Why include social icons in your email signature?
Adding social media icons with links to your channels in an email signature is a strategic move in your digital activity. It serves as a direct conduit to your online presence, allowing recipients to connect with you across various platforms seamlessly.
This not only enhances your digital visibility but also fosters engagement by providing easy access to your social content. Moreover, it can contribute to building your personal or brand’s image and credibility, as social media platforms are pivotal in establishing professional relationships and networks.
By integrating social media links in your email signature, you’re essentially extending an invitation to recipients to view and interact with your content, which can lead to increased traffic and potential business opportunities. It’s a subtle yet effective method of networking and showcasing your digital identity.
THE GUIDE
So here is a short guide to insert social icons in the signature of our emails, for the most popular email clients.
Before starting, consider choosing the style of your favorite stylish social icons:
WHICH MAIL CLIENT DO YOU USE?
Outlook for Windows
- Go to ‘File’ > ‘Options’ > ‘Mail’ > ‘Signatures’.
- Create a new signature or edit an existing one.
- Use the ‘Insert Picture’ icon to add your social media icons.
- Highlight an icon, click the ‘Insert Hyperlink’ button, and paste the URL to your social media profile.
Windows Mail
- Click on the gear icon to access ‘Settings’.
- Select ‘Signature’ under ‘Mail’.
- Add your social media icons as images.
- Highlight each icon and add the hyperlink to your social media page.
Mail for OSX:
- Open the Mail app and go to ‘Mail’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Signatures’.
- – Drag and drop your social media icons into the signature box.
- – Select the icon and click on the ‘Add Link’ button to insert the URL.
Mail for iOS
- Go to ‘Settings’ > ‘Mail’ > ‘Signature’.
- Insert the social media icons as images.
- Select the icon and add the URL to your profile inthe hyperlink option.
Gmail Browser Client
- Click on the gear icon and select ‘See all settings’.
- Go to the ‘General’ tab and scroll down to ‘Signature’.
- Use the ‘Insert Image’ icon to add your social media icons.
- Click on the icon and select the ‘Link’ option to add your URL.
Mozilla Thunderbird
- Go to ‘Tools’ > ‘Account Settings’ > ‘Signature Text’.
- Insert HTML code for images and hyperlinks (see beow)
<a href="YOUR_SOCIAL_MEDIA_LINK"><img src="PATH_TO_YOUR_ICON_IMAGE" alt="Social Icon"></a> Replace ‘YOUR_SOCIAL_MEDIA_LINK’ with the actual URL and ‘PATH_TO_YOUR_ICON_IMAGE’ with the image location.
AOL Mail (Client or Webmail):
- Click on the Settings Menu icon and select “More Settings”.
- Click on “Compose”.
- Use the toggle button to enable or disable a signature for your email address.
- Enter or edit your signature in the text box.
- To add social media icons, you’ll need to insert HTML code for images and hyperlinks.
Horde (Webmail Hosting):
- Log in to your Webmail dashboard and choose the Horde option.
- Go to the top right of the screen and look for the gear icon.
- Hover over “Preferences” and then click on “Mail” when the menu appears.
- Click on the section labeled “Personal Information”.
- Scroll down to find the “Signature” field.
- Here you can create a plain text signature or use the HTML editor to insert social media icons.
- After creating your desired signature, click the “Save” button.
<a href="YOUR_SOCIAL_MEDIA_LINK"><img src="PATH_TO_YOUR_ICON_IMAGE" alt="Social Icon"></a> Replace ‘YOUR_SOCIAL_MEDIA_LINK’ with the actual URL and ‘PATH_TO_YOUR_ICON_IMAGE’ with the image location.
General Instructions for Other Webmail Services:
If you’re using a webmail service from your hosting provider that’s not included in this list, here are some general guidelines to follow:
- Access the settings or options menu in your webmail client.
- Look for the signature settings, which might be under a section like “Mail”, “Compose”, or “Personal Information”.
- Use the provided text box or HTML editor to create your signature.
- Insert the HTML code for your social media icons and hyperlinks.
Here’s a sample HTML code snippet to add a social media icon to your signature:
<a href="YOUR_SOCIAL_MEDIA_LINK"><img src="PATH_TO_YOUR_ICON_IMAGE" alt="Social Icon"></a> – Replace ‘YOUR_SOCIAL_MEDIA_LINK’ with the actual URL and ‘PATH_TO_YOUR_ICON_IMAGE’ with the image location.
Gmail App for iOS and Android, Yahoo Browser Desktop, App for Android & iOS
- The Gmail app for both iOS and Android currently supports only text in signatures. If you want to include logos or images, you’d have to add them manually to each email.
- Similarly, the Yahoo Mail app allows you to create and edit signatures, but it does not support automatically adding photos or images in signatures.
- Here are the instructions in English for adding a textual signature with links to your social media:
For Gmail App on iOS and Android:
- Open the Gmail app.
- Tap the Menu icon (three lines in the top left corner).
- Scroll down and tap ‘Settings’.
- Choose the email account you want to add a signature to.
- Tap ‘Signature settings’ and turn on ‘Mobile Signature’.
- Enter your text signature and include the full URLs to your social media profiles.
- Tap ‘Back’ to save your signature.
For Yahoo Mail on Desktop and Mobile Apps:
- Open the Yahoo Mail app or go to the Yahoo Mail website.
- Click or tap the Profile icon.
- Select ‘Settings’ and then ‘Signatures’.
- Choose the account you want to edit.
- Enable the signature feature and enter your text signature.
- Include the full URLs to your social media profiles.
- Save your changes.
Remember, since images are not supported for signatures in these apps, you’ll need to use plain text and URLs to link to your social media profiles. If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to ask!
Ready to get started? Choose your favorite style of social icons for your email signature
Take in mind: a professional email signature enhances your brand and encourages engagement. Happy customizing!
Feel free to explore the provided resources for detailed instructions on creating effective email signatures. If you have any further requests or need additional assistance, feel free to ask!
References:
- Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2019). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79–95
- Joshi, Y., Lim, W. M., Jagani, K., & Kumar, S. (2023). Social media influencer marketing: foundations, trends, and ways forward. Electronic Commerce Research
- Email Signature Design Guide: Best Practices and Examples by Designmodo
- Professional Email Signature: 18 Examples & Best Practices by Hunter
