Emails are far from dead. In fact, they have always been a key component to businesses and marketers alike. And my guess is they always will be. The key promotional space most people do not harness properly lies at the bottom. The email signature.

Every time I see a plain “regards, name” at the end of a business email, I think to myself that a marketing message has been missed. Too often, I go to contact someone via another means and I can’t find any alternative contact details. So, in order to help you maximise the effectiveness of your email signature, here are four simple tips:

1. Include social media links

If you have social media profiles, then promote them in your signatures. I bet you link your Facebook page to your Google+ profile, right? Then why not link your Facebook and Google+ accounts to your emails? You should aim to incorporate and optimise all contact points in your marketing efforts.

2. Keep your email signature separate from your copy

Sounds too obvious. But there should be a visual difference between the body and the signature. Typically, this is done using “-” or something similar.

3. Don’t use images

This is a common mistake. Even worse is when the whole signature is a graphic. Most email clients (including Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo) and ISPs will block images and consider them to be attachments. This means your wonderfully designed signature is basically useless, as it won’t even make it into your recipient’s inbox.

4. Include all contact details

Include ALL your contact details you don’t mind being contacted on. Missing out on an opportunity because you didn’t list your phone number, for instance, would be disastrous. You should at least include your name, phone number, email address (if you have more than one), website and social media links. There are probably many more details you might want to list, but these are the essentials.

Below is an interesting infographic that describes what the average email signature looks like. Enjoy!

Infographic by WriteThat.name

Additional reading:

• Email is dead… NOT!
• Three essential email marketing tips
• Email Marketing: All That Sizzles Is Not Spam [Infographic]