As I enthusiastically discuss marketing ideas with clients, the reaction is often “sounds great, but – too time consuming”.

However, like getting fit or learning a language, ‘a little and often’ can often bring the best long term results.

So, here’s the first in a series of “5 Minute Marketing Tips” – useful, relevant and quick actions you can take in five minutes (give or take) to make a lasting, positive impact on your business.

#1: Email Signatures

How many email messages do you send in a day, a week, a month? What about your colleagues?

That’s a lot of potential exposure of your brand and message, not to mention forwarded or printed messages.

We all have (I hope!) the usual contact details, website link, disclaimers and legal details on our email signatures, but could your email signature be working harder for your business?

Consider including some of the following in your email signature:

  • A call to action – “Donate now”, “Get a quote”, “Sign up”, “Learn more”
  • Promote an offer, competition or survey – “Win a trip”; “Tell us what you think”
  • Title and link to your latest blog post – more attractive than just a general blog link
  • Relevant quotation, testimonial, new client details, industry news, reviews, awards
  • Social media icons linked to your blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr
  • Helpful details such as directions, tax filing deadline, next event date

Note some, not all of the above – select one or two that suits your business. Varying the content will draw attention to updates e.g. specific blog posts, short-term competitions, surveys and so on. Use colour, icons or increased font size to draw attention to your most important message.

An exaggerated example:

An exaggerated version of a marketing email signature

Remember to add your fabulous email signature where appropriate to discussion forum posts, blog comments and so on.

Do you have any suggestions to add, or any examples of killer email signatures?

I am a digital marketer who has recently returned home to Ireland, following a two-year stint working in Silicon Valley, California. I am an avid traveller, reader and oenophile, always happy to connect with new people, online and IRL. All content (c) Karen Henry 2010-2016