What’s missing from your emails? A great tip on a good ending
- Fri, October 14 2011
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
An often overlooked, free way to promote your cause is right in front of you - your email signature.
You send out loads of emails every day. Each is an opportunity to tell your story.
I was reminded of this by an email I got today from Dean Munro of Via Services. The signature line caught my eye, because it said: A Story. Below was written:
Sixty-six years ago two women saw a little boy sitting in a window everyday, isolated from the real world because of cerebral palsy. With permission from the boy’s single working mother, they carried the boy and his wheelchair down a steep flight of stairs so he could explore new places that would spark his intellectual and emotional development. That act of generosity led to the creation of the organization that would become Via Services which has continued to serve youth and adults with disabilities for over half a century.
I have never, ever seen a signature line with a story in it, and it seized my attention and thoroughly won me over.
Why is a mini-story a great signature idea? Because most emails are workaday, left-brain fare and adding a mini-story is like a mental break and emotional recharge. People will remember it, and they’ll remember your cause.
If you think I’m making this up, there’s a new study highlighted in Roger Dooley’s Neuromarketing blog that once again proves emotional messaging is processed quite differently by the brain than appeals to logic. It’s a great idea to experiment with story to make a connection in unexpected places - like the clogged, dim world of the inbox. Thanks, Dean, for the inspiration.
Comments
I do struggle to get a good ending and I know most people spend 95% of the time looking for a killer headline and title.
Thanks for this tip, I’ll think up a memorable mini-tale for my next mail out.
can you show how it was displayed? i am trying to envision this.
name
org
address
email
phone
tagline
a story
story blah blah blah
or
name
org
address
email
phone
tagline
story blah blah blah
thanks!
What a great idea! I think people forget how powerful a story is (no matter how short) and probably never would have thought to put one in their email signature. I may be swiping that idea myself!