Top 10 email signature images for certifications DOs & DON'Ts

Exclaimer is the recognized global market leader in on-premises and cloud-based email signature software and solutions.
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Use email signature images to promote corporate certifications and industry awards.
Many organizations miss the benefits of using email signature images to promote awards and certifications. The objectives of having certifications in email signatures are obvious - to inform, reassure and impress recipients.    

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Check out our top 10 DOs & DON’Ts of using email signature images for certifications and find out how to decide which ones to include in your organization’s email signatures.

1. DO make yourself look authoritative


If you’re an expert professional with qualifications that are of relevance to your business, make sure to include a certification image in your email signature.

A certification graphic can instantly trigger recognition from recipients so they know they are dealing with an expert. Good examples of occupational qualifications could becoming a Microsoft Certified Support Engineer or a Google AdWords Qualified Professional. These are of direct benefit to your organization, so they should be promoted.
 

2. DON’T add irrelevant qualifications


If your company sells sports equipment, there is no need for someone in your company to showcase their degree in quantum physics in their email signature. The relevance of a certification depends entirely on the nature of your business and should not be added just for the sake of it.

Also, adding certain personal certifications might actually undermine the seriousness of an employee’s message. A financial adviser wouldn’t need people to know that they were once the winner in a ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest via some email signature images.
 

3. DO consider the motivational value


By adding achievements to every email employees send, you’re making a strong statement about their expertise and value to the company. If it matters to the business, show it to all of your email contacts, which will have the added benefit of providing a morale boost to your staff.

For example, your customer service team might need to have some specific training but feel that their day-to-day experience is underappreciated. Displaying their certifications can indirectly demonstrate how important their contribution to the company is.
 

4. DON’T think you shouldn’t shout about it


Serious expenditure can come with corporate certifications and qualifications. The tuition fees, the time off to attend courses and the cost of examinations can really mount up. If you don’t shout about certifications in your email signature, proving your authority and credibility, you’re not getting the full value from it.

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 some kind of email signature image.   

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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 actually be disconcerting for a recipient.

However, certification images displayed in your email signature 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 still might not be clear as to 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 accreditation symbol to a page from the official certifier helps people understand the certification, what it stands for and the relevance of it to their region.
 

7. DON’T forget about awards


If your company has won an award, you will undoubtedly want to let everyone know about it. Awards are an industry seal of approval and can create numerous benefits for your organization.

Adding an award image to corporate email signatures and linking it to the award giver’s home page automatically provides increased exposure. By communicating your award win to email recipients, your users’ statements will carry more weight and your company will benefit from additional positive publicity.

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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 27001 quality standard.

Displaying these types of certifications with email signature images reflects well on your organization therefore making it useful and authoritative to any email recipient.
 

9. DO keep them timely


If you were awarded a certification in 2008 and you’re still using it in your email signature, it’s time to remove it.

Only use certifications and qualifications that are timely and current as they will have much more value. Recipients won’t be interested in something you were awarded 10 years ago and might think it is a little tragic that you’re still promoting it.
 

10. DON’T do it yourself


If you think adding certifications or any type of image to email signatures sounds laborious, use a third-party email signature software solution.

Whether you are on Outlook, Exchange or Office 365, you'll be able to add an image to an email signature within moments and then deploy it to all users’ via a central console. It really is that simple!
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Exclaimer is the recognized global market leader in on-premises and cloud-based email signature software and solutions.

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