Writing an Effective Email Signature

Writing an Effective Email Signature
By Erum Zehra

If you are involved in even a bit of web promotion, you are quite likely to have a sig file or email signature.

A sig file is equivalent to a business card or a letterhead, for your online business correspondence. It is a mini ad attached to the bottom of every email you send out.

This is one promotion tool that you would consistently use for your online business. Each and every person with whom you interact on email would see it. Is it important for your sig file to be effective and well written? You bet, it is.

How can you make sure that your sig file is effective? If all the three points listed below are given careful consideration your sig file is bound to get attention and give positive results.
1.Content of the email message preceding the sig file must be good
2.The sig file should be properly formatted
3.Content of the sig file should be appropriate

While the content of an email message would vary form one situation to another, the formatting and content of sig file would be comparatively constant. These are the two aspects that we would discuss here. This part of the article would focus on the formatting of sig files.

Is there a big deal about the format of a sig file? Well, that depends. You can format it in whatever way you like. But you want your email sig to be "effective", remember? Look closely and you will find that the best email sigs have a number of features in common.

1.Click able URL
You do have your URL in your sig file, right?
"Of course," You'll say," what's the point of a sig file without a web site URL?"
Agreed. But is the URL click able?
A lot of people tend to use this format in their sig files:
www.mywebsite.com

This is not a click able format. Therefore, if someone wants to visit your web site, they would have to cut and paste your URL in their browser. It does make sense to make it easier for them to visit your web site, doesn't it? You can make your web site URL click able. Just follow the following format: http://www.mywebsite.com

However, there is one caveat. This format does not work for AOL users. To make your URL click able for AOL users, use the following format: " My web site " This is especially advisable if the majority of people whom you interact with are AOL users.

2.How long should it be?
It is considered good netiquette to have a short sig file. Most discussion lists have a maximum limit of six lines, for sig files. A long sig file annoys people and gives them the impression that you are only interested in blatant advertising and nothing else. This would make them take you less seriously.

3.Using a PS for sig file
People in favor of using a PS say, that since PS is always read in sales letters, a sig file in the form of a PS would be equally effective. I disagree, for the simple reason, that every email that you send out is not a sales letter. While a PS asking for action from customers may be fine in sales letter, how would they look in a personal letter written to a new acquaintance? Not very appropriate, you would agree.

"So what?" you might say "who cares about being appropriate as long as the message is being read?"
Maybe, but are you sure that people are reading your advertisements concealed in the form of PS messages?
My personal experience is, that people who use PS in sig files, often tend to ignore even personal messages written as PS. Since they use PS for sig files, they assume that every PS they come across is a sig file, and they have conditioned themselves to ignore them.

This is not all. Another problem with PS sig files is that they tend to merge with the email message. This confuses the readers and may even cause problems for those who are searching for your sig files.

4.Using borders
Using borders for sig files is fine. Infact, it is a good idea, because it separates the sig file from your message and makes it easier to find. However, avoid using very fancy borders like these:
##$@%##$@%##$@%##$@%##$@%
They appear distracting and untidy.Instead use simple borders to give an appearance of being organized.
----------------------------------
====================
***********************

The borderline should be of a sufficient enough length to serve the purpose of a separator. But don't make it so long that it goes all the way through the browser window.

5.How do they get in touch?
Be sure to give the relevant contact information like email addresses or toll free phone numbers in your sig file. Make the email address clickable by using the following format: mailto:youremail@yourdomain.com

6.Text or HTML?
Please use a text sig file. Most people cannot receive or read html email. Moreover, html format can be infected with viruses and they can make your email a much greater size than it actually is.

Make sure that your text sig file wraps at a maximum of 60 characters. Otherwise it would lead to unwanted and disorganized line breaks, when it gets automatically wrapped.

7.Make them understandable
Avoid using acronyms and abbreviations. They may be familiar to you but may alienate your sig file readers. Your sig file is very unlikely to make an impact if it is not understandable.

8.No mistakes, please!!!
Carefully read and reread your sig files to ensure that it is free of spelling and grammatical mistakes.

These are some of the basics of sig file format. By following them you can build a sig files which appears tidy and organized and also proves to be useful.

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About the Author
Erum Zehra is an MBA with a major in Marketing, and specializes
in creative web site copy writing, based on Marketing strategies.
She is also the editor of BizTalk4U Ezine.
Visit her web site at http://www.biztalk4u.com
and subscribe to her ezine by sending a blank email to:
biztalk4u-ezine-subscribe@topica.com

Article Source http://www.money-4-work.com

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