How to Turn Your Email Signature into a Lead Generator

How to Turn Your Email Signature into a Lead Generator

We tend to give a lot of significance to first impressions, as in you never get a second chance to make one. But are they everything, the end-all and be-all?

Sure, first impressions are important. But there’s more to a successful email campaign than writing a killer subject line.

At Reply, we think finishing strong is just as important as starting strong. That’s where the email signature comes in. Think about it: Your signature is the last thing your subscribers see. Why merely turn your name into a signature when there’s so much more to offer? Shouldn’t it be something memorable? Something worth recalling? 

The anatomy of a typical email signature

Back in the day, we would simply treat our first and last name like a signature. Nowadays, the average email signature usually contains the following elements:

  • Name
  • Title
  • Business
  • Email
  • Phone

First things first: Your subscribers know how email works. I promise their email client has a “reply” button, so stop including your email address. They don’t need it.

As for the rest of it, well, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with it. It’s all important information that virtually all email providers include in their built-in generic signature generators. But there’s nothing particularly memorable about it, either. 

More importantly, it doesn’t market anything. And isn’t that the most crucial part of a marketing email? 

Bare necessities: the 4 things every email signature must have

Before we get into the creative aspects of signature design and signature sales (yes, you read that correctly), let’s make sure you’ve got the basics. Here are four components every signature must have.

  • Your Name

This probably goes without saying, but every signature should have your first and last name. Think of it like an artist signing their creation; it shows a sense of pride in your work.

  • Your Title

If you’re including your nameinclude your title. This is especially true for founders and CEOs, because who wouldn’t feel at least a little honored to get an email from the founder of a company?

  • Your Company

Sure, your subscribers should already know what business the email is coming from. But repetition is the mother of memorization, so include it one more time. The more they see it, the more likely they’ll be to remember it.

  • Your Website

If you have no other marketing materials in your signature, at least include a link to your website. But make sure you use a clean link. None of that “https://” stuff. It’s ugly and unnecessary.

6 ways to make your email signature stand out

Now that you’ve got the basics, you’re probably wondering how to make a great email signature and turn it into a full-blown marketing tool. You don’t need to use all six strategies below, but try incorporating one or two into your next campaign. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into what to write in a signature for emails to stand out from the crowd, leave a memorable, lasting impression on your recipients, and act as a lead generator all in one! 

  • Your Blog

If you have a blog, your signature should link to it. End of story. This could be a static link – “Check out our blog!” – but you’ll probably get better results by linking to specific articles. For example: New on the Reply blog: Five Questions to Ask Before Sending Your Next Marketing Email.

  • Freebies

If your company has developed any free tools, make sure your subscribers know.

This could be as simple as an ROI calculator or as complex as a website analytics tool. As long as it provides relevant value to your readers, include it. Don’t have any free tools? Link to your free trial. For example: Are you getting the most out of your marketing emails? Find out for free!

  • Videos

Studies have shown that videos now account for a mind-blowing 50% of all mobile traffic. If you have video content related to your product or industry, dive right into that market. Make your video materials absolutely beautiful using good video editing software.

In many email clients, just inserting a link will automatically embed the video. Your link might look something like this: Check out our MicroConf talk!

  • Social Media

Social media is everywhere. Well, everywhere except email signatures, and that needs to change.

Turn your signature into a social billboard, but don’t go overboard. Link to the three social profiles you’re most active on and exclude the others.

Use icons to link to your social media accounts instead of text to add color and form to an otherwise text-based email.

  • Graphics

Speaking of color and form, graphics are a great way to conclude a text-heavy email.

You’ve got a few different options here. You could include your company logo, a call-to-action, or even just a colorful border.

Just remember to embed graphics, not paste them. When you paste a graphic, it becomes an attachment your subscribers have to download to view.

  • Industry Data

Whatever market you’re in, there’s bound to be data that supports your product or service. Find it, and include it at the end of your signature.

It doesn’t even need to be a direct link; just leave it as a fun fact for your subscribers. For example: Fact of the Month: For every $1 spent, email marketing generates a $38 ROI.

Create a professional-looking email signature online with Email Signature Generator by Reply.

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3 examples of great email signatures

So what do these principles look like in practice? Check out these highly effective email signature examples from three industry leads. You can find even more examples and templates for email signatures at NEWOLDSTAMP.

Close.io

Steli Efti, co-founder and CEO of Close.io, says his signature is one of the most valuable parts of his marketing emails:

“I sell in my signature. I pitch my book, my podcast, my online sales course—whatever it is, I want the reader to look at my signature and say, ‘Hey, that looks interesting!’” 

There are plenty of other great CEO email signature examples on the web for inspiration. I don’t know about you, but I think it speaks volumes that even an established business owner would turn their signature into a powerful leads generator.

HubSpot

Pamela Vaughan, HubSpot’s Principal Marketing Manager, has a signature tailor-made for blogging.

email-signature-book-promotion

Source

What really makes her signature stand out is the last line. Why? Because it’s constantly updated based on the newest and highest-performing content on her blog – including their very own HubSpot signature maker (which we will address below)? 

Aaron Ross

Aaron Ross, the author of Predictable Revenue, has a signature that is brilliant in its simplicity.

It takes a no-BS approach to accomplishing two clear goals: selling his book and growing his blog following. Like Vaughan above, Ross occasionally alternates the featured posts as new and relevant content is produced.

Source 

Short, simple, catchy, powerful. 

3 examples of great email signature generators

Everything in business is now automated. You have your subject line generators for higher open rates, multiple email generators for pitch-perfect content. How far has it gone? Some businesses even turn to professional email address name generators and signature talk generators to save time and effort.

In case you’re worried that making a great email signature from scratch with no advanced IT knowledge is rugged and expensive, relax! It’s as easy as it gets with the numerous free online email signature builders:

Reply.io Email Signature Generator 

It’s our blog, so sue us. But all kidding aside, we’ve designed this tool to help you make your email signature look professional and appealing in just a few minutes. Pick your preferred template and most brand-relevant color scheme, add any information you deem necessary along with your headshot and company logo, and you’re good to go! 

Create a professional-looking email signature online with Reply

Generate signature

HubSpot Email Signature Generator 

Another cool email signature generator that operates in a very similar way. Choose your favorite out of the 6 available HubSpot email signature templates, insert all your information and visuals, and customize your CTAs to your liking. Once again, it won’t take more than 5 minutes. 

Designhill Email Signature Generator 

If you’re looking for a more old-school, laid-back-looking signature, I’d suggest Designhill. Although many features are exclusive to the paid plan, you can still create some pretty decent marketing email signatures for free. 

Once you’ve created your brand-new signature, simply locate the email signature editor settings tab of your email provider and paste it. Voila! 

There are tens, if not hundreds, of free business email signature generators out there, each offering something different. So I’m confident every professional and company can find one that works for them 🙂

Showcasing your brand personality 

We’ve already looked over what CEO email signatures can look like. But truth is, a professional email reply is now expected from people of all positions. 

Whether it’s a general director email signature or a personal assistant email signature, utilizing the corporate color scheme and font will create a more consistent and united brand image to the outside world.

A company-wide signature look would also underline the professionalism and legitimacy of an organization, showcase brand personality, and create room for a more open and trusting dialogue. 

Just take a look at this Project Manager signature example: 

Source

Not only is this email signature a marketing tool in itself, it also perfectly showcases the colorful brand personality, something pretty relevant to a graphic design company, I believe. 

Disclaimer

No, we’re not writing a disclaimer for our blog, but it seems appropriate to discuss email disclaimers – a topic often unexplored by marketers. 

An email disclaimer is a notice placed at the end of the message as part of the email signature to limit the chances of legal backlash. Although there are many reasons companies include an email disclaimer, the most common ones are dealing with confidential information and complying with state regulations.

Here’s an email disclaimer sample text to get an idea of what it is: 

This email contains confidential information intended solely for the recipient(s) mentioned above. If this email has been sent to you by mistake, please inform the sender and delete it immediately. 

Disclaimers are also used to comply with the legal regulations of commercial emails, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the US or GDPR in the EU: 

You have received this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. If you do not wish to keep receiving emails from us, please click here to unsubscribe

How do you want to be remembered?

Think of your signature as your “famous last words.

What’s the lasting impression you want your emails to leave? Do you want readers to laugh? Read a blog post? Sign up for a free trial? Make a purchase?

Whatever your goal is, optimize your signature content around that. Then, once you’ve got the content, focus on making it visually appealing. Or, at the very least, not ugly.

Then get back out there and start marketing from the top to the bottom, i.e., from subject line to signature. You’ll be amazed at the results.

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