How To Make A Branded Email Signature for Interior Design
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Today we’re going to discuss why email signatures are important for interior designers and what to include in an email signature.
You may be thinking - “Tina, It’s an email signature. Does it really matter?” Hear me out:
Think of how often you send email. A LOT of people will see your email signature, so its worthwhile to make it work hard for you.
I would also argue that it’s especially important for interior designers, architects, and other home design professionals who are held to a high standard of aesthetics and detail, rightfully so.
So think of an email signature as an opportunity to brand every message you send. By projecting an end-to-end branding experience, which includes your email signature, it reflects positively on you and your business because it indicates that details matter to you. The subconscious message is that if you care enough to craft a thoughtful email signature, then you’re probably going to care about the details of your interior design projects too.
Make sense? (Plus, you only have to do it once!)
Here’s a punch list of items to include, and finally, don’t miss my thoughts at the bottom about emails you send via your email marketing service provider.
Name and Title
Link to Website
Contact Info
Logo
Social Links
Call To Action (CTA)
Business Tagline
Gmail How To
What to Include In an Email Signature for Interior Designers and Architects
Hopefully by now you’re thinking “OK fine Tina. Then what should I include?”
Here’s a textual-visual (ha). But really, does it not look like a business card?
Your Full Name
Title/Profession, Linked Website
Phone Number (usually if you’re a local, services-based designer)
Social Media Links
Optional: CTA, Business Tagline
1. First and Last Name, Title
Not to be Captain Obvious but yes, your name should always be included. Also your title or profession needs to go either after your name or on the line directly below.
2. Business Name Linked to Website
Including your business name and website link isn’t just about marketing and promotion. It’s also about removing friction for your email recipients. Too often I’m reading an email and need to click through to the website for whatever reason, yet there isn’t a link anywhere. Whyyyy??
At it’s most basic, sometimes I get an email and I don’t know who this person/organization is, and there’s no where to click to figure out the mystery. It could be I signed up for someone’s list at some point and forgot, but if I can’t figure it out, it may be a one-way ticket to the spam folder.
Do not make it difficult for your email recipients to find your website via email. Your email signature isn’t your main marketing tool, but your website sure as heck is. So do your business a favor and make it easy.
3. Contact Information
Whether or not you include contact information depends on your business type. If you’re a brick and mortar and/or services-based interior designer, then you likely want to include a phone number.
Usually including your email address is redundant unless your email is being sent from an address not associated with you specifically, and you want people to be able to email you directly.
4. Logo
Fun fact - the human brain processes imagery 60,000x faster than text. (3M Corp.) So include a small version of your logo. Alternately, you could use a small photo of yourself if you haven’t already in your email account profile. Also, I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but don’t make it overly designed or colorful - low key is best.
5. Social Media Links
Your social links are another form of a calling card after your website. Maybe a potential client has checked out your website but hasn’t yet become acquainted with your Instagram feed.
You’re a designer, so include them.
It’s another form of fostering engagement, connection, and building that all important “know, like, and trust” factor that’s key to someone deciding they want to pay you their hard-earned money to work in and on their home.
6. Call To Action (CTA)
For most businesses, it’s smart to include a Call To Action. I get that maybe it feels a little pushy but really it’s not. If you’re a service-based interior designer, a simple link stating “Book A Consultation Call” just makes good business sense.
My signature doesn’t have one though, and after thinking about it, I realized it’s because my main CTA priority (by far) is to have people sign up for my email list. And since my business is all online, if someone is getting an email from me, chances are they’re already on my list.
But I’m going to have a think on that one and see what I come up with. TBD…
7. Design Business Tagline
This is optional as you may already have plenty going on in your signature, but a business tag line can help round-out the branding experience of your email signature. After all, your tagline should be a concise statement about what your business does that sets you apart from your competition, and it’s always good to get that message out.
8. Gmail How-To
There are as many different email providers out there as there are shades of white. (OK slight exaggeration.) If you’re on Gmail though and want to create your signature here’s what you do:
From your Inbox click the gear icon for Settings on the top right, then click “See all settings”
It will default to the General tab. Scroll down to find “Signature”
Customize your signature
Click Save at the bottom
Want more detail? Go to the source: Create a Gmail signature
A Note About Emails To Your Subscriber List
Remember above when I mentioned I get emails and have no idea who the organization is or why they’re emailing me? Those emails are almost always sent by a business via their email marketing service provider.
Most lists I sign up for don’t share or sell my email address, but clearly a few do, because I end up on “mystery lists.” (I’m being nice by calling it that instead of calling it the s-word - spam.)
Of course it’s also possible I signed up for a list and forgot. Especially if that business hasn’t send out an email in a long time. (Which is why we all need to email our lists consistently!)
You live and breathe your business, but it’s ancillary to others, so as much as we’d like to think we’re top of mind to our subscribers, let’s do a reality check and make it easy for subscribers.
For that reason, I always include my email signature on my subscriber broadcast emails as well.
It’s another opportunity for my audience to engage,
There’s never any confusion about who it’s coming from.
It’s one more way to access my website just in case I have a bad link in the email body. (I’m a girl who likes to be prepared…)
One final note: be mindful of how your name presents in the “from” field of your email subject line.
I include my email signature on all of the Scaled Up Studio newsletters.
This isn’t the signature per say, but it’s another source of confusion for me when some designers only put their first name without the business name also.
So in my ConvertKit name field, I list my name as “Tina | Scaled Up Studio” instead of just “Tina” or even “Tina Huffman” so it presents as “Tina | Scaled Up Studio via n.convertkit.com” when my newsletter shows up in my subscriber’s inbox.
Again, my subscribers have busy, complicated lives, and I so appreciate them joining my email list, but I never assume that I’m a household name for them.
Imagine if the Scaled Up Studio newsletter arrived in your inbox and only said “Tina”. No one would blame you for possibly wondering “Who’s Tina and why is she emailing me?!” We want to avoid that scenario. 😁
So that’s my take on crafting a branded email signature. What do you think - do you already have one and if so, what do you include on it or choose to leave off? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
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