Writing a business letter is no less a responsible task for any company than. Usually the document is drawn up according to a simple scheme: greeting - main part - conclusion - signature and date. According to common practice, at the end of the letter, instead of a simple signature (surname and initials), a more polite formula “With respect” is used - the name of the director or other responsible person on whose behalf the document was drawn up is added to it.

This phrase is used especially often (because of its simplicity and neutrality). However, other formulas may be applied at the end of a letter; their samples will be given below.

Why do you need a signature in a business letter?

A signature in a business letter, as in any other (for example, in), is needed first of all so that the recipient knows the name of the addressee. From a legal point of view, this is the only necessary function of a signature, and therefore it can be reduced to a surname and initials.

Important: it is highly desirable that the document be certified by the personal signature of the director (manager) and contain on itself (at the end of the sheet) an imprint of the seal or stamp of the organization. These conditions are not mandatory, but their implementation will significantly increase the credibility of the sender of the paper.

The use of one surname without the formula "Respectfully", although it does not deprive the document legal effect, unable to call the addressee positive emotions in relation to the sender, and simply at odds with the norms of politeness accepted in society. It is for this reason that the words "Sincerely" (and many variations) are used ubiquitously in both business and personal correspondence. Adding them to the end of the letter is not difficult (no more difficult than swiping), but the result is more than worth the time spent.

Important: in accordance with accepted practice, the phrase "Respectfully" at the end of the letter is separated from the surname and position by a comma.

"Respectfully" at the end of the letter - sample

Sincerely,
General Director of Mayak-Neftegaz-Egorovka LLC
Ivanov I.I.

Currently, in addition to the main phrase "Respectfully", put at the end of the letter, several more options are used, more or less formal and suitable for certain cases:

  1. Just a last name with initials. IN business turnover can only be used during active text messaging; at the same time, the first and last of them must certainly be drawn up in accordance with all the rules.
  2. « Have a good day». Not a bad option for the final letter in correspondence, however, by an unfamiliar addressee, it can be regarded as abrupt.
  3. « See you". It makes sense to use this formula only when the sender plans to meet the recipient soon.
  4. « Good luck!» Such a conclusion may seem frivolous to the addressee, and therefore is permissible only in semi-friendly correspondence.
  5. « Thank you for your attention". The formula is recommended for use in business and commercial proposals.

Summing up

The formula "Respectfully" is used before the position and last name of the addresser at the end of the letter to create a friendlier mood in the recipient. The original phrase can be replaced by any other - the main thing is that it is appropriate.

Also, to certify the document, it is recommended to use the personal signature of the head (director), as well as affix an imprint of a seal or stamp - together with the phrase "With respect", these details will make the addressee feel trust in the sender.

Your email signature is more than just your name and rank. This is part of your personal image. The caption stimulates the reader's response, provides contact information, and captures attention in a positive and memorable way.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at email signatures. Here are nine tips for creating compelling and informative email signatures. Your reader will want to respond when they see a professional email signature on the messages you send.

Sending Professional Emails (graphic)

Essential Elements of a Good Email Signature

An email signature has two tasks:

  • grab the recipient's attention
  • convey information about you to the reader

Here are some elements of a good electronic signature:

  1. Name, position and company. Your name tells the reader who sent the email. If you represent a company, please include your name and position in the company.
  2. Contact Information. Contact information must contain your business website, at least one phone number. You can enter your email address, although many experts say this is not necessary.
  3. Social Links. All greater value acquires the inclusion of contact information in in social networks to your electronic signature. Choose the most professional social media accounts you link to. Linkedin- good example. Avoid linking to frivolous or inappropriate social accounts.
  4. Logo (optional). If you work for a company or own own business, you can include your logo in the electronic signature.
  5. Photo (optional). Many email signatures contain a photo of the sender. This may help the reader connect your image to the name.
  6. Responsive Design. The use of smartphones and other mobile devices has increased. Most likely, the recipient will open your email on a mobile device. Responsive design is customized for them.
  7. Legal Requirements. Some countries have specific legal requirements that all business communications must comply with. Check with your lawyer to find out if the country where your company is located has special laws governing email signatures.

Don't make your signature too long or include overwhelming amounts of information. Studies have shown that recipients tend to ignore email signatures with too much information. For example, usually one or two phone numbers.

Also, be careful about adding redundant information such as long quotes or controversial statements. They often don't add anything useful to your email signature. In the worst case, a quote can offend or anger your reader, and you can lose business.

Today, professional email signatures make a statement about you and your business. They are part of your brand business card or part of office supplies. That's why it's important to put the right signature.

Email signature templates can help you create a memorable and meaningful email signature. This section has nine email signature tips with inspiring examples of email signature templates available on Envato Market. So you can get a professional email signature design that is just right for you.

1. Keep it simple

You have heard the saying “less is more”. When it comes to your email signature, this can be true. If your email signature contains too much information, the recipient may be distracted. In addition, some companies require the use of a single electronic signature for business letters companies.

Here are two examples from which will become an excellent standard for a corporation or small business.

If you're using a simple, minimalist email signature, include enough information so that your reader can contact you.

2. Connect social networks

If you include social media contact information, the links to them must be professional. If you're not sure about a particular account, it's a good idea to review it and delete any unprofessional messages. You can ask a friend to check your social media account to notify you of any messages that spoil your image.

Colorful Email Signature Designs

A good colorful e-signature is sure to grab attention. Color - a good choice for most businesses. Creative professionals avoid colors in bright colors.

5. Be bold with black and white

A flashy email signature is not suitable for some industries and brands. Usage a large number colors may be contrary to corporate policy. Or may be condemned in more formal business communications.

Even without an abundance of flowers, your email signature can still be eye-catching. A black and white signature is just as effective as a color one. The key is in the design and use of fonts.

Look for a design with bold, crisp type and big amount free space for contrast. Here is an effective black and white design template :

Black and white email signature

Black and white email signatures are perceived as more conservative or formal. This makes them suitable for a profession such as finance or law. Depending on the design, a black and white signature will be perceived as quite modern.

6. Abundance of options

Since the email signature represents your brand, it's good to have a choice. It's also nice to have options if your email signature needs to change.

For example, if you change jobs or companies, you need to change your email signature to reflect your new position. In addition, if you are busy branding or rebranding your business, it is recommended to choose a flexible template that can be customized for a specific activity.

Modern Email Signature

Modern style Email signatures are great for any company that wants to portray progressive aspirations. This works equally well for a tech firm or a creative worker.

Your next step

The next step is to create an attractive and unique professional email signatures. Perfect place where to find the right email signature templates - Envato Market, there are dozens of designs available.

When designing your professional e-signature, don't forget.

What can be written in the signature to the letter

To bookmarks

IN e-mail the signature most often contains contact information, but this space can also be used for marketing purposes. The site browser figured out what the signature should be, and also chose interesting ideas that can be applied in practice.

Name and site only

Ilya Birman, art director of Artyom Gorbunov's bureau, believes that the signature should be as concise as possible. In his opinion, "hamburgers" - long signatures of several lines - are needed only in exceptional cases. In most situations, you can limit yourself to a name and a website where you can find additional contact information about you.

The signature is an integral part of the letter, and not a meaningless set of identical bytes sent thousands of times. It is written not to indicate from whom the letter is from (this is already visible in the mailer), but to put a semantic point in the text. In quick correspondence, signatures in individual letters are not put at all, in the same way that greetings are not repeated.

Ilya Birman

Don't use signature at all

Quora user Tom Cook believes that you can safely get rid of the signature in the mail:

In most cases, a signature is not required. In the interface of the mail client, I already see from whom the letter came and what its purpose is. When the correspondence grows, the signature only clogs the screen.

If a signature is necessary, Cook advises not to use quotes in it, believing that this trend was outdated back in 2010. He also doesn't see the point in adding images and advises limiting yourself to plain text.

Follow good manners

An option that is appropriate in all cases is a standard corporate signature. Four lines of no more than 80 characters in length. The signature must be preceded by a separator - a horizontal line that separates the signature from the body of the letter. Perhaps this is the most reliable option if you do not want to take risks and come up with something unusual.

Boris van Zanten, co-founder of The Next Web, cites his signature as ideal:

sincerely,
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten
--
Co-founder The Next Web, Twitter Counter and some other stuff.
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on LinkedIn

To make an automatic signature in email, you should refer to the mail settings. How to do this for Gmail, I wrote.

And how to make a signature in an email for mail on Mail.ru? At the end of the article you will find a branded video from Mile ru.

1. Where to go to make a signature for each Mail.ru letter
2.
3.
4.
5.

To make a signature for each letter to Mail.ru, you need to find the mail settings. To do this, go to your mail on Mail.ru, enter your username and password. After that, click on the "Settings" button in the top menu (number 1 in Fig. 1):

Rice. 1 Open mail settings Mail ru

After that, we get to the Mail.ru Settings. We click on the option “Sender's name and signature” (number 2 in Fig. 1).

We get to the window “Sender's name and signature”:

Rice. 2 As in reply letter put a signature before the quoted text

In your automatic email signature, you can add:

  • your motto
  • your phone
  • video link,
  • to the website
  • and so on.
  • find this site on the Internet,
  • highlight the website address in the address bar of the browser and
  • copy it to the clipboard, for example, using Ctrl+C.
  • Then, in the signature of the letter in Mail.ru, put the cursor in the right place and
  • press Ctrl+V to paste the address that was previously saved in .
  • You will see a link to the site in your email signature.

Pay attention to the checkmark after the signature:

  • "Put a signature before the quoted letter."

This checkbox determines where the signature will be automatically inserted: before the quoted letter (which, in my opinion, is convenient) or after it.

After you enter all the data for your signature, do not forget the most important thing - click on the "Save" button (number 4 in Fig. 2).

How to decorate the signature with bold, italic, color?

Eat different possibilities, which provides a particular email service. Mail.ru e-mail is free and you should not confuse the opportunities that it provides with the opportunities that are available in paid services.

In Mail.ru e-mail, making a signature in italics, highlighting it in bold or color can only be done manually, but this cannot be done automatically, at least today. How can I decorate the signature in my letter in manual mode?

Entering the mail Mail.ru, click in the upper left corner on the button "Write a letter" (Fig. 3). After that, the signature will automatically appear in the new letter, which we indicated earlier in the “Sender's name and signature” window (Fig. 2). Now this signature can be edited manually and decorated as you wish. What are the possibilities in Mail.ru mail to decorate your signature?

First you need to select the required text in the signature (in other words, “paint it blue” - 1 in Fig. 3). Then you can make the selected part of the text:

  • oily (3 in Fig. 3),
  • in italics (4 in Fig. 3),
  • underlined (5 in Fig. 3),
  • color (6 in Fig. 3).

So in your signature, you can color at least each letter (number, symbol) individually or otherwise.

Rice. 3. How to make a signature in a Mail.ru letter bold, italic, color

You will have to decorate the signature in manual mode in each letter. Alas, there are no other opportunities in Mile.ru yet.

You can write your wishes to Mile ru on editing the signature. How to do this, I wrote below in this article.

How to make different signatures for letters?

Above in fig. 2 pay attention to the button “+ Add name and signature”. Here you can make different signatures for your letters, but at the same time, one signature must be made “Default”. It will automatically be inserted into your emails. To do this, you need to check the box next to the inscription “Default” next to the desired signature. On fig. 5 there is no such checkbox next to the “Default” option.

We made several different signatures to the letter. And how to live with it? :) How to insert the necessary signature into the letter? Every time run to the mail settings and change the “Default” checkbox next to the desired signature there? It's long and inconvenient.

And it’s easier like this: when writing a letter, click on the “Signature” button (number 1 in Fig. 4). And there select the signature that you need at the moment:

Rice. 4. How to change the signature when writing a letter

Do I need an autoresponder for mail

Let me say a few words about the Auto Responder, which, like the “Sender Name and Signature”, is located in the “Settings”. It is up to you whether to turn on the Auto Responder or not.

On the one hand, when the autoresponder is enabled, the sender of the letter will always receive a message from you that your letter has been received. Moreover, any related information can be inserted into the answering machine: “Thank you for the interesting and informative news”, “I am not here now, but I will definitely read your letter”, “Sorry, I will read your letter later”, etc.

On the other hand, if there are a lot of letters to the sender's mail, then the receipt by the sender of such an "empty" letter is not always positively perceived by him. Therefore, “think for yourself, decide for yourself” whether you turn on the answering machine or not.

The signature in an e-mail is your Internet business card, so do not neglect it and use it for your image and authority.

Help Mile ru

For each section in the Mail ru mail there is a "Help" (Help, hint), which provides the necessary explanations for the sections.

When you open "Help", then when navigating (moving) through the "Help" in the mail, use the "+" icons that are in front of each section. The “+” icon opens hidden Help sections.

How to write to the support service Mail ru

It is there that you need to write your suggestions, complaints, appeals about your mail to Mile ru. Sometimes they write to me, I can only help with advice, because I am not an employee of Mile ru.