Save Time By Creating Email Signature Templates

If you're like me, there are certain types of email that you send out regularly that follow a set form (client follow up notes, meeting notes, email article submission, etc). These can be irritating to have to recreate from scratch every time, but the tried and true method of creating a seperate document-file template, then sending that out as an attachment, may not always be appropriate. For example, email-based article submissions generally accept only plain text in-message formatting and require rigorous adherence to detailed submission guidelines involving the placement of bylines, the structure and length of the article body and the arrangement and length of bio-boxes and other inclusions - any deviation from which will result in a refusal of submission. Aggravatingly enough, these submission requirements are often so completely different from one submission site to another that it is difficult if not impossible to keep them straight without an entire set of templates.

To get around these and other problems, consider using the signature option in your emailer program to create individual email "signatures templates" for these commonly sent and repetitive emails. Using the above example of an email article submission email, I might create a "signature template" that looks something like this:

Title
Byline

Body (single spaced, 60-65 characters per line, no html)

Bio-box (no more that 3 sentences, no more than 2 links)

For a client follow-up or team meeting follow-up email, it might look something like this:

Client (or team member) Name
Date of Meeting

Summary of Meeting

Comments

Action Steps

Next Meeting Agenda

Once the "signature template" is complete, simply save it under a descriptive name ("articles-to-go submission" or "client meeting") and it's ready to use next time you're ready to send an email. Just insert the signature, then type around or over the contents as appropriate. Keep in mind, also, that you can add more than one signature to an email in most emailer programs, so using one of the above "signature templates" does not preclude your adding a standard business signature at the end of the email, as you would normal do.

I'm sure that if you think creatively and look at the emails you send out on a regular basis, you'll find many examples for which a simple "signature template" can save you time, trouble and annoyance. How many ways can you think of to use this time-saving trick?

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

TopTenWholesale News

Email Marketing Campaigns Go Mobile TopTenWholesale News Wholesalers and manufacturers should be aware of this study and know how to optimize their sites to drive mobile traffic from their email marketing campaigns. Return Path found that US consumers will check more email from their mobile devices ...

GraphicMail Includes Device Detection in their New email Marketing Reports San Francisco Chronicle (press release) Redesigned Reports Displays Device, Geo-Location and Social Engagement Metrics (PRWEB) May 18, 2012 GraphicMail, a leading global hosted email marketing solution, announced today the release of updated Reports metrics that make it easier than ever for ... and more »

Email Marketing Firm NEWSLETTER.IE Announce Email and Survey Facebook Apps MarketWatch (press release) SAN FRANCISCO, May 18, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today NEWSLETTER.IE announced general availability of its Facebook apps. Adding an email signup form to your facebook business page is an important way to convert fans into subscribers. and more »

StrongMail Survey Finds Lifecycle Email Marketing Outperforms Traditional ... San Francisco Chronicle (press release) Learn what email marketing leader StrongMail discovered regarding the performance of lifecycle email marketing versus traditional email marketing Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) May 16, 2012 As email marketing strategies have evolved, there is one technique ... and more »

Email Marketing Makes Your Life Easier Business 2 Community Email marketing consistently ranks as one of the top three marketing channels (along with SEO and social media). Why? Because it's effective and inexpensive. According to the Direct Marketing Association email marketing brought in an average of $40.56 ...

Effective Email Marketing Tips Connectus.net (press release) Email Marketing is one of the oldest, yet still very effective, forms of promoting any products or services or targeting the probable customers. Although in recent times, many new advertising and marketing models have been introduced.

Marketing Pilgrim

So Email Marketing's Dead? Don't Tell HubSpot That Marketing Pilgrim Everyone seems to be real quick to throw dirt on email marketing's grave these days. Why? Because it's not social media. Well, not to sound blunt (although it will), that's stupid. If you need more evidence that email is indeed alive and well you ... and more »

How to Improve Your Email Marketing NBC Chicago (blog) By David Wolinsky Ah, email marketing. The knee-jerk reaction for most people is to trash such messages in their inbox almost instantaneously, even if they subscribe to these things. And in this age of social media, you've gotta make your missives ... and more »

Will Twitter supersede email marketing in the near future? Practical Ecommerce (blog) Ever since social media blew up big, experts have sworn that Twitter will single-handedly slay email marketing as we know it. Twitter has been framed as the hip kid in town, and email marketing, long an invaluable tool for online sellers, ...

5 Steps to Developing a B2B Email Marketing Plan Business 2 Community By Douglas Burdett, Published May 19, 2012 B2B marketers who are smart about email marketing can build awareness and preference, and generate cost-effective leads and inquiries. Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing tactics available. and more »