Regardless of the size, recipient or intent of the message, email signature blocks are little snippets of information we send out hundreds of times per week to repeat and new receivers. They are advertisements that reflect our professionalism, personality and focus.

More than just a way to get in touch, these few lines of text can be valuable messaging tools when used properly. What does your email signature say about you?

Indifferent and/or lazy

Most of us work from our phones or tablets on occasion, especially to manage email during travel, downtime or boring meetings. However, nothing says I don’t care like leaving the standard sales pitch from the device manufacture on your signature line.

Unless you work for any of the device manufacturers, it makes no sense to provide them with free advertising every time you send an email. Talk to IT, your assistant or a tech-savvy nephew and have them remove it from your phone.

I’m too busy

Granted, we all make mistakes. Yet there is a difference between an occasional mistype and losing the battle with autocorrect.

Consider the reader: is the clever apology at the bottom of the signature line enough to forgive your welcome? It undermines our professionalism to embrace mistakes and ask others to do so, too.

Instead, take a few seconds to proof the email. And maybe, just once, take a few minutes to note which words autocorrect tends to incorrectly override and either make a mental note or adjust the dictionary in the phone to stop it.

In any case, stop asking the reader to forgive mistakes; make less and they will naturally understand and overlook the few you do make.

This is important to me

Whether it is the full signature block we use sitting at our desk working on a computer or the skinny version on our mobile device of choice, the lines after our name convey what we want you to think is important to us.

If we work for a company with standard signature blocks, the information is often used to convey our role within the organization, how to reach us, and whatever is most alive in the organization right now. The last one could be anything from a company motto to announcing a new product line.

Essentially, it is the elevator pitch for the organization, sent out thousands of times every week.

Similarly, if we have the power to create our own signature block, we should consider the most essential bits of messaging we want to get out there and condense them into those few lines. To do so, keep in mind the following:

  • Keep it brief, three or four lines only.
  • Stay professional: no personal social media links.
  • Add color to create some visual interest.
  • Consider a photo. Our eyes naturally linger on faces. Add a headshot if it can be done easily and still maintain balance within the signature block.

Check out some great examples of these best practices here.

The bottom line is, instead of annoying people with what you might find to be an inspirational quote, optimize those few lines of text to convey professionalism, increase awareness or support a new initiative.