The Importance of an Email Signature

An e-mail signature is an important way to capitalize on every message you send. While the notions of “social networking” and “viral marketing” have captured recent headlines, e-mail has become so common place that it is hard to imagine getting along without it. It seems like everyone from school kids to grandmothers is online these days, and e-mail is a great way to stay connected with dental patients, build referrals, and reach out to prospective patients.

As s dental specialist you depend on referrals to keep your practice going. One way to boost your business is to encourage online word-of-mouth. A study conducted by eMarketer found that 53 percent of online traffic comes from recommendations made by family members and/or friends. By including a signature in every one of your e-mail messages you increase the chances of your information going “viral” – forwarded and shared in a dialogue of e-mail. Is your service worth talking about? We hope so. Why not make it easy for people to pass the word about your dental practice.

Setting your e-mail signature is not hard, but how you do it varies depending on which program you use to access your e-mail (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, etc.).  Look in the “Tools” or “Preferences” tab to set up your signature file. Once there, enter whatever information you want to appear at the end of all of your messages. Include your name, e-mail address, phone number, and a link to your website. Be creative with a tag line, special offer or marketing graphic to make the most of your e-mail.