While it is true that first impressions can have a significant impact on how you are perceived, the last impression that someone has of you can be equally important. What do we mean by the “last” impression? Well, if you conduct any business by email, your email signature is often one of the final points of communication that a client has with your brand.
If you have an email signature it should be simple, informative, and professional. Sending an email to a client with a cluttered and outdated email signature will likely not give them a positive last impression, and could even cause you to lose out on leads and conversions. New to the world of email marketing? In this article, we look at some of the best design practices for email signatures.
Less Is Often More
One of the most common mistakes that people make when designing an email signature is that they often treat it like a mini-autobiography. Filling your email signature with links, images, quotes, and unnecessary information will make it look cluttered and unappealing to the eye. Instead, you should keep your signature to the point and focused on your brand.
For example, if you are not very active on social media platforms, you should not include those links in your email signature, as they are not relevant to your brand, or if you do not conduct business telephonically then you do not need to include a phone number. Keeping it simple by having your brand’s logo, your title, and your office extension is often the best approach.
Keep Mobile In Mind
Now, this might not sound like an obvious design choice to make, but it is important to design an email signature with mobile devices in mind. Mobile devices account for up to 46 percent of all email opens, which makes testing your email signature for mobile compatibility essential. If it does not scale to the device size, it might look distorted or cause the email to load slowly.
The reason for email signatures not being compatible across all devices is that most email clients use different HTML rendering engines. Because mobile screens are smaller than desktop screens, it is often a good choice to design vertical email signatures, as these can scale the best for mobile devices.
Choose Colour Wisely
A common email signature design rule of thumb for a colour palette choice is to try to use a minimal amount of colours. When you choose to use too many colours, you run the risk of choosing those that clash with one another, which can be overwhelming on the eye. Choosing your colours intentionally and with a goal in mind can help to improve your email signature.
A simple manner of selecting a colour palette is to look at design elements of your brand or business, such as your logo. This helps to keep your colour palette small and simple, and creates a more cohesive design. If your logo does not have any colour, you can choose a colour from another design element and use this to highlight links or important information.
Focus On Fonts
The right (or wrong) font can completely change the look and feel of an email signature, and the colour and spacing of the font can either help or hinder the impact you make on your clients. You should avoid using too many fonts in your signature, unless your logo uses a different font to that of your signature font.
Be sure to use no more than two to three different font sizes and colours. Too many fonts will confuse the eye and inhibit the impact you wanted to make with your email signature. Think about your brand and your industry, as well as your audience. This will help you to choose a font that can help you to reach your email signature goals.
Embrace Visual Hierarchy
Having a strong visual hierarchy is vital to any type of design, and your email signature is no exception. You should use your fonts and colour choices to communicate to your reader which information in your email signature is the most important; this could be the sender’s name, the company’s name, or even a link to an offer.
You could scale the email author’s name to a larger size in order to drive the eye to read this first, and you could use bolding and different colours to signify which information should be read after the name. Be sure not to highlight every word in your email signature, as this can be confusing for the eye.
A Perfect Ending
Your email signature is an important part of any content marketing strategy and you should be sure to put effort into it so that you can drive leads and even win conversions through your signature. Remember not to clutter it and choose colour and fonts wisely, always optimising for mobile devices.
If you would like a professional email signature designed for your business, speak to NetMechanic today to find out how we can help you.