Use Your Sig for All Its Worth

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Email is a unique opportunity when you’re marketing. It’s like being a business owner and having the customer standing right in front of you, a captive audience. Treat this person as the target market and make your signature block, your “sig,” work for you. It's part of branding.

I don't recommend using an autoresponder unless you absolutely must. The Internet is very relationship-oriented, and the more you can personalize your message the more it will attract, and the less it will appear like spam.

In coaching, many coaches attach quotations to their sig lines and also use unique closings. Because coaching is a relationship, and based on a “fit” between coach and client, it's good to use every opportunity to broadcast who you are and to engage the reader. You are into a relationship from the first second you make contact, whether you acknowledge this or not.

Unique closings also prevail. "Butterflies and sunshine," and “we’re all in this together,” as well as “joyfully,” and “vibrantly” have appeared in my email box. This tells you something about the person that's unique right away! At the same time, the nature of the quote the coach chooses tells me much about their style and personality. Some are bold (“If you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the damn thing yourself,” –David Wood). Some are tender, (“Beyond wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe,” –Max Ehrmann), and some are humorous (“The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible.”) I'm getting more and more quotes from businesses as well, and I like them. While this form of closing may not be appropriate for your use with your business, be aware of the potential of the sig.

The sig should always include:
(1)Your name;
(2)Your URL;
(3)A tagline – “service with a smile” or “the best in baby products”;
(4)Something special just for your target market, preferably something free. For instance, I direct the reader toward one of my free teleclasses or e-courses that would suit him or her particularly.

The logistics? Most email systems allow you to set up a standard sig that you can tweak a little as the occasion dictates. For instance, I use a quotation in my sig and if I'm doing parenting coaching with a client, I make the quotation related to parenting. But even if you're on aol for instance, and have to enter the full sig yourself each time, it's worth the effort.

You can also add a graphic or an animated gif to your sig. It catches the eye and you can choose one that communicates. I have one of a fish in a fish bowl and use the quote "The last thing the fish knows about is the water."

Last, but not least, go to www.pagoo.com and add a free recording of your voice and message. It does a lot to establish relationship.
Think of the sig as a mini-billboard. Let it speak for you.