Many business owners think of marketing as a larger scale topic, something you actively do to go out and find new customers. But there’s a secret weapon hidden in every business’s day-to-day arsenal: email signatures. It’s something small that, once you set it up, you never have to think about — but it works wonders as a passive marketing possibility. No matter whom you send your emails to, your business information will be on the bottom for them to read. Follow these tips to make sure you’re getting the most marketing bang out of your email signature.

Include the Basics
Of course, you’ll want to include what’s probably the most important information an email signature has: your contact details. That means including your name (and don’t forget your middle initial), your title, the business name, your phone number and website. Some people include their email address in their signature, but you’re already sending an email from that very address, so it’s not incredibly useful.

Add in Some Extras
If your business has a blog or social media accounts of which you’re particularly proud, add those links to your email signature. Whomever you’re emailing will see them and realize there’s a way to stay in constant contact without emailing — and they’ll always be able to know what’s going on with your business. You can also include a motivational quote, though that’s pretty common. Instead, think about adding something that will boost your industry credibility. Say you recently helped author a study about different purchasing demographics in the promotional products industry. You’ll definitely want to include that.

Bring in the Pizazz
Does your company have a pretty specific or recognizable color scheme? Try incorporating some of those colors in some of the text in your signature. It’ll provide a clear link to your business and branding strategy. It may also be worthwhile to include a logo or headshot but beware that many email filtering systems will mark embedded images as spam and a) cut them out and put them in attachments or b) just throw your entire email into the junk folder. 

Have a Call to Action
This is often the bread and butter of the email signature, the thing that brings in the most business. A quick call to action can get someone to click through to your website immediately. Are you running a sale? Put that in your signature. Offering new products? Definitely mention them. Have you recently expanded your offerings to a new industry? Write it. Consider the call to action both a chance to share pertinent information and an opportunity to upsell the recipient of your email.

Updating your email signature really only takes a few minutes but can bring in a huge return on marketing efforts. So, what are you waiting for? Get busy creating. If you need help with the perfect logo, contact Idea Custom Solutions for custom design just for your business.