What exactly is an e-mail signature?
An e-mail signature is an identifier that you will usually include at the end of every e-mail message, article, post or thread that you send or publish online. It includes your name, your company, the title of your blog or website, its address and other contact information about you.
The e-mail signature is equivalent to a real world business card its main purpose is to introduce you to visitors and readers and to provide them with a means to get in touch with you or find their way to your blog. It’s easy to set up and better yet, you can use it a thousand times each week and still not spend a single cent.
How important is an e-mail signature? Consider the posts in blogs, articles and comments that marketers and bloggers often leave online and on all those e-mails you receive. At the bottom, you’ll find the ubiquitous e-mail signature with a short description of the blogger and their contact information.
Click on the link provided and you’ll be brought to that blogger’s little space in the Web. Without a signature, it will be difficult indeed for anyone to locate that blogger’s URL or at least go through the trouble of seeking him out actively in search engines.
Writing a good and effective e-mail signature for your blog
Promoting your blog can be done in small yet effective steps. One of these is by using an effective e-mail signature. Here’s how to write an e-mail signature that will work for you and create buzz for your blog at the same time:
Check the e-mail application or program you’re using
Most e-mail applications popular today have a tool that allows you to set up your own e-mail signature. This tool will then automatically add your signature to every e-mail you send out.
Check your e-mail program for this tool. In Windows Mail or Outlook, for example, writing a good e-mail signature can be performed in just a few minutes with a few simple clicks. Use the signature editor on the program in case you want to make changes or use the signature only on specific e-mails you want to send out.
Include carefully chosen keywords
Other than your contact information, consider using keywords in the text link that are related to your blog’s subject. This will help increase that link’s relevance and popularity, promoting your blog in the process.
Keep it short but informative
Think about all the important information you’ll want to include in your e-mail signature your name, contact information, blog title, address, etc. It’s a free country, so you pretty much have a choice on what you want to include but it’s best to stick only to the kind of information that will bring you the best results and promote your blog.
Keep your links minimal. One or two will do. Most readers find multiple links to different URLs a bit suspect, so it’s best to use only links to the blog where information related to your entry will be found.
Be prepared to be flexible
If you will be submitting some of your blog entries or e-mail content to article directories, find out if these directories have any submission guidelines you will have to comply with. Generally, you’ll find that directories or databases prefer plain text formatting and specific rules regarding placement, length and structure of your byline. Tweak your e-mail signature just a bit and you’ll be refused.
Since these aren’t your rules to bend, you’ll have no choice but to follow these submission guidelines so you can get back to the business of promoting your blog. To solve this, write multiple e-mail signatures and use these templates as needed. Then update these should changes occur.
This is also a good idea in case you will be sending out e-mails with a different theme. Changing the keywords on your text link will help increase its relevance and promote your blog.