Comments on: Proper Elements of an Email Signature

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:50:41 +0000

Thanks for the tips. Really helpful in putting together our non-profit’s email signature.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:40:34 +0000

Thanks! I just started by business less than a month ago, and felt silly just signing my e-mails :
Thanks,
Nicole
So I did a quick Google search and here I am. I can’t afford much to make me look professional as I’m just starting out, but what an easy step, and free! I am professional, and I want others to see that right away.

Thank you again!

By: Joshua Dorkin

Joshua Dorkin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:35:35 +0000

LK – In the many years that I’ve been in business, there have been quite a few people who have solicited me for business without a full or even partially fully professional signature. The vast majority of those people were just time-wasters. It is a very effective screen.

Your professionalism is typically reflective of how you run your business.

By: Joshua Dorkin

Joshua Dorkin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:28:17 +0000

I usually just end the post with Sincerely or Best and then post the signature. On occasion, I’ll add my name before the signature (informally — Josh) and will include the full-formal name in the sig. when I’m contacting people I know.

By: Joshua Dorkin

Joshua Dorkin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:25:50 +0000

Department could certainly be helpful, particularly if you work for a large company.

By: LK

LK — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:41:54 +0000

Email signatures mean nothing. You don’t know who that person was but you might have found out that it was a potential major account or at least someone who might have been of value to you. Not everyone has a professional-looking email address. Some have yahoo accounts and they’re people who can do good business with you. That’s what professional means. Unless it’s a scam anyone who contacts you about potential advertising is sincere.

By: E-mail Signature Files — blog.ecorrado.us

E-mail Signature Files — blog.ecorrado.us — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:43:13 +0000

[...] Phone number (Possibly also Mobile and Fax numbers. Joshua Dorkin pointed out “If you’re not willing to include a phone number with an email, then who on earth can take you seri…“). [...]

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:09:33 +0000

Thanks for this post. I was wondering, does the “signature” completely replace the signature? I mean, I feel like its impersonal to finish off with an official signature, but redundant to sign and leave a professional signature. Ex:

(email body)

Best regards,

Danielle

Title
Company
Address
Phone
Website, etc

How would you ‘separate’ (or not) your name from the other elements of the signature?

This is an example of what I feel is impersonal, but maybe its just me (line separating email and signature):

(body)

Best regards,

_________

Name
Title
Company
Address..

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:38:23 +0000

The article on email signature tips is great but I’ll have to say that it’s equally unprofessional to ignore a potential customer just because you didn’t like the wording in her email. In my experience that tells you nothing about the person who made the request. In fact, it’s often the lower-level employees of a company who are more professional than the owner or CEO.

By: Joshua Dorkin

Joshua Dorkin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:20:00 +0000

@Casey & @Steve – If your department is relevant to what you do and would be of interest to those that you’re connecting with, I’d certainly say it is something important to add.

@Erscan – I don’t see why people would care about your degrees, particularly in your signature. That’s what your resume is for.

@ERobles – I believe that adding a line like that is becoming more acceptable, but I don’t think it is yet mainstream. I’m personally not a fan, as I don’t want to be sold something when looking at someone’s sig.

By: ERobles

ERobles — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:30:04 +0000

Id like to use my email signature as a way to communicate internally (within the company) additional things Im working on that I would like to make people aware (se they also participate. Ive thought about adding some thing like “Ask me about XYZ” or “Email me HERE to know more about XYZ”. So my quesion is: is there a proper etiquette or way to do this? I want to still be professional but also ‘advertise’ these other things people may be interested.

By: Steve Grindley

Steve Grindley — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:51:09 +0000

You include name and company (obviously), but what are your thoughts on department? Would you consider that an optional element, or a mandatory one if applicable?