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Examples shown are for G-mail, theory is similar on other platforms.
Difficulty 3/5
Power 4/5
Step 1: Create your image that could be something like this, or you could go big.
(I found that going too big was a bit annoying if I’m honest though).
If you’ve not got mad Photoshop skills to make images like these, check out Canva. It’s really easy to use and the girl who created it is like a billionaire now, so it must be good.
The most important thing is that it looks like it’s a video so make sure you make a play button for it.
The size of the image we used in our example is 500×127 pixels.
Step 2: Go to your E-mail settings and scroll down to your signature.
Step 3: Add the image.
Step 4: Make sure the size works for you. Ideally, you want to upload an image that’s the right size to start off with and is as small a file as possible, so it doesn’t clog up your emails.
If you need to compress your image check out www.tinyjpg.com We’d recommend doing this for sure!
It will knock your image down about 80% in size for free.
Step 5: Once you hit OK you might get this annoying little blue box. If the image does not appear, don’t worry – it will eventually.
Get the link to where your video can be viewed.
It could be on its own special page on your website which is what we’d advise. If you send them to YouTube there are loads of distractions there so we’d wouldn’t recommend doing that.
Our clients could just send them to our Wistia host where their video will be, but a special, dedicated page will make it even more effective.
Step 6: Now you’ve got the link to the video, highlight the box or If you’re lucky enough to have the actual image displayed, highlight that.
This is the bit you have to be careful with. It’s not that easy to highlight and add the link, annoyingly.
You have to click the image and then drag slightly and it should highlight the image. If you do this wrong it won’t link the image, it will just put a text link under it which blows the whole thing. (Nice one Google.)
Step 7: Hit save.
Step 8: Test it by sending an e-mail to yourself. Then test the link.
Difficulty 4/5
Power 4/5
It’s time to really get funky on your Gmail e-mail signature!
Disclaimer: Not all email providers will display a gif when you send it in your e-mail signature. Outlook doesn’t, for example. (Not yet anyway.)
Disclaimer 2: If you put a gif in your e-mail you need to make sure the first frame is one that you’re super happy with because that’s what the boring providers like Outlook will show if anything.
Step 1: Get a video you want to put in the e-mail
You might need to compress your video if it’s massive. It also can’t be above 60 seconds and the final GIF can only be 7.8 seconds.
Step 2: Got to www.giphy.com
Step 3: Load your video to Giphy.
Step 4: Change the length and starting point to suit.
It’ll do its thing.
Step 4: Download the “social file option.”
Step 5: Go to your Gmail E-mail settings and scroll down to your signature.
Step 6: Add the Gif like you would an image.
Step 7: You might get a blue box with a question mark or the fully loaded GIF. Don’t panic if it’s blue.
Step 8: You might get a blue box with a question mark or the fully loaded GIF. Don’t panic if it’s blue.
Click on it and drag the mouse a little to highlight it and then link it to your video.
Step 9: Hit save.
As mentioned before you need to make sure the video’s first frame is suitable because some email providers will not show the animation. Outlook won’t because it’s super boring. It will either display nothing or the first still.
Difficulty 1/5
Power 2/5
By the way, this is not the most effective way to do this but it is the easiest way.
Step 1: Go to your YouTube video and find its link to share. Copy the link.
Step 2: Go to your E-mail settings and scroll down to your signature.
Step 3: Copy the link into your signature.
Step 4: Hit Save.
Step 5: Test it.
Pros: That was super quick and easy to do
Cons: It’s cool because it plays inside the actual e-mail on Gmail but it doesn’t stand out much.
In the olden days, we signed cheques with our ‘signature’. The whole point of this was to have something totally unique to us that couldn’t be forged.
Is your e-mail signature belly button fluff?
So why is it that our e-mail signatures are about as unique as belly button fluff?!
It’s like we’ve been using them wrong this whole time. Yes, it’s important to have a link to your website and your contact details there, but what if we looked at it as a way to communicate differently?
What if, like those cheque book days of yore, it was something personal and something unique to you?
Your email signature is a giant personal billboard – and all you’re putting on it is… er… an address.
This is actually the place for a highly personalised video… and not one that’s a promo.
People e-mail a person not a brand
The most important thing to keep in mind is that people are e-mailing a person and not a brand. So, the video needs to be an ‘About You’ video. Just you and only you.
So, we’re going to talk you through the best type of video to use here (that’s 500x127pixels). Then, further down the blog post, you’ll find 3 ‘How to…’ videos to show exactly how to action them.
Make it a simple video to let people inside your world; to show them your interests, your goals and definitely a top tip, to show off your expertise in the industry.
Keep it short and sweet but produce something with the aim that when they e-mail you back, they’ll have your personality and your face in mind.
We teach you – Build your own studio and make high quality videos
