Fri, July 02, 2010 - 9:25:07

What Does Your Email Signature Say About You?

You’ve probably heard of handwriting analysts who can glean information about an individual’s personality just by looking at their signature. But, what if we told you that an email signature could be even more revealing? According to a recent LifeHacker post, it’s not as unreasonable as it sounds. In fact, LifeHacker’s Kevin Purdy reports that what you write in your email signature could be damaging your professional relationships.

In business, it’s standard to have an email signature that lists your email and mailing addresses, phone number, and other pertinent information like your position and LinkedIn profile address. But, there’s something else that frequently appears in inboxes around the world and it just might be off-putting to some of your clients, employees, and associates: “Sent from my Blackberry. Please excuse typos.”

We’re all too familiar with the typos those tiny keys on your Blackberry or smart phone can cause, but just because you’re on the go, doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself an extra minute to proofread your email before pressing “send.” After all, as we’ve learned first-hand, little mistakes can spell disaster—particularly when it comes to email—but they can be easily prevented.

Robin was still adjusting to the tiny keys on her new Blackberry when she was responding to an email to our client, Aflac, summarizing the numerous commercials we had created starring the beloved Aflac Duck. Before she pressed send, however, she took one more look and noticed a very X-rated typo, thanks to the gadget’s shared U/I key. Luckily, proofreading saved her from having to have a very awkward conversation with one of our agency’s most important clients.

Although typos might seem small and insignificant, they can have an outsize effect—and not just on your communication efforts. These careless errors give your recipient the impression that he or she isn’t your top priority. When your email signature explicitly states that the email might contain typos, you underscore the fact that you’re simply too busy to care. While a typo disclaimer underneath an email signature is almost always written with the best of intentions, the unfortunate truth is that it’s counterproductive and comes across as arrogant and thoughtless instead of apologetic and humble.

So why risk hurting your reputation over a few typos when you can just as easily give yourself a minute and make sure they were never there to begin with? When you take the time to make it letter perfect, you tell people that in that moment, they have your full attention. And, then, instead of becoming a nuisance, you can plant a positive seed that will grow and grow.

Posted by Linda and Robin