How to use email signature marketing: 10 DOs and DON’Ts

Email signature marketing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to turn everyday emails into a powerful brand and campaign channel. Every message your employees send is an opportunity to build trust, reinforce your brand, and drive engagement. Yet too often, email signatures are inconsistent, poorly designed, or even missing key information.

That’s where best practices make all the difference. By following a few proven dos and don’ts, you can transform email signature marketing from an afterthought into a reliable driver of professionalism, compliance, and marketing ROI.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the top 10 email signature marketing dos and don’ts to help your organization make the most of every email.

For more great tips on how to use email signature marketing in your company, check out our official Email Signatures for Dummies guide.

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1. Do use email signatures as a marketing channel 

By 2027, global business email volumes are expected to reach 408.2 billion per day. That’s billions of opportunities for organizations to extend their marketing reach through everyday communications. With email signature marketing, you can turn every employee email into a low-cost, high-visibility campaign touchpoint.Best practices for using email signatures as a marketing channel:

• Design a professional email signature with space reserved for promotional banners.

• Place banners directly below contact details so they’re always visible.

• Link banners to targeted landing pages, product pages, or event sign-ups.

• Refresh campaigns regularly to keep content relevant.

2. Don't miss out on 522,000+ marketing opportunities a year 

The average employee sends around 40 emails per day. In a 50-person office, that adds up to more than 2,000 emails daily — or approximately 522,000 emails per year based on a standard working calendar. Every one of those emails is a missed marketing opportunity if your email signatures aren’t optimized.

Instead of spending heavily on paid channels, email signature marketing transforms your everyday communications into a high-volume, low-cost channel with guaranteed impressions. With the right banners and CTAs in place, you can maximize reach without increasing spend.

3. Do tell people about special promotions and latest offerings 

Running a seasonal sale? Launching a new product? Announcing an award? Email signature marketing is an easy way to make sure your most important contacts see these updates. By placing promotions in banners beneath your signature, you can increase awareness without relying on traditional ads.

You can even run multiple campaigns at the same time, tailoring messages for different audiences. For example, customers might see a banner about a free trial, while prospects receive a promotion for an upcoming webinar. Segmentation like this makes your campaigns more relevant and more likely to drive clicks. Best practices:

• Keep banners visually aligned with your brand identity.

• Use concise, action-oriented copy with a single clear CTA.

• Link directly to landing pages that match the banner message.

4. Don't think email banners are less useful than online advertising 

It’s easy to underestimate the value of email banners compared to PPC ads or paid social campaigns. But consider this: your organization’s emails are seen by far more people each day than your website. Every message your employees send is another opportunity for your brand to be seen.

Unlike many paid channels, email signature banners reach people you already have a relationship with — colleagues, clients, prospects, and partners. That context means recipients are more likely to notice and trust the message you’re sharing.

Why email signature banners work:

• They achieve higher visibility because they’re attached to one-to-one conversations.

• They reinforce your brand in environments where trust already exists.

• They cost significantly less than most digital advertising placements.

5. Do get people to visit your corporate blog 

If your company maintains a regularly updated blog, your email signature is the perfect place to promote it. Every recipient who receives an email from your employees could also discover your latest insights, news, or thought leadership content.

Adding blog links or even a live RSS feed into your email signature marketing ensures new posts are automatically promoted as soon as they’re published. This way, you extend the reach of your content without relying solely on social media or newsletters.

Best practices:

• Link directly to the blog homepage or your most recent article.

• Use a banner to highlight popular posts, guides, or reports.

• Keep the blog reference subtle so it supports the signature, not overshadows it.

6. Do highlight events you’re going to attend 

Tradeshows, conferences, and webinars are major opportunities to connect with your audience — but only if people know you’re attending. Email signature marketing lets you showcase upcoming events in every message your employees send, ensuring your most important contacts stay informed.

By adding a promotional banner beneath your signature, you can build awareness, boost registrations, and encourage word-of-mouth. Even if recipients don’t attend, your event presence will stay top of mind.

Best practices:

• Include event details: name, date, and a strong CTA such as Register Now.

• Link directly to the event sign-up page.

• Use a design that matches the event’s branding while staying consistent with your corporate style.

7. Don't forget to capture data 

Every click on your email signature marketing banners is a valuable insight. But without proper tracking, you’ll never know which campaigns are working or how to improve them.

Too often, companies treat email signature marketing as a “set and forget” channel. While impressions are guaranteed, it’s the engagement data that helps prove marketing ROI and refine strategy.

Best practices:

• Add UTM parameters to banner URLs so clicks show up in Google Analytics.

• Track which campaigns generate the most traffic, leads, or conversions.

• Use this data to optimize banner design, placement, and messaging.

8. Do shout about content your company has created 

White papers, eBooks, reports, and case studies take significant effort to produce, so make sure they’re seen by the right audience. Email signature marketing is a simple, effective way to put your latest content directly in front of clients, prospects, and partners.

Whether you use a banner or a plain text link, promoting content in your email signature helps establish credibility and thought leadership while driving valuable traffic back to your site.

Best practices:

• Promote gated assets like eBooks or guides to generate leads.

• Use banners for high-value assets (e.g., research reports, awards).

• Refresh the content you promote regularly to avoid banner fatigue.

9. Don't forget to remove out-of-date banners 

An outdated banner undermines professionalism and can confuse recipients. A “Summer Sale” still showing in December, or an expired event promotion, makes your email signature marketing look neglected and untrustworthy.

Keeping banners fresh is just as important as designing them well. Regular updates ensure your campaigns remain relevant, engaging, and aligned with your brand’s credibility.Best practices:

• Audit banners regularly to check for expired campaigns.

• Replace outdated promotions with new offers or evergreen content.

• Schedule banner updates in advance where possible to automate the process.

10. Do use promo banners for internal communications 

Email signature marketing is also a powerful way to keep employees informed. Whether you’re sharing new policies, highlighting job opportunities, or promoting workplace initiatives, banners in internal emails ensure every staff member sees the message without extra effort.

Because email is the one channel that reaches every employee, you can be confident that critical updates won’t be missed. Internal banners also help HR, IT, and Communications teams reduce reliance on mass emails that often go unread.Best practices:

• Use banners to reinforce reminders such as security protocols or policy updates.

• Promote employee engagement initiatives like training sessions or social events.

• Keep internal messaging visually distinct from external campaigns. 

Email signature marketing done right

Email signature marketing is one of the most underused but effective channels available to organizations today. By following these dos and don’ts, you can ensure every message your employees send builds trust, strengthens your brand, and drives measurable results.

From promoting content and events to capturing valuable campaign data, the opportunities are vast. But only if you treat the email signature as a strategic asset, not an afterthought.