• Almost 7 in 10 (69%) of UK consumers think it is important for a company to have a consistent professional, branded signature across all of their emails

• 42% of consumers in the UK feel negatively towards a business when they receive an email without a branded signature

New research from Exclaimer, the leading email signature management software, reveals that while the majority of marketers expect email signatures to support lead gen in 2023, almost a third (29%) are not currently benefiting from an email signature management platform.

Of those surveyed, 68% of marketers see email engagement as a key digital advertising channel in their marketing mix, and almost half (48%) of UK marketers consider one-to-one emails as their company’s primary communication channel. 21% have even indicated that email marketing is their primary area for marketing investment this year, ahead of social media, affiliate marketing, TV and SEO.

Considering almost half (42%) of consumers in the UK harbour negative feelings towards a business when they receive an email lacking a branded signature, and a further 38% agree that a professional branded email signature makes them more confident that the business is legitimate, it’s surprising that 42% of marketers still do not see the value in using email signatures in a marketing strategy.

Carol Howley, CMO at Exclaimer says: “At a time where pressure is mounting on marketers to demonstrate value from their marketing spend, prioritising trust is crucial for marketers to build strong customer relationships, and to win in an ever-competitive market. Many people don’t realize the importance of email signatures in the marketing mix to help garner this trust, despite consumers clearly indicating their significance.”

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The power of consistency and trust

Over half (53%) of marketers said they use email signatures to ensure brand consistency across the business and almost 4 in 5 (78%) think that it is important for a company to have a consistent branded signature across all of their emails. 64% of consumers agreed and said that a professional branded email signature increases their trust in the sender and the top three things that make respondents immediately trust an email from a company are: well-written content (56%), a professional email signature (50%) and good formatting (48%).

However, while over three quarters (76%) of marketers believe email signatures have a positive impact on email engagement rates, there is still room for error with the top three things that stop consumers from engaging with an email including: spelling mistakes (67%), poor formatting (56%), and having no branded email signature (41%).

To build trust with consumers, who are bombarded with email marketing and communication from brands, getting the first impression right is vital. Marketers know the value of first impressions when it comes to winning over a prospect with almost 9 in 10 (85%) considering first impressions with prospective customers important.

Untapped potential

Encouragingly, the findings show that more than half (55%) of UK marketers do recognise the potential of using email signatures as a cost-effective marketing channel in 2023 to better engage with new and existing customers. For those marketers who have already recognised its potential and deployed email signature management tools, over half (53%) said they use email signatures to ensure brand consistency across the business, and half (50%) use it to share content with key client audiences.

With 67% of marketers expecting email signatures to help generate leads this year, the value they offer is clearly on the agenda for marketers, and something that needs to be explored as budgets continue to be scrutinised. For busy marketing teams, email signature management tools remove the need for IT to lead the charge on implementation, making this a cost-effective, consistent and high value channel.

Howley concludes: “Given the research highlights the markers of trust and consistency in brand communication for consumers, it also indicates where there is room for improvement. Companies need to think about how they can amplify email and emphasise the engagement element to build long-term relationships with their customers. While some marketers have already recognised email signatures as a key tool in their armoury, many are yet to fully benefit from them as a cost-effective way to connect with new and existing customers, boost engagement and increase brand awareness.”

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