The 10 tips for using images and email signatures with certifications

An email signature with certifications can instantly establish credibility with a recipient, especially those with images. Like using them on a business card, they’re a powerful visual cue. They let people know that they’re 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 an email signature with certifications and 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’re 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 shouldn’t be added just for the sake of it. 

Also, adding certain personal certifications might undermine the seriousness of an employee’s message. A financial advisor shouldn’t promote a ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest using 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 an 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 be disconcerting to 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’ll want everyone to know about it. Awards are an industry seal of approval and can have lots of 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 more information on what you’ve won. Also don’t forget to add Alt text to describe each award icon, for recipients that have limited accessibility 

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. 

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.

Learn more about Exclaimer and get yourself a free interactive product tour today.