The email signature is that little piece of information found on the bottom of professional emails which communicates the contact details of the sender - your critical business details. If you are using email for business, then you should have a branded email signature.

For better or worse, email is the most prevalent method of business communication utilized today. If you want a sustainable business then you must utilize email as part of your normal business operations.

Every email you send out is an opportunity to promote your business. The email signature is a brand touch-point and sales and marketing science tells us that an average of 7 - 10 touch points are required before a sale is made. In other words, a potential customer must be exposed to your brand 7 - 10 times before they will buy from you. Your signature is another opportunity for you to remind your recipient (your potential buyer) that you are in business, that this is your business name, and this is how they can contact to buy your products or services. It couldn't be an easier way to market your company.

No matter what email program you are using (e.g. Outlook) or even if you use web-based email (which you should not be by the way, at least not for business) you can quickly and easily create an email signature. If you are unsure how to do this, drop us an email and we'll tell you how.

Here are some tips for your signature design:

• Include your name and title (if you have one)
• Include your company name and business tagline
• Include your company address
• Include all phone numbers (i.e. direct number, office number, cell number, fax number)
• Include your email address
• Include your website URL
• Include links to key social media destinations (if you have any) like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• If you include your logo (which you should), be sure it is optimized for the web (.jpg, .gif, or .png format) and that it is small (3kb max file size), and hosted on your webserver (i.e. the link to your logo should be ‘absolute') [note: MS Vista allows for a 4 kb signature in total, including logo]

Signatures should look professional and brand your email as opposed to the unprofessional, unbranded emails sent via Hotmail or Google Mail accounts, or accounts that might be URL branded but without an email signature.

Remember, you're already communicating via email so why not use the opportunity to make a brand impression. Your email signature can do so unobtrusively, and when that person needs your services they will know exactly where to find you.

By the way, an extension to your email signature is your domain name (your business URL). Your email should be branded to utilize your domain name. You can find some tips on utilizing your domain name for business email at New Prodigy Marketing Group.