The 10 Tips for Using Email Signature Images for Certifications

Email signature images used to promote certifications can instantly establish credibility with a recipient. Like using them on a business card, they are a powerful visual cue. They let people now that they are dealing with a professional.

What do we mean by a ‘certification’? It could simply be a ‘PhD’ or similar set of initials after a user’s name. It could be the crest of the New York State Bar Association if you’re a lawyer. It could be a Microsoft Certified IT Professional logo if you’re an IT administrator. There can be many variants of email signature images used for certifications as a result.

Using email signature images in this way reduces confusion over relevant corporate qualifications. They let you promote your business via a channel that will be viewed by thousands of recipients a day

Check out our top 10 DOs & DON’Ts on how to use email signature images for certifications. Find out how to decide which ones to include in your email messages to external contacts.

1. DO make yourself look like an expert

If you’re an expert professional with relevant qualifications for your business, include images of certifications in your email signature block.

A certification graphic can instantly trigger recognition from recipients so they know they are dealing with an expert.

2. DON’T add irrelevant qualifications

The relevance of a certification depends on the nature of your business. Email signature images should not be added just for the sake of it.

Also, adding certain personal certifications might actually undermine the seriousness of an employee’s message. A financial advisor shouldn’t promote a ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest via some email signature images!

3. DO consider their value

By adding achievements to every employee email, you’re showcasing their expertise and value to the company. This comes with the added benefit of providing a morale boost to your staff.

4. DON’T think you shouldn’t shout about it

Corporate certifications cost a lot. If you don’t add images for them in your professional email signatures, you’re not getting their full value.

Whatever it achieves, the benefits are impossible to quantify if your contacts don’t know it’s there. That’s why you need to promote the certification with some kind of email signature image.

5. DO build trust

Trust and respect are hard to earn, especially over email where we might be divided by time, distance, tone and culture. What might seem like a reassuring statement to you might actually be disconcerting for a recipient.

However, email signature images displaying certifications can establish credibility visually and instantly. This can go a long way to building a strong business relationship.

6. DO link certification images to a landing page

Even though you have a certification image in your email signature, recipients might not know what it means. Earning a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification in the UK might not translate to a Canadian or Indian audience for example.

Linking the relevant image to a page from the official certifier helps people understand the certification and what it stands for.

7. DON’T forget about awards

If your company has won an award, you will will want everyone to know about it. Awards are an industry seal of approval and can numerous benefits for your organization.

Adding an award image to corporate email signatures automatically provides increased exposure. Linking the image to the award giver’s home page also gives recipients additional information on what you’ve won. Also don’t forget to add Alt text to describe each award icon.

8. DO highlight corporate certifications

Corporate certifications apply to the whole company. Examples might include being a Microsoft Gold Partner or that you have met the ISO/IEC 27001 quality standard.

Displaying these types of certifications with email signature images reflects well on your organization. This makes them useful and trustworthy to any email recipient.

9. DO keep them timely

If you were awarded a certification in 2018, you shouldn’t still be promoting it with an email signature image. Only use certifications that are timely and current. Recipients won’t be interested in something you were awarded years ago.

10. DON’T do it yourself

If you think adding images to email signatures sounds difficult, choose Exclaimer’s cutting-edge email signature generator/solutions.

Using email signature software makes signature updates quick and easy. Creating a signature with images, accurate contact information, and corporate branding takes moments. Your template is then deployed to all users via a central console. You can then be assured that your email signature template will be consistent across all email clients and even mobile devices.