Control every email thread: Your email signature usage
30 August 2023
Every email is an invitation to connect and have a conversation. And if you’re trying to grow your business, you want to open dialogue. But how do you keep track of your communications and prevent important messages from being lost in your inbox? It all starts with the email thread.
In this post, we’ll explain how to organize your inbox with email threads – and how to leave a positive lasting impression with your email signature at every opportunity.
What is an email thread?
Think of an email thread as a chain. The links in the chain are messages and replies. Every thread starts with the first message – the opener. The reply, and subsequent messages, are listed in chronological order, from oldest to most recent. When someone clicks “reply”, the message becomes part of the chain rather than starting a new line of communication.
Instead of having individual messages scattered around your inbox, you have every message in a convenient chain (the “thread”). Not every email client supports email threads. However, the most popular clients, such as Google and Microsoft, do.
Email thread best practices
Okay, so that’s what an email thread is, but how do you use one effectively? Well, there are best practices to consider when using email threads for your business.
For example, you might want to ensure that every message in the thread is relevant to that discussion. And you might want to keep emails short and clear to avoid too much back-and-forth.
You may also wish to keep your tone consistent throughout. After all, just like your email signature, your email content is an opportunity to reinforce your brand message and communication style. It’s a chance to boost your brand’s credibility in the recipient’s eyes.
When to use email threads
Here are some examples of when you might want to use an email thread..
To discuss a single project
When you’re arranging a meeting
To discuss a sale of a certain product
When you’re clarifying points related to a particular matter
In other words, you might wish to start a new email thread when you need to go off-topic. Or when you’re reaching out to a new contact.
You can always customize your email signature to match your new intention. For example, you might update your signature to include social media links or details of a business promotion, depending on who you’re contacting.
Advantages of email threads
Email threads have a few distinct advantages.
Declutters your inbox
Since all your emails are in one place, you can reduce inbox clutter. There’s no need to waste time searching for a message – it’ll be exactly where you need it to be.
Loops in the right people
Email threads make communication seamless. They keep everyone informed and ensure that no one will miss out on a key piece of information. Email threads ensure that no detail is overlooked.
Improves organization
When you’re trying to manage a project, arrange a meeting, or resolve an issue, it pays to be organized. Email threads help to streamline your processes and ensure you don’t overlook a deadline or detail.
Email threads and your signature
Now we’ve covered how email threads work, it would be good to know how email signatures fit into the email thread format. Let’s take a look.
Your email signature is a core marketing tool. It can do everything from reinforcing your brand message to making it easy for prospects to contact you. However, the distinct role it plays within an email thread will change, depending on the stage of the conversation. This is where effective email signature management comes into play.
The first message
In the first message, initial impressions count. Your email signature, at this stage, should be your full signature template with key information such as:
Contact number
Email address
Social media links
Product banners
Disclaimers
This is your first opportunity to encourage the recipient to engage with you. An eye-catching, well-organized signature will stand out – and encourage the recipient to respond.
Subsequent messages
Every email in the chain layers on top of the other. For these messages, subtle signatures are key. You don’t want to detract from the content of each email, but you still want to advertise yourself and your business. At this stage, you might want to use reply signatures – these are shorter, but no less impactful, versions of your main signature.
Exclaimer makes it easy to quickly pivot between signature styles across your organization.
The signoff email
The goodbye is your chance to leave a positive, lasting impression. It encourages the recipient to act – or to at least remember the conversation positively.
In an email thread, this is the last email, so it appears at the top of the chain. This is another opportunity to capitalize on the power of your email signature, so you might wish to use your full signature here. Using your full signature shows that the conversation may be over, but your relationship with the recipient is ongoing.
Getting your email signature seen
Do you want to improve your email signature’s visibility in an email thread? Depending on the email client you use, you can boost your signature’s visibility by choosing the right settings. For example, Outlook lets you adjust your signature for email replies, although this only applies to one signature, not signatures across the whole company.
The problem? The process can be cumbersome, especially if you have multiple signatures to manage. But that’s where Exclaimer can help. Our email signature management tools give you complete control over every signature within your organization, so you can seamlessly integrate the right signatures, for the right personnel, at the right level of the email thread.
Improve your signature visibility with Exclaimer
As a business, your first impression matters. But don’t neglect the importance of your goodbye. Instead, make every link in your email chain count. Choose Exclaimer, the leading email signature management platform.
Exclaimer understands communication. We’re here to help you leverage your signoff and turn it into a low cost – but highly effective – marketing tool. Try Exclaimer now for free or contact the Exclaimer team to discuss your needs.
