How To Create An Effective Email Signature
(c) Tracey Lawton 2006

• Can your clients contact you easily? 

• Do you always have your email signature at the bottom of all of your emails? 

Find out more below about the importance of an email signature, and how you can set yours up so that it automatically gets added to the bottom of EVERY email.

Whenever you receive an email from me you will ALWAYS see my contact information at the bottom and know exactly how you can get in touch with me. You will see:

	My name
	My company's name
	My telephone and fax number
	My email address (with an active hyperlink)
	My website address (with an active hyperlink)
	And an active hyperlink to the signup page of my newsletter

But do you have all of your contact information on the bottom of all of your emails? If not, why? And why is it so important that you have an email signature? Well, because:

	Your clients and potential clients know exactly how to get in touch with you
	It's a good marketing tool
	You can use it to promote special offers
	It can drive traffic to your website
	It tells people who you are and what you do

Setting up an email signature is simple to do, and I will tell you how! As a general rule of thumb your email signature shouldn't be more than about six or seven lines long otherwise it just becomes too big and may detract from your email. After all you don't want your email signature to be longer than your email!

Your basic email signature should contain:

	Your name
	Your company's name
	Your telephone, fax number, and email address
	Your Website URL with an active hyperlink
	And maybe a line promoting one of your services, a special offer, a link to your newsletter, or anything else that you would want to let your target audience know about.

Set up your email signature so that it AUTOMATICALLY goes out on every single email that you send, whether it's a new email or you're replying or forwarding on an email.

Here's how to set up your email signature ...

Outlook

1. Go to Tools
2. Options
3. Mail Format
4. Signature Picker
5. Click on 'New' and then enter a name for your signature i.e. Business
6. Client on 'Next' and then design your signature in the blank box. You can change the font, font size, and text colour
7. Once done click on 'Finish' and preview your signature in the preview window. If necessary, go back and edit it.
8. Once you're happy with your new signature click on OK.
9. Ensue that the 'Use this signature by default' box has the name of your new signature in it, and click on OK.
10. Congratulations - You're done!
 

Outlook Express

1. Go To Tools
2. Options
3. Signatures Tab
4. Tick 'Add signatures to all outgoing messages'
5. Deselect 'Don't add signatures to all 'Replies and Forwards'
6. Add your signature in the Edit Signature text box
7. Once you're happy with your new signature click on OK.
8. Congratulations - You're done!
 

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About the author:  Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business.  Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com

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