Sign Your E-mails for Increased Performance

I bet you already know what signature files are. It is that short message people added at the end of their e-mail letters. Do you use it? And if you do, do you use it effectively?

Judging from the 100’s of e-mails I receive daily, most people don’t use it at all. And  the vast majority of the others could significantly improve the effectiveness of theirs.

When used right, signature files are the single most effective Case in Point marketing tool you have at your disposal. Just think: if you send only 10 e-mails per day, it will add up to 3,650 e-mails per year. That means 3,650 impressions of your signature file! And if you send about 50 e-mails per day, it means over 18,000 opportunities to advertise your community. All free of cost, with no extra work, except the time spent to set it up.

I have a feeling that I have your attention now!

Here is how you can make your signature file effective:

  • If you don’t have a signature file, make certain that you set one up. Don’t procrastinate or wait!
  • Don’t aim for perfection. A bad signature is better than none at all. Visit Outlook for a tutorial that will give you step-by-step instructions. If you use another program for your email simply Google signature files for your e-mail service.
  • Once you set it up, use it all the time. So many people HAVE signature files set up on their systems, yet they STILL don’t use them! Why, oh why? Using a signature file is safe for the environment and rain forest, it doesn’t cause computer crashes or expose your hard drive to viruses. All it does is promote networking and make our lives easier.
  • Make it short! Sure, you CAN attach a whole essay at the end of your email message and no one will accuse you of anything. But the longer it is, the less likely people will read it.

And you would like them to not only “read” it, but comprehend it as well, even “respond” to it, right? Use a maximum of 5-6 lines.

  • Always add http:// at the beginning of your web address, so that it becomes a hyperlink in most e-mail programs. If the recipient wants to visit your site, he or she can launch a browser’s window with just one click.
  • If you include your e-mail address, make it clickable too, by adding “mailto:” in front of the address — a simple click will automatically open a pre-addressed outgoing e-mail message in most e-mail programs.

Want to see some examples of signature files?

To get your own creative juices flowing, visit WiseStamp Signature Examples and view some samples of different signature files. At WiseStamp you can easily customize your signature with your logo, IM & social profiles. You can also enrich your signature with your latest Tweet, Quotes, Facebook status and much more!

  • Make it easy to read, uncluttered and no wider than 60-65 characters per line. Some email programs can’t handle longer line width and might chop your signature in unexpected places.
  • If you want to be contacted by telephone, include your number in your signature. But you might want to skip your mailing address — better to use that limited space for a more significant announcement or refer a friend program. You can use a signature file to tell people what is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) or offer a free moving report from an auto-responder — but remember do not try to tell them the “entire’ story or publish a list of every feature your community offers. It’s a “signature”, not a brochure!
  • Use various signatures for different purposes. For example, use a different signature when responding to a specific type of community inquiry and another signature when corresponding with a resident who already lives in your community.
  • Be careful with text art. Not everyone has their e-mail program set to ASCII text or courier font. What looks cute and smart on your own screen might look like a mess in an e-mail that is not set up to display messages in variable font types.

A good signature file doesn’t require conscious reading. You can take just one short glance and figure out whether or not it contains something of interest to you. Like with so many things in life, with signature files LESS IS MORE!