I've just received an email from a man who shall remain nameless.
The email was vaguely interesting - I say 'vaguely' because there were numerous typos in the text which automatically gets my back up, makes me lose my train of thought and frankly leads me to judge the sender's professionalism.
And then I reached the email signature. Now, I'm all for quirky 'job' titles but this one for me went too far. It read:
Joe Bloggs
Head of Crazy Ideas; Wacky Guy; NFP Benefactor; Ladies' Man
Seriously?
This was an email from 'Joe Bloggs' asking me if I'd be interested in doing a joint venture with his company.
Err, no thanks!
It's funny - 'Joe Bloggs' might be a very interesting candidate for a JV but it's incredible how much this email signature irritated me.
For a start, it's not particularly professional.
Secondly, anyone who wishes to publicise their 'not for profit contributions' in such a lewd way, is clearly in it for all the wrong reasons (in my opinion).
And lastly... Ladies' Man? Come on!
The issue with your email signature is that it's short, sweet and 2-dimensional.
In other words you've got 5 seconds to make a good (or terrible, in this case) impression and it's an opportunity to bring you, a 3D individual, to life.
I think it's important to ensure your email signature is reflective of a brand other people would trust and wish to 'do business' with.
What do you think about email signatures? Are they easy to get wrong? Does it really matter? Am I being overly sensitive??
- Rebecca
I think this is a major source of embarassment - especially at my company. We've got lots of junior staff, fresh out of school, and they just don't know what's professional.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, also found the eBook below in this same Google session - wondered what you'd make of it.
I think this is a major source of embarassment - especially at my company. We've got lots of junior staff, fresh out of school, and they just don't know what's professional.
Anyway, also found the eBook below in this same Google session - wondered what you'd make of it.
http://www.exclaimer.com/documents/exclaimer/mail-disclaimers/getting-started-guide/getting-started-with-mail-disclaimers.pdf
Thanks Allan for sharing . You're right; email signatures can be problematic. I think the key is working with staff to help them think more like business owners. What is the image we wan't to project?
DeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteVery well said. You have provided the most simplest but informative and helpful ways about how small things can destroy your brand. I really learned a lot. Brand Harvest offers complete branding solution as a one stop shop for all the marketing & communications needs.
ReplyDelete