E-mail Signatures: A Thing of the Past?

Are e-mail signatures a thing of the past? GetResponse.com guest blogger Haley Osborne answers that question with an emphatic, "No!" She says your e-mail signature is essentially your electronic business card. Proper e-mail signatures contain important information—they tell people how to reach you, what your website is and provide information for their electronic address book. Absent this signature, you forgo an important point of contact for your business.

In her article, "Sign it Right: Tips to Create an Effective Email Signature," Osborne points out some e-mail signature pitfalls you should avoid.

1. Be aware of your e-mail recipient's potential screen size.
E-mail recipients accessing their mail from a smartphone may struggle to read elaborate fonts and scripts. Osborne suggests you use Serif font in 11 or 14 point, which is compatible with manual swiping and touch-screen tapping.

2. Image overload.
Including images as part of an e-mail signature can cause problems. Some e-mail clients automatically remove these graphics. If your important information is included in this graphic, it is now lost. Osborne also believes photos can detract from your e-mail itself. While company logos are fine, images should not be used to relay information.

3. Wrong use of HTML.
As with graphics, all clients may not see HMTL inclusions.

4. Clashing colors.
While adding a splash of color is an effective, attention-grabbing technique, certain colors don't come across well or may look different on your screen than on your client's screen.

5. Links overload.
Too many links can turn readers away. Osborne suggests you include only relevant links—don't overload your e-mail recipient with social media and blog links.

6. One signature fits all.
Or does it? It may make sense to include your address, phone number and pertinent links on a formal e-mail, but when responding to a group discussion or posting a reply on a message board, this information is likely unnecessary.

Click here to read Haley Osborne's article in its entirety.

Written by Lisa Stickler, staff writer for Groups Today magazine.