few practical suggestions to help you update your email signature. We’ve also compiled 10 ways to meet 2022’s digital marketing trends using your email signature, designed to maximise your email signature marketing results over the year ahead.
Need assistance updating your email signature for 2022? Or looking to take central control of all your company email signatures? We’re here to help – contact us today.
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