How To Create and Add Social Media Icons on Email Signature

Are you considering adding social media icons to your email signature? Well, 78% of consumers are willing to buy from any company after a positive experience on social media. But that can’t happen if they can’t find you.

First, adding social media icons to your email signature makes it easy for customers to connect with you.

And, if you’re looking to boost your online presence and get more followers on social media, adding social media icons to your email signature is a great place to start.

Signing your name to an email is important when trying to remain professional in the work environment. In order to do this, there are just a few simple steps to follow. It’s very easy to customize it yourself in various ways.

In this article, we'll guide you through how to creat and add social media icons to your email signature on Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.

What is email signature and why is it important

An email signature is a block of text appended to the end of an email message that usually includes the sender's name, contact information, and other important details. These details can be:

• Professional contact
• Organization
• Company branding 
• Images
• Hyperlinks
• Clickable CTA (call-to-action)
• And more

Also known as an email footer, an email signature is often separate from the email’s main body.

It’s meant to tell your email recipient who you are, your company, and how to get hold of you.

Why is email signature important?

Email signatures represent the sender professionally and can include marketing messages, links to social media profiles, and other relevant information.

But an email signature isn’t just about telling the world about your job title or Twitter handle. 

In some jobs, like marketing, an informative and sleek email signature is important for email marketing success. It can determine whether your emails succeed of flop because it establishes a lasting impression on every email you send out. 

Get your email signature right, and you will: 

• Give your recipients key contact information for you and your company, clearly and digestible.
• Drive traffic to your social channels through email signature icons and hyperlinks. 
• Boost your product/company brand awareness through a great email signature design that ties in with your company’s color palettes.
• Make your email stand out from the recipient’s crowded inbox 
• Make your email professional and personal at the same time.

 Once you create a splendid email signature, you’ll agree it’s worth every second and effort.

How to Compose a New Email Signature

Outlook

The steps below are for Outlook 2019

1. First, enter the email application and hit “New Email” to compose a new message.
2. Then you’ll head to the signature menu.
3. Hit “Signatures” to open the Signatures options.
4. Since you’ll be creating your own, you’ll want to click “New.”
5. You’ll then type in the desired name you would like to use as your signature at the end of each of your emails.
6. Once you enter it, you’ll press “Ok.”

Customize Your Signature Further

If you would like to customize this signature even further, that part is also easy too! Type your signature, then view all the different format options available to you. Select your favorite and click Ok. To use the email you just made, click “New Email” and it should pop right up ready to be featured in the next email you create and send. Also, you can check our guide on how to collaborate in outlook.

Gmail

1. Open Gmail and click on the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top right corner.
2. Click on "Settings" in the dropdown menu.
3. Scroll down to the "Signature" section.
4. Click on "+ Create New"
5. If you have used an email signature generator, paste the signature into the open space. Otherwise, in the signature text box, type your signature and add any text you want to include; using the steps provided above.
6. Under "Signature defaults," select your new signature.
7. Scroll to the bottom and click “Save changes.”

How do I add social media icons to my email signature?

Do you want to add your social media accounts to your email signature? Follow the steps below to add social media icons to your email signature. 

There are a few ways to add social media icons to your email signature:

1. Use an Email signature generator

The fastest and easiest way is to use an email signature generator. An example of an email signature generator is HubSpot’s free signature generator.

A generator will help you add your info, automatically size the social media icon, ensure they match the theme, and align the icons properly with the rest of the signature. It also helps ensure your links are active.

You will have to do these tasks manually when using the other methods, and messing up even one can make your email look unprofessional.

With a signature generator, you will then paste your socials links and adjust the look to suit your brand or style. Finally, all you have to do is copy the info, image, or source code and paste it into your email client.

2. Image

You can also add your email signature as an image directly within your email client.

To do this, you will need to pre-creat the email signature image using third-party software such as Canva, Adobe, etc.

Once you have the image, you can add it to your image client, which will show as an email signature.

If you don't have a lot of experience with graphic design, don't worry, there are plenty of free design template tools available online that can help you create a professional-looking email signature image in no time! 

3. Manually

You can input your email signature manually on your email client and name it. 

To do this, you will manually add all the necessary information you want to share and save the information. 

Note:

You could have multiple email signatures depending on your job and how you use your email address. Once you establish the signatures, you can choose the sign-off signature each time you send an email to represent the sending tone and recipient. 

How to add social media icons on email signature: step-by-step guide

Adding social media icons to your email signature is a great way to promote your online presence and make it easier for your contacts to connect with you on various platforms. 

If you’re already happy with your signature and you just need to add social media icons, you cna do it manually. Most email clients ( Gmail, Outlook, Apple, etc.) will allow you to add them as an image to your signature.

Note: You may want to add the icons using the image address or URL, not by directly uploading the images to your email client. Adding the image directly will add the images as an attachment to all your outgoing emails, which are unnecessary attachments that can potentially affect your delivery rates.

General

So, for each social media site, you’ll need to:

1. Find the right-sized social icon - with the right shape and color. Here are some options.
2. Right-click the icon's image and select “copy image address” or "copy image URL."
3. Go to your email client’s signature editor, and click on “insert image.”
4. Then, paste the image URL into the given field.
5. Now, all you’ll need to do is adjust the placement and alignment of the icon (if needed).
6. Next, copy the social link of the icon you’re adding [Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, etc.]
7. Next, highlight the newly added icon image and click “insert link.”
8. Paste the social link into the field.

This is a general guide. Since each email client may have a different email signature editing procedure, below is a guide to adding social media icons to your Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail signatures.

Add social media icons to Gmail signature

1. Open Gmail and click on the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top right corner.
2. Click on "Settings" in the dropdown menu.
3. Scroll down to the "Signature" section.
4. Click on "+ Create New"
5. If you have used an email signature generator, paste the signature into the open space. Otherwise, in the signature text box, type your signature and add any text you want to include; using the steps provided above.
6. Under "Signature defaults," select your new signature.
7. Scroll to the bottom and click “Save changes.”

Once you’re done, send a test email to a colleague or friend and see if the signature if what you want it to be.

Add social media icons to Outlook signature

1. Open Outlook email client.
2. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner.
3. Click on “View all Outlook settings.”
4. Select “Compose and reply.”
5. Now, scroll down to the email signature section.
6. If you generated a signature with social media icons, paste it into your email signature. Otherwise, follow the instructions above to add social media icons/images.

Once you’re done, send a test email to a colleague or friend and see if the signature if what you want it to be.

Add social media icons to my Apple Mail Signature

1. Open your Apple email client.
2. Click on “Mail” and then “Preferences” in the top left corner.
3. Click on the “Signatures” tab.
4. Click the + button underneath the middle column.
5. If you generated the email signature with social media icons, paste it into your email signature section. Otherwise, follow the instructions above to add social media icons/images.
6. Uncheck the box that says “Always match my default message font.”
7. Close the pop-up window.

Email signature best practices

Here are some questions and best practices of email signatures.

What to include in your email signature (and what not to include)

Email signatures are meant to be informative, but that doesn’t mean to be lifeless. So, you can have fun with your email signature, but don’t get carried away. 

You need to create a clear, concise, streamlined email signature.

The 3 absolute must-haves in an email signature are:

• Your full name 
• Your company  (if its company email)
• Your job title 

But you can also include the following based on the type of email:

• Your professional phone number (for your job/professional email) or personal phone number for your personal email.
• Social media icons, with hyperlinks to your company profiles or hyperlinks to your personal handles.
• Your company logo
• A link to your company website and blog 
• Your company’s registered address

An email signature can also include:

• A simple call to action. An example of this CTA is a reminder to book your latest webinar or download your eBook 
• A professional to give your recipients a face to the email address 

The things NOT to include in your email signature are

• Your home phone number or address 
• Your favorite quotes
• Personal achievements 

Should I put social media icons in my email signature?

Yes, it's important to put social media icons in your email signature. Why? 

20% of Millennials and Gen-Zs prefer using social media for customer service. They form the majority of customers and consumers in the current global market. 

But no matter what generation your customers are, sharing your social media through the icons is an easy way to promote engagement with them.

Why Should I put social media icons in my email signature?

Adding social media icons to your email signature is a great way to promote your online presence and increase your visibility on various social media platforms. It helps to:

• Increased visibility: You make it easy for people to find and follow you on various social media platforms, increasing your visibility and helping you build a larger following.
• Increased engagement: People who engage with you via email can continue the discussion on social media, which can help you build stronger relationships with your audience.
• Branding: Adding social media icons to your email signature also helps reinforce your brand. This creates a cohesive image that helps people recognize and remember your brand.
• Networking: Social media is great for networking. Including your socials in your email signature allows people to connect with you and opens up new networking opportunities.

What social media sites should I include in my email signature?

First, your email signature should have 3 to 5 links to social media sites. It doesn’t matter which sites they’re as long as they’re most relevant to your business.

For instance, a freelance photographer would definitely want to include Instagram, while a recruiting agency would want to include LinkedIn.

Make sure to avoid including unused social media icons.  

Some popular social media sites you can consider include:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok
• Twitter
• WhatsApp
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Remember, it's important to include the social media sites you actively use and maintain a professional presence on.

Should my social media icons link to my business or personal account?

The decision to link your social media icons in your email signature to your personal or business account depends on your specific situation and the purpose of your email.

If you use your email for business purposes, linking to your social media accounts is generally recommended. This can help promote your brand, increase customer engagement, and drive traffic to your business website.

Avoid linking to personal social media accounts, even if you’re the business's sole owner. Your private social media may not always reflect the image you want to convey to your customers.

But if you’re using your email for personal purposes, it may be more appropriate to link to your personal social media accounts. This can help your friends, family, or personal contacts connect with you on social media and stay up-to-date with your personal life.

What size should my social media icons be?

The social media icons need to be large enough for recipients to easily click or tap on and small enough not to distract the recipient from the rest of your email signature.

If you’re adding the icons manually, look for icons about 21px by 21px and adjust from there.

Otherwise, an email signature generator will automatically size the icons to fit your signature.

Where do I find my social media links?

Some people may find trouble finding the social media links to add to the icons. Here are the step to find the links of some popular social media links:

1. Facebook

1. Click on the icon of your profile picture.
2. Click on “Settings & privacy.”
3. Click on “Settings”
4. Your Facebook link will look like this: https://www.facebook.com/[username]

2. LinkedIn

1. Click on the “Me” icon on the homepage.
2. Click “View Profile”
3. Click on the “Contact info” button below your profile picture.
4. Your link will look like this: linkedin.com/in/[username]

3. Twitter

1. Click on your profile picture in the top left corner.
2. Copy the URL from the URL bar of your browser.
3. Your Twitter link will look like this: https://www.twitter.com/[username]

4. Instagram

1. Click on your username in the top right corner.
2. Copy the URL from the URL bar of your browser.
3. Your link will look like this: https://www.instagram.com/[username]/

5. YouTube

1. Open the left-side menu.
2. Click “Customization.”
3. Click “Basic info.”
4. Your link will either look like: youtube.com/c/[username] or youtube.com/channel/[channel ID]

Conclsuion 

Adding social media icons to your email signature benefits you and your customers. 

You’ll boost engagement with your brand, and your customers can use the platforms they’re already comfortable with.

It’s also a form of marketing your brand and creating customer engagement passively.

One more thing

We’re glad you've read this article/blog upto here :) Thank you for reading.

If you have a second, please share this article on your socials; someone else may benefit too. 

Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to read our future articles, reviews, and blog post in your email inbox. We also offer deals, promotions, and updates on our products and share them via email. 

Keep Learning 

» How to choose the right Email Provider for your company
» If You’re Not Using MS Outlook, You’re Missing Out
» How to Start Your Own Email List
» How to filter and search for emails in Outlook
» How to add an email account to Microsoft Outlook
» How to Create and Send emails in Outlook