Part of good career planning, even while in college, is learning how to communicate effectively through different tools. Whether it be verbal or written, like emails, it is vital that young professionals know the importance of communication.
Inc. reported that one crucial part of emails is often neglected. Email signatures may seem trivial but it is also a determining factor on how effective your message is received by the receipient.
1. Stay short and sweet.
This is pretty much the rule for writing emails since people don't have the time to stop and read through blocks of text. Honestly, looking at whole paragraphs are also pretty off-putting for most. Your email signature should only have relevant information such as name, title, company and contact information.
2. Stay memorable with a quote.
Adding a quote or your motto in life is one of the best ways to give personality to your email signature. Choose a quote that speaks about your values and character, don't just pick anything randomly. Nonetheless, remember to keep it short.
3. No images.
Images inside your emails can send your message to the spam folder instead of inside the priority inbox. Your email has a bigger chance of being read if you don't include images - even your company's logo.
4. Link to your network.
Add links to your social network profiles such as LinkedIn and Twitter. This will give you more credibility and widen your network as well. Your customers would also get to see how you represent yourself and your brand online.
5. Best foot forward.
You can also include a link to actionable content, such as blog posts and video tutorials, in your email signature to get the reader interested in your message. This will help build the impression that you're valuable and insightful.
6. Try out various calls to action.
Putting a call to action below your signature will urge people to do what you want them to do. Test out different styles and techniques but always make sure that it is not boring or obnoxious.
7. Add a human touch.
Placing "sent from my iPhone" or "sent from my Android" on your email signature can add a human touch to your emails. It can also help people be more forgiving of typos and grammatical errors.
