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The 10 Best Ways to Use Internal Email Signatures

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Constant communication within an organization is necessary to ensure all employees know important business goals, company news, and corporate culture. In this article, we'll show you why internal email signatures are a fantastic way to reach employees in a non-intrusive manner.

An example of an internal email signature

The challenge we all have as employees is that we are all busy, all the time. In fact, according to LexisNexis, 51% of white-collar workers believe they are almost at “breaking point” when it comes to information overload. They simply can’t process all the constant communications they receive on a daily basis.

So, how do you ensure all employees know of important company announcements? It’s difficult enough with the sheer amount of information they receive daily. It becomes even more challenging if staff are based in multiple locations, or when a particular situation is changing constantly.

That’s where internal email signatures can be used to empower employees, increase engagement, and provide meaningful content.

Why should you use an internal email signature?

Using a company email signature for internal communications is just as important as an external email signature.

Even with a small amount of staff, an internal email signature helps to maintain professionalism by sticking to business standards.

With internal email signatures, you can reiterate a message without ever irritating your staff. As readers perceive the signature messaging passively, there’s no phone to pick up or invite to open.

To put this into perspective, imagine the number of business emails that can inform a conversation. If you see five emails in quick succession and each one contains a subtle message in the signature, you’re more likely to engage with it. Like advertising, the more you see a message, the more likely you are to take action.

What should you include in an internal email signature?

When creating a signature for internal emails, you don’t need to include a lot of contact information. You should employ a smaller signature design without minimal details.

Required elements

Logo
Name
Job title
Telephone extension and/or direct dial

Optional elements

Department
Office location (if you have multiple office locations)
Photo (great for putting a face to a name in larger companies)

Recommended elements

Legal disclaimer
Email address
Fax number
Promotional banners
Social media links
Company URL

Using internal email signatures for wider events

These email signatures don’t necessarily have to focus just on the internal messages of your company. They can also be used to highlight important global events. Take the current coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, which is having a huge impact on people on a micro and macro level. Many companies are looking at different ways to keep employees informed of the often-daily developments surrounding this viral outbreak. Senior management teams want to keep their staff healthy while ensuring that everyone follows important updates announced by governments and medical professionals.

Simple, but unobtrusive, reminders in employee email signatures telling them the latest updates, what situations to avoid, or if they are required to self-isolate are all possible within an email signature. An organization can implement health messages on all internal signatures, irrespective of which office an employee is based in. An internal email signature can also be linked to news sites such as the WHO’s (World Health Organization) rolling updates on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to make sure everyone is up-to-date with the latest developments. Here, a company can provide critical advice, but not in a manner that is seen to be overbearing.

10 ways to capitalize on internal email signatures

Here are 10 ways that you can increase employee engagement through the use of internal email signatures.

1. Working environment practices

Ensure all employees are aware of current health and safety regulations. Tell staff what is expected of them on a constant basis so that it becomes second nature.

2. Job opportunities

Promote new job vacancies to current staff members before recruiting externally. Tell everyone quickly when new opportunities in different departments become available,

3. Important company announcements

Easily inform everyone about important company news. Ensure everyone is aware of how news may impact on them.

4. Employee reminders

Provide general reminders for all staff such as to turn computers off at night. Get staff to take important actions willingly without nagging them.

5. Training opportunities

Increase enrollment in company training programs and initiatives. Highlight appropriate certifications that employees can partake in as part of their professional development.

6. Company benefits and enrollments

Remind employees to enroll in new company benefit schemes. Inform them of new company entitlements like staff discounts.

7. Charity and local community initiatives

Increase volunteer numbers for your company’s chosen charity. Offer an easy way for employees to donate their time and money.

8. New internal services & apps

Ask staff to use new tools that will help them with their working day. Showcase the latest apps designed to make their lives easier.

9. Latest content

Tell everyone about the latest white paper you’ve written. Get additional views on important videos. Ask staff to review proof-of-concept materials and get their feedback quickly.

10. Staff recognition

Get employees to vote on the best performing members of your company. Make sure people are given the chance to recognize those who have gone above and beyond.

Conclusion

You need to ensure that your staff, your target audience, are positively engaged with your brand, thereby turning them into company advocates. However, getting this advocacy can prove difficult if employees are low on time or are not aware of important company news.

With an internal email signature, you never have to work as hard to get your employees’ attention. They will see the content appear at the bottom of every corporate email they send internally. And by seeing this content repeatedly, they are subconsciously being asked to take an action without being forced to.

Professional email signatures are trusted, relevant, and contain valuable content. It becomes easy to control the context in which they appear, particularly with the use of email signature software. This then ensures appropriate actions are carried out by employees.