In the dynamic world of business, strong brand recognition, recall and reputation are essential for success. A unified corporate identity not only instils trust but also amplifies brand visibility, setting your business apart in a crowded marketplace. So it’s vital that your brand is displayed clearly and consistently across your busiest business communication channel – your everyday employee emails. However, different departments, teams, and sheer company size can pose a significant challenge to this goal. Fortunately, there is a simple solution: the transformative power of business email signature software.

Continue reading to learn how to align company email branding across all your departments and teams using email signature software…

The importance of consistent email branding for a company

The importance of consistent email branding extends beyond design aesthetics, ensuring a seamless and recognizable communication style that resonates with clients, prospects, partners, and all other stakeholders. It serves as a powerful marketing tool, leaving a lasting impression on recipients. Aligning your email marketing branding across departments ensures a unified voice and reinforces your company’s values and mission.

The importance of email signatures in corporate brand recognition

By branding your company’s busiest communication channel, professional email signatures play a pivotal role in corporate brand recognition, acting as visual and informational touchpoints – in effect, virtual business cards – in all email interactions. When you consider that employees each send, on average 1,200 emails every month, there is a huge opportunity to increase brand visibility, recognition and recall both in terms of the number of recipients reached but also the frequency with which a recipient is exposed to your company email signature branding during the course of a conversation.

The sheer scale of this opportunity – especially for large corporate enterprises – highlights the need for an advanced email signature management tool such as Rocketseed in order to project a consistent, professional brand identity across all departments’ and teams’ email correspondence.

Enhancing brand identify through signature design and email banners

Unlocking the full potential of your brand identity on email involves meticulous attention to every detail of your email signature design. If you’re asking ‘How do I create a professional email signature?’, then the easy way is to use email signature design software, sometimes called an email signature generator. This enables you to create or choose email branding templates which you can then customize by branding email signature elements – logos, fonts, images and colors – to perfectly match your company guidelines and strengthen your brand identity.

An even more eye-catching and engaging option is to add impactful, interactive email signature banners, either below your signature or at the top of every email to make an immediate brand impression. These are prime space for dynamic brand marketing messaging, including product launches, special offers, news announcements and even customer service surveys. Your logo and best imagery will reinforce your brand identity whilst a compelling headline and call-to-action button will drive click-through to your branded content, resulting in more customer conversions.

Integrating marketing and communication strategies

Integrating marketing and communication strategies is crucial for amplifying brand visibility and engagement across all touchpoints. Email signatures serve as a prime example of this integration, seamlessly blending your branding and promotional messaging. Together, these transform routine email communications into opportunities for recipients to engage with your most recent and relevant branded content. For example, email signatures can include links to your website, landing pages or blog as well as interactive icons linking to your active social media profiles.

The key to harnessing the power of every email as an engaging marketing channel is the use of an email signature marketing platform that enables you run email signature banner campaigns strategically and tactically to meet your marketing objectives. For example, Rocketseed enables you to target, schedule and automate email banner campaigns so that recipients always receive the most relevant branded content at the right time. What’s more every recipient interaction is reported in real-time enabling campaign results to be monitored and future campaigns refined.

Challenges in maintaining email signature consistency

Maintaining email signature consistency across a diverse organizational landscape presents several challenges, especially where email signatures are using different digital signature solutions or individual employees are responsible for their own email signatures. In other words, the biggest challenges arise where a company’s email branding is decentralised.

For example, if different email platforms are utilized by different departments then this can lead to discrepancies in email signature formatting even if the original email signature was designed in accordance with company brand guidelines.

Different departments or teams may also amend their email signatures to meet specific requirements. However, by doing so they might easily undermine the original corporate signature design.

However, the main risks arise when individual employees are either responsible for setting up their own email signatures to company brand guidelines or when they are able to alter signatures set up for them when it is almost inevitable that errors will be made.

The implications of inconsistent email signatures are profound. Brand dilution is a significant concern, as mixed messaging and visual disparities erode the cohesive brand image your organization has invested heavily in creating and aims to always present. Missed marketing opportunities are another potential consequence, as inconsistent signatures may fail to capitalize on using the most appropriate promotional banners or social media links. Legal disclaimer implications also arise, risking non-compliance and legal complications due to inconsistent disclaimers across emails.

To address these challenges, implementing a robust corporate email signature management solution, like Rocketseed, becomes imperative.

Different departments’ email signature and banner requirements

Whilst company-wide email signature brand consistency is key, different departments may/will have specific professional email signature and banner requirements to help them cater to their own specific target audiences, for example:

Sales department email signatures

Being at the forefront of client interactions, sales team signatures need to build personal trust and facilitate easy communication. This can be achieved through the inclusion of a professional headshot and a clear ‘Book me’ call-to-action button directly linked to the salesperson’s appointment calendar. Sales team email signature banners will feature impactful visuals, highlighting current promotions or new product offerings to grab the recipient’s attention.

Read more about how our email signature software features for Sales also help with lead generation, lifestyle campaigns, CRM integration & more to empower your sales team.

Marketing department email signatures

Focused on building brand awareness and maintaining a consistent brand image, marketing department email signatures may emphasize social media links, showcasing the company’s online presence. Marketing team banners might incorporate visuals and messaging from the latest marketing campaigns or include upcoming promotions and events to engage recipients and drive brand recall.

Read more about our email signature features for Marketing to boost brand awareness and engage recipients.

Finance department email signatures

Within the consistent branded signature template, your finance team might wish to incorporate additional clauses in their email disclaimers relating to the confidentiality of financial information. Their banners might adopt a clean, corporate aesthetic, providing essential information like deadlines for financial reports or updates on regulatory changes, ensuring recipients are well-informed.

Customer service department email signatures

Customer service departments prioritize accessibility and responsiveness. Email signatures for customer service representatives might include banners featuring customer satisfaction ratings, testimonials, or links to self-help resources, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Learn more about how our email signature solutions for customer service can give your company a competitive edge.

Geographically spread departments

With multinational enterprises having teams spread across the world, it is essential that their email signatures reflect local differences, including language, local accreditations and awards and compliance with specific local legal regulations. However, it is essential that the overall corporate branding remains consistent across global email signatures and can be updated across geographically-spread teams with ease.

Remote workers

With corporations having increasing remote-working staff, it is more important than ever that all employee email signatures are consistently on-brand. Not only does centralised control of your company email signatures ensure that all your remote workers continue to present a unified brand image to the world, but there are also plenty of other staff engagement benefits too.

Check out our ways to meet the challenges of remote work and improve internal communication in a Hybrid Working Environment.

What is email signature software?

Email signature software refers to specialized tools or applications designed to simplify the process of creating, managing, and standardizing email signatures for individuals and organizations.

The role of email signature software for business

The key role of business email signature management is to ensure companies can effectively manage email signatures at scale, maintaining brand consistency, compliance, and up-to-date content across all departments’ and teams’ email signatures, regardless of the platform or device used.

Key features of effective email signature software

These are key features that combine to create effective business email signature software:-

Centralised control

By centralizing the management process, business email signature management software enables administrators to effortlessly design and deploy uniform email signatures from a user-friendly interface, streamlining the process and ensuring adherence to brand guidelines and compliance standards. The feature not only enhances brand consistency across all departments’ signatures but also simplifies updates, saving time and minimizing the risk of discrepancies, making it a cornerstone for effective and standardized email communication.

Template customization

Email signature customization for different teams is a hallmark of effective email signature design software, enabling tailored communication while upholding a consistent brand image. Administrators can use software to create an email signature to accommodate each team’s unique team needs, based on their function within the organization, geographic location or specific compliance requirements – all without compromising brand cohesion.

Dynamic content

Company email signature software with dynamic content is a game-changer, allowing automatic updates of email signatures and banners to reflect the latest contact details, promotions and disclaimers, or legal requirements. This feature ensures that every outgoing email remains current and compliant without manual intervention. For example, Rocketseed’s ability to sync with your company’s Active or Google Directory ensures that any employee details added or amended in the directory are automatically updated in their email signatures.

Administrators can also effortlessly incorporate real-time marketing campaigns, seasonal greetings, or regulatory changes, maintaining relevance and professionalism. For example, with Rocketseed, you can automatically schedule email signature banner campaigns to run in line with your marketing plan, or even in response to recipient’s previous banner interactions. This way campaign deadlines are never missed and recipients are always served the most relevant promotional messages that really resonate.

Compatibility and integration capabilities

Email signature software’s compatibility is instrumental in streamlining deployment across popular email platforms, especially if different departments or divisions use different platforms. That’s why an email branding solution like Rocketseed offers Email Signature Management for Office 365, Email Signature Management for Gmail, and also for Exchange.

In order to maximize the value of email signature and banner interactions, in terms of tracking conversions and attributable sales, it is also highly beneficial if a company’s signature software offers seamless integrations with analytics platforms such as Google Analytics and CRM systems such as Salesforce.

Reporting and analytics

How well are your company’s email signature campaigns performing? As with all marketing tools, it’s essential to measure results and assess return on investment (ROI). By choosing a software solution with advanced email signature analytics and reporting capabilities, you can easily track and analyze every recipient interaction with your signatures and banners. With data insights from a dashboard and regular automated reports, you can also identify the number of branded emails your teams send, your most prolific senders, which branded email templates they use, and the number of unique recipients and their engagement. You can then compare campaign performance and refine for the future.

What’s more, with real-time click alerts, your sales, marketing, and customer service teams can reach out the moment a recipient engages with your signature or banner links, thereby increasing the chance of converting a sale.

Security

Whilst brand consistency is key to customer trust, in today’s digital landscape trust is also based on data privacy. This means using an email signature solution that complies with data security standards in the markets in which your business operates. This is why Rocketseed’s email signature compliance and security meet the state, national, and international data protection laws in all jurisdictions where we and our customers operate. For our global customer base, this includes complying with data privacy laws like GDPR, POPIA, and HIPAA and meeting ISO:27001 international information security criteria to give our customers complete peace of mind.

Technical support

Reliable technical support is another essential aspect of a business email signature management platform. Initial interface training is essential for ensuring the smooth management of your company email signatures across your teams and ongoing support from a dedicated account manager, committed to ensuring your unique business needs, ensures you harness the full potential of their email signature solution. Explore how Rocketseed’s support services really set us apart.

Implementing email signature software in large enterprises

Implementing signatures in large enterprises without a centralised email signature management solution can be complex and time-consuming. It requires the setting of clear guidelines and communicating these effectively for consistency. Different departments need to be consulted to establish their diverse perspectives and needs. Also, all employees need to be well-trained on software usage, customization, and compliance. Consequently, regular audits and monitoring are required to ensure ongoing adherence.

To eliminate the risks inherent in this approach, it is far easier to use a centralised, secure and compliant email signature management solution that, as in the case of Rocketseed, is infinitely scalable and able to brand emails efficiently for thousands of employees in geographically-spread global enterprises.

How to choose the best email signature management solution for your company?

The best email signature software for businesses will have all the capabilities covered above and be scalable to meet your company size. From brand consistency and centralised control to security and service, there are a lot of factors to consider. Does your email signature manager have these features?

Why choose Parrot Digital? Our simple-to-deploy, secure and infinitely scalable email signature software ensures consistent brand representation across all departments and devices and opens endless engagement opportunities. Add the valuable insights you’ll gain through our advanced analytics and the stand-out service and support you’ll receive. Want to see the results companies have achieved with Rocketseed? Check out our extensive customer case studies.

To wrap things up…

Aligning email branding across departments and teams is crucial for a cohesive corporate identity. Consistent email signatures combine communication and marketing strategies to increase brand visibility, recognition and engagement. Maintaining signature consistency, especially in large enterprises, presents challenges which can be solved by choosing the best email signature software that acts as a centralised control hub, ensuring uniformity, compliance, and up-to-date content.

Experience the benefits for yourself, book a Rocketseed demo.

Congratulations!  You’ve just won a new customer, but research from CEB shows that 57% of the purchase decision is complete before your new customer even met you.

While your new customer is happy with their decision to purchase your product or service to address a specific problem, how do they learn about your other products and services?

As we know, there is far less effort and expense required to sell to an existing customer compared with acquiring new ones.

Are you planning a follow up to sell them on your other services?  Could be a bit early and look like you’re serving a smorgasbord when they only want to snack at this stage.

However, there is another, more subtle way to inform your existing customers of the broad range of services your organisation offers, or the new products just launched.

How about the emails you are sending back and forth to your clients? Would they not be the perfect opportunity?

Think about how many emails you and your colleagues send to existing customers every day.  Depending on the size of your company, it could be thousands a day – and they’re being read because each email contains information relevant to the relationship customers have with your company… and you.

Now imagine having a simple banner embedded in your emails promoting the new service or product just launched that they can click on to learn more.

Imagine again, that you, as the account manager, receive a notification that a customer has taken the time to learn more about a different service or product offered by your company.  Is this worthwhile information?  Could this be a lead?  It’s highly likely.

According to Parrot Digital, exclusive Resellers of Rocketseed software in Australia and New Zealand, a banner on a personal email can achieve up to 4X better engagement than traditional email marketing.

Why?  Because it’s a personal communication from someone they already know, and trust, bringing to the attention of your customers something that could address a business problem facing them that you weren’t even aware of.

Don’t underestimate the power of your everyday communications to be working hard for you to generate your next sale.

Steven Caldwell | B2B Marketing and Sales Leader

Connect with Steven on LinkedIn

Find out how Innova Group got a sale that paid for their licence fees for 6 months on their first day of using Rocketseed – read here

Social Media is now an essential marketing channel, but are we using it effectively? If you are struggling to grow your audience and increase engagement, read on for some useful tips on using social media as an effective marketing tool:

Share your Unique Expertise

Remember, your audience followed you because they are interested in your field and consider you the expert – so share your expertise. Invest in some research and place yourself in the shoes of your audience, so you can provide relevant and interesting news that your target market will enjoy and share.

Use Strong Visuals

Did you know that our brains process visual information 60,000 times faster than text alone? Your audience will be more likely to click on a Social Media post when you use strong imagery.

Connect with Like Minded People in Your Industry

Follow influencers and other people in your industry. Engage and comment on their posts and even share their content for your followers. Some of them usually follow back, which is great for spreading awareness.

Create a Social Media Marketing Plan

Just like you plan everything else, create a Social Media content marketing plan for a minimum of 3-months. Social Media sites that are neglected or only randomly active will lose their audience.

Promote your Sites

Include Social Media icons anywhere you can. Whether it’s your website, newsletters, or online advertisements.

Parrot Digitals Signature Marketing Software Solution can also help you to grow your Social Media followers every time you or your employees send a business email via Gmail or Outlook by including tracked links to your sites.

Lastly, don’t forget to test and track the results.

Inshiraah Ismail | Marketing Assistant

Connect with Inshiraah on LinkedIn

Rocketseed as GDPR-compliant Processors have tackled some of the complex issues regarding indemnity and thus, through our experience in shark-infested waters, let us help you to find your way to safe shores… in time for the BBQ.

Once upon a time there was GDPR…

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was like a roaring ocean of regulations and novel definitions, under which horrible shark-like predators called “major fin(e)s” were swimming and threatening to swallow companies. Bobbing along this ocean and trying to make sense of it, I spoke to an expert who said the whole issue is like a “balloon”; you press one side to solve a problem and another bulges out. What has bulged out in the wake of GDPR is a heated discussion between Controllers and Processors in the context of contractual negotiations. In other words, law in theory versus law in practice, and avoiding to fall under the gavel whilst hammering out a legal bulge called “Indemnity” between the two bearing legs of a contract and leaving negotiations rather limp.

Before I jump into this zesty discussion on things to consider in contractual negotiations between Controllers and Processors, allow me to define a few concepts.

1. Controller: Individual or company controlling and/or is responsible for the keeping and use of personal information; i.e. determining the purposes and means of processing personal data
2. Processor: Individual or company responsible for processing personal data on behalf of a controller

Why should I read this?

Because you’re curious about hammering out this bulge!

Well, the first hiccup in the wake of the GDPR, has been the demand by Controllers for uncapped, open-ended indemnity clauses in contracts to cover for costs incurred if it is the fault of the Processor. But how realistic is this in practice?

Data protection liabilities, pre GDPR, have on average been capped at 2x-5x the value of a contract, but Controllers consider those caps insignificant in comparison to the [threat of] 4% of annual worldwide turnover, if found accountable by no fault of their own. The issue arises since GDPR sets out obligations from the perspective of a Controller (Art 5(2)) and includes accountability for failing Processors, and subsequently may also have to compensate individuals for damages suffered. But this is not entirely the case, although some lawyers do like scaremongering to spark lengthy, hard-to-resolve-discussions where the hourly payments quickly ramp up.

Processors can be held directly liable by Data Subjects for breach if they have either been non-compliant to GDPR or acted outside of the scope of a contract (Art.82(1)-(2)). Additionally, if Processors act outside of the scope of a contract, they are treated as Controllers in respect of that processing activity and are directly liable for any issues arising thereof (Art.28(10)). Also, if they transfer data outside of the EU, they are directly responsible to having appropriate transfer protocols in place (Art.44). Other obligations are set out further below.

A few things worth taking into consideration when negotiating

1. How to pacify the sharks… Have a conversation!

GDPR and Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) really have no solid answers to provide, since the legislation and surrounding issues are much too recent. Thus, one must proceed with sensible risk management and honest discussions between Controller and Processor. Curb the fear and smell the coffee over some Danish and engage in constructive negotiations.

2. More sharks or just bigger sharks?

One has to ask; is the perceived risk of being fined justified, or has it inflated along with concern? Although GDPR will require more than a few months of implementation to give a statistical value on the topic, it would not seem likely as many companies have exercised caution and will necessarily have to be more vigilant going forward. Everyone fears to be made an example of, but one would appreciate DPAs have more tasks on their agenda than scouting for a prospect to annihilate. If you’re reading this as a Controller, what is your take on it? Feel free to respond and let’s exchange knowledge.

3. Are the sharks really that big and do they always attack full force?

DPAs have a number of tools, and suite of sanctions, to help organisations comply before unleashing Jaws, and these include; i) warnings, ii) reprimands, iii) corrective orders, and lastly vi) fines. It will not go straight to pocket, but knowing Jaws is out there, may be uncomfortable enough to make businesses comply.

The recent maximum penalty of 500k GBP has been given to Facebook for major trust and data breach. But since Facebook makes about 400k USD every five minutes, some might say they got off easily. Overall, the ICO has been reasonable with regards to fines; below are a few, recent examples of shark-bitten organisations.

• Medical centre in the UK fined ~£40,000 after it left highly sensitive medical information about patients (personal medical records) unsecured for nearly two years.
• Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) fined £200,000 for revealing identities of abuse victims in mass email by not using BCC.
• Lastly, Yahoo! was fined 250k for its security breach in November 2014 that affected 500 million users, but wasn’t reported until 2016. Yahoo! had been the subject of a very sophisticated attack, which led to Russian IP addresses.

As depicted above, there is a perspective to the fines; they depend on the type of data (personal, sensitive, or highly-sensitive), as well as the number of people affected or at risk.

4. What goes around comes around?

There are many other pertinent considerations to take into account during negotiations, such as i) the life of the contract, ii) the value of it and iii) the degree of exchange within it. Otherwise, there is the chance that the Processor may insist on unlimited liability from the Controller – counter-indemnity.

Exceeding the value of a contract and resorting to excessive figures may lead to the Processor simply filing for bankruptcy, leaving the Controller shouldering problems on its own. Hence, in some cases it may be worth bringing up the topic of Cyber Security Insurances and the scope it covers. If budget allows and specific conditions are needed, perhaps consider ringfencing contract for a particular client with included Cyber Security Insurance. These insurances are quite costly and need to be put into perspective of the contract value and risk of breach. Additionally, some Processing services also offer depersonalisation of data that may be an option for Controllers.

5. What triggers the shark?

Apart from previously mentioned examples of direct liability, Processors need to inform and ask for permission when appointing sub-processors (Art.28(2), (4)) and make sure these have proper procedures in place to be compliant with GDPR before appointing them. Processors also need to ensure that Controller requests/instructions comply with EU law (Art.28(3)(h)), strictly process data for purposes set out by Controller, and implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction or loss alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access (Principle 7 in the Data Protection Act or Principle f in GDPR, Art.28(1), (3)(e), (4), and Art.32).

Following GDPR, the pattern of breaches have not changed, but awareness has. According to the ICO data security incident trends are still dominated by breaches to Principle 7 and include the following:

• Data posted, faxed or emailed to incorrect recipient
• Loss or theft of paper work
• Failure to redact data
• Failure to BCC

6. “Please sir, I want some more…”

One of the most frustrating statements to be faced with, in any setting, is; “It needs to be reasonable.” This is often dealt with in processes involving property issues when trying to make sense out of fees, contracts or lease extension [trust me]. No one really knows what is reasonable at the moment just by looking at businesses with similar products or services, because it depends on so many various factors; size of business, type of data, instructions for processing, possible transfer outside the EU, value of contract, risk of breach etc. The best way to set the new rules is by creating them through honest discussions between Processors and Controllers. Bottom line is, it’s a two-way street and if Controllers like your service they are willing to work with you.

7. Be complaint as it’s your lifeboat!

A useful Lifeboat, which Rocketseed has utilised, for GDPR and future upcoming legislations, is GDPR365. This platform provides the necessary steps with guidance to become GDPR ready. Additionally, it also collects the data making it easy in case of audits to present your company profile. Register now!

We are all in the same boat, even if some Controllers may be in a large cruiser and Processors bobbing behind in a small dinghy. The bottom line is, We Can All Sink, so let’s try to help each other to stay afloat in this big ocean called GDPR.

Let’s go to the shores and throw a shrimp on the BBQ.

Are you getting the most from the space on your email? Is every banner on your emails enticing real-time sales interaction?

So maybe it’s time to update your strategy and start mixing things up a little. Stand out from the crowd and start looking for opportunities beyond your typical, day-to-day salesy banners.

What you want to do is:

Get your clients’ attention. Get them interested. Get them engaged. And get them CLICKING.

Now we know, not all email banners are created equal. That’s why we’re here to help you. Start turning heads with every email you send, with these 7 ‘must-have’ banners for any marketer’s email branding strategy.

1. The “how are we doing?” banner

Customer Service should be at the forefront of your business.

Incorporating a ‘Rate Our Service’ Banner in your email is a great, non-intrusive way to get feedback from your clients. They can effortlessly select on the desired rating in one easy click, without having to complete a lengthy survey form. The instant click-notification can help you discover how employees are performing in real time and follow up accordingly.

2. The “let’s get social” banner

Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to Social Media.

Encourage the readers of your emails to follow your social media channels for all the latest and greatest news your brand has on offer. Not only do they stay on top of trends but they can also become your biggest brand ambassadors!

3. The “straight from the horses mouth” banner

Establish credibility and trust with a case study.

Empty promises won’t get you anywhere. People want to hear from reliable sources that your product/service lives up to its promise. Use this opportunity to showcase these testimonials (in either written or video format) and drive traffic to your website.

4. The “lights, camera, action” banner

Let’s admit it, people have short attention spans.

Grab their attention with a short informative video. There’s no need to spend a fortune on the production of your video, with so many affordable and even free video software tools available. If a picture is worth a thousand words, just imagine how powerful your video will be!

5. The “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” banner

Keep your clients up to date with all your latest news.

Maybe your company won a big award, or you’re launching a new product that will rock the industry! Not only does this keep your clients informed, but also drives traffic to your website, which is always a bonus.

6. The “it’s that time of the year” banner

If you can’t beat them, join them.

Your competitors are doing it, so why aren’t you? Take advantage of promotional marketing opportunities presented by seasonal dates and see your sales soar.

7. The “because you’re worth it” banner

Who doesn’t love free stuff?

We’re sure you agree that client retention is just as important as acquisition. So show your clients just how much you appreciate their continued support by exclusively offering them something for free. A freebie every now and then will not only show loyal clients how much you care but will also help re-engage inactive clients.

Feeling inspired to spice up your email banners but need a little help? Our super-efficient Account Managers and creative Designers are ready to help you every step of the way.

And with Rocketseed’s advanced segmentation, targeting and scheduling rules, you can relax knowing that every recipient will be targeted with the right banner message at the right time.

So for the most engaging email banners, you know who you need…

Leonie van Aswegen | Marketing Coordinator

Connect with Leonie on LinkedIn

Looking to introduce email signature software across your business? (and if you’re not, you should be!). It can be a complex and confusing decision (and whose decision is it – Marketing? IT? HR? CEO?). When you consider the average employee sends 1,000 emails a month, it’s easy to appreciate that’s a huge engagement opportunity you can’t afford to miss. It’s a decision you need to get right.

So to help you cut through the confusion of competitor comparisons, here’s my 10-point checklist of the key qualities (and some specific special features) that make the best email signature software – and amazingly they all begin with ‘C’!

Contact Details – a signature’s more than a sign-off

I know this is obvious but if your email signature solution doesn’t make inputting, formatting and updating your employee contact details easy then it isn’t fit for purpose. Make sure it integrates with Active Directory so that any changes to employee details will update in your signatures automatically. By including social media icons, you’ll make it easy for recipients to engage with you in conversation! (Discover ‘The signature link to social success’ here).

CHECK – Does your email signature software remove unused fields for a cleaner layout?

Creativity – better by design

The best email signatures make an immediate impact and leave a lasting impression, so design matters (it’s no surprise that our Email Design Guidelines are our most popular download). It’s a balancing act – you’ve got big design ideas but only a small space. Don’t let a template constrain your creativity – a specialist signature designer can make your signatures really stand out.

CHECK – Can you get the exact bespoke design you want or are you tied to a template?

Clarity – display as desired

They’re designed, but do they display? What if your signatures display on a desktop but get twisted on tablets or mangled on mobiles? 60% of emails are opened on smartphones so choose email signature software that automatically configures to different screen sizes and a provider who continually tests on all devices. And make sure your images appear as intended. Embedded images display as soon as the email is opened. Referenced images must be downloaded separately. Easy choice, huh?

CHECK – Are signature images automatically embedded so they display immediately?

Control – take charge for complete consistency

Who’s going to be in control of your signatures? IT? Marketing? HR? Whoever it is, what really matters is your email signature software puts them in complete central control. If you want on-brand consistency across your company you need control. And with centralised control you can update employee signatures at the click of a button, whether it’s one, a hundred, or ten thousand, secure in the knowledge that individual employees can’t ‘creatively’ add their own off-brand signature ‘personalisation’.

CHECK – Are signatures employee tamper-proof? Can only central administrators update them?

Compatibility – easy to integrate

One for the IT crowd. If you can’t trust your email signature tech then you’re in trouble. Complete compatibility with your mail server (cloud-based, on-premise or hybrid) and email platform (Office 365, G Suite, Exchange etc.) is essential. And you’ve also got to consider integrations. Does it sync with Active Directory, CRM platforms and the wide range of apps available through integration with Zapier?

CHECK – Can you integrate easily to create all the marketing, admin and other workflows you need?  

Compliance – be covered, be confident

I’ve had a lot of email signature compliance enquiries lately. Why? Because thanks to GDPR and recent high-profile data scandals, compliance is big news. And nothing says compliance like an on-brand email signature disclaimer, sitting under your signature and protecting your brand. From confidentiality and copyright to contracts and codes of conduct, a few clear lines can keep you covered and confident (check out our special 10-point checklist just for email disclaimers here).

CHECK – Does your email signature solution automatically move your disclaimer neatly to the bottom of any email chain? 

Campaignability – maximise signature marketing

The big one for marketers as it transforms your signature into so much more. Suddenly every email’s a marketing channel (we like to think of it as the ‘hero channel’!) and, unlike bulkmail, this is one-to-one with all the open-rate (99%) and engagement benefits that brings. Add compelling, clickable calls-to-action to signature marketing banners (what makes us click?) to engage recipients. And to maximise this marketing potential, you’ll need smart segmentation and targeting rules so the right signature banner message reaches the right recipient(s) at the right time. Basically, you need to start thinking of signatures as a vital part of your marketing plan.

CHECK – Can you automate your signature campaign schedule so pre-planned banners run right on time? 

Click Data – insights to act on

Data is your most powerful marketing asset. You need to know how recipients are engaging with your email signature so you can measure performance and gain actionable insights. Your key performance metrics are therefore recipient click-through and email marketing conversion rates and you need to be able to attribute these to specific senders, recipients and campaign formats. Make sure you sure you choose email signature software that reports all this data quickly, clearly and concisely.

CHECK – Do you receive real-time click alerts, so your sales team can react to every click?  

Cost-Effective – real ROI results

Not to be confused with‘cheap’, although I fully appreciate cost is always going to be a factor. The best email signatures bring businesses closer to their customers, encourage interaction, engage leads and help move customers along their buyer journey. So a marketing-savvy email signature can create more customers, clicking their way to more purchases. There’s your ROI right there.

CHECK – Which signature solution will give you the biggest ROI (not simply the cheapest cost)? 

Client Service – on-hand to help

I’m not talking about a bit of trouble-shooting tech support here (although obviously that’s important). I’m talking about the kind of client service that’s like having another expert on your team – an expert who knows what works and what doesn’t, who’ll take away your tech headaches, who’ll make your email signature campaign ultra-engaging (and really cares about the results you achieve) and has an eye for constant improvement.

CHECK – Do you get a dedicated email signature account manager?

So there you have it – the 10C’s checklist for choosing email signature software. Sure, some will be more important to you than others, but I hope it will help you cut through some of the confusion, direct your decision-making or help you review your current email signature provider (how many C’s do they tick?).

Remember, the right email signature software can drive hundreds of thousands, even millions of visitors to your website, landing pages and social accounts for very little investment.

Want more Rocketseed tips? 

We’ve had a big surprise – the number of recent Rocketseed website visitors searching for email disclaimers!

It seems that suddenly the short (and sometimes not so short) small-print statements lurking at the bottom of your business emails are making a bid for stardom.

Why this sudden surge in email disclaimer demand?

Because compliance is big news. And nothing says compliance like an on-brand email legal disclaimer. GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation) and recent high-profile data misuse scandals have put compliance centre-stage and the world has woken up to the fact that brand protection is just as important as brand promotion.

And when you think that your employees are each sending up to 1,000 emails a month there’s plenty of opportunity for brand damage, from the accidental and unauthorised through to the mischievous and (criminally) malicious.

You (literally) can’t afford this damage. You need some proactive protection. From contracts and confidentiality to codes of conduct and copyright, the best email disclaimers cut through the compliance confusion.

So while it might be difficult to get excited about disclaimers for email (and if you do get excited by them you are going to love our website) it’s a good time to review yours with our 10-point email disclaimer checklist.

1.Does your business need one?

Wherever you are in the world, check the legal email disclaimer requirements. At the very least, it’s likely your business email is required to show your company name, registration number and place of registration.

2. Is it enforceable?

Do you really want to risk it? Whilst we can’t promise that your email disclaimer would be a watertight defence in court, it’s safe to say that it would help your case and is certainly enough to dissuade any litigation-minded recipient from any action.

3. Don’t over complicate or let it dominate

Keep your email disclaimer simple whilst keeping your business covered. And keep it easy to understand too – go easy on the legalese!

4. Need to keep it confidential?

If your email is for a certain recipient’s eyes only it makes sense to include a confidentiality statement. And if your email is sent to the wrong person by mistake, this statement should tell them to contact you (the sender), delete the message and not to copy, forward or store it.

5. Are you copyright-covered?

Is it clear that the rights to your email content are yours? Make it crystal clear with a copyright clause.

6. Are you creating contractual confusion?

Could your email content be read as a legally binding contract? An email disclaimer can make clear if it is or isn’t and avoid any costly confusion.

7. Reminder – run a virus check

Even though you’re taking every precaution to ensure there’s no malicious software in your message (especially attachments), your email disclaimer should recommend that the recipient runs their own virus check.

8. Don’t start a chain distraction

Don’t clog up your email chain with a disclaimer on every reply. Make sure your email signature software drops your disclaimer to the bottom of any email chain.

9. Do you need different disclaimers?

Accounts need confidentiality. Legals need codes of conduct. Sales need contracts.  Basically, different departments may need different disclaimers. So make sure your email signature software can deliver this while keeping you in central control.

10. Don’t forget Internal emails

Whilst everyone in your business is on the same side (in theory!) make sure you’ve got disclaimers on all internal email too and an email policy to back them up, eliminating any inappropriate and offensive inter-staff email.

So, what makes a Rocketseed disclaimer different?

Well, with Rocketseed it’s personal. As well as helping you solve all the issues covered above, Rocketseed lets you automatically insert the email addresses of the sender and recipient into every disclaimer, as well as timestamping them as proof of sending and allowing you to make any company-wide disclaimer changes centrally and instantly. In other words, we add a whole extra level of cover, confidence and control.

And Rocketseed disclaimers display perfectly on all email platforms, so whether you require email disclaimer Office 365 or email disclaimer GSuite, Rocketseed is right for you.

Watch how a Rocketseed email disclaimer works in our new video here.

We can help review your existing email disclaimer, advise on a new one and put everything in place to ensure your disclaimer is delivered on every employee email and displays perfectly on every device.

For the perfect email disclaimer you know who you need. Contact us today to protect your brand…

Why Email Branding ‘Alchemy’?

In their ceaseless search for shiny new marketing channels to promote their clients, many marketing agencies are overlooking a truly ‘golden’ oldie – their clients’ everyday employee email.

Because when it comes to achieving effective engagement, email branding can transform dull everyday employee emails – through the power of professional email signatures and interactive banner campaigns – into 24-carat marketing gold.

After all, every email your clients’ employees send is a personal communication that represents a golden opportunity for brand-building, up-selling, cross-selling and more – converting email contacts into customers.

Here’s our 5 golden rules. Let the email branding alchemy begin…

1. Brand all emails

Well-designed email signatures and interactive banners with clickable links are brilliant ways to combine creative, consistent branding and marketing campaign messaging into a trusted mode of communication – to a captive and willing audience.

And design makes all the difference. So to get the perfectly polished professional look that your clients expect, keep your campaign creative in line with our best email signature and banner design guidelines and your design will shine!

2. Personalise all emails

It’s difficult to craft truly personalised messages in ‘batch & blast’ email marketing campaigns for the simple reason that they aren’t personal. That’s why employee emails are so valuable – they’re written one at a time to a single person.

Over 95% of these emails are opened, compared with a low proportion of direct marketing emails. Branded communication in personalised emails consistently results in click-through rates 5-7 times higher than traditional digital marketing campaigns.

3. Target all emails

Maximise the marketing power of employee emails by creating a range of messages and links that can be used depending on the target recipient’s previous inquiries, purchases and demographic profile.

Segment your clients’ email contacts and precision-target every segment or individual – alert them to new products and promotional offers, invite them to events and keep them up to date with all your clients’ news. And also be sure to link to social media channels to encourage customers to engage with your clients’ brands on their own social networks.

4. Make all emails clickable

Beware! Your email alchemy will never work if you ignore this nugget of wisdom: Always include a clear call-to-action! A clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) is the golden key to click-through and conversion.

But – as with all alchemy – there’s room for experiment. We’ve experimented with shapes, sizes, colours and copy in a quest for the CTA that captures the most clicks. Click here to find out more.

5. Look and learn

Use employee emails to test advertising, branding and messaging on a small engaged sample before rolling out a mass marketing campaign for your clients.

Of course, to get this precious information you need an email branding solution with excellent reporting and analytics capabilities. And with real-time click alerts you can immediately see exactly which messages engage recipients and make them respond. It’s a great way to understand exactly what your clients’ customers want.

Expert email branding – from professional email signature software to full campaign services – can fully leverage the power of employee emails for your clients.

So to turn your clients’ emails into marketing gold, talk to the expert email branding alchemists. Find out how Rocketseed can help your agency generate more leads and drive mores sales for your clients. Download the eBook “Extend the Life of Your Marketing Campaigns” here

Robyn Woods-Child |  Managing Director

Connect with Robyn on LinkedIn