SmallBizResource Blog -- SmallBizResource

Email Sig Significance

Posted by Judy Mottl Thursday, Aug 16, 2007, 02:43 PM ET

Everyone's got one. Some are small, some are big. Some are dull and some are snazzy. Some you might even laugh at. Some you might not even notice. No, I'm not talking about our significant others, but the significance of the email signature.

You know--those few lines following your name at the end of an email note. You've seen people plug in quotes, lyrics, even graphic elements. Hopefully they've also included pertinent business contact info.

As a former boss and esteemed InformationWeek executive editor Mitch Wagner points out in his typical funny way, an email signature can tell alot, or a little, about a person and 'who' they are.

It got me thinking that the sig can also tell customers, clients and potential businesses quite a bit about who you are--what kind of small business you have, how creative you can be, the dynamics of your operation and level of business savvy.

I tend to think, and I could very likely be wrong (it does happen now and then ), that most business people take a gray flannel approach with corporate email signatures. You know.. smart looking and sensible but nothing that would startle small children or dogs. Just the plain facts.

But that approach clearly wouldn't work for a Web site design company. I mean that email sig presents a unique opportunity to showoff a company's design and creative skills right?

So what's in your sig? Have you tinkered and toyed for various communication purposes? Do you have one for 'flannel' customers and one for 'artistic' prospective clients?

Do you even use one? Does it hold more than your phone and cell number?

So post a copy of your sig in this discussion form, and even someone else's (please leave last names off and any personal contact info..subsituting 'xxx' for numerals for example) that you like or admire, hate or detest or just found insanely funny.

Let's hold a little contest right here.

Hopefully we'll all come away with some good ideas for getting the most power out of the sig, and have some laughs along the way.

SmallBizResource