• What happened yesterday? Almost 10 emails bounced and several folks emailed saying they had to resend emails to me … scary when one is your bookkeeper.
• Talked to my bookkeeper today and learned she’s sent me a report several times over the last few weeks … and I still didn’t have the reports?
• After an extended conversation with Michael at HostMySite, about more technical solutions than I care to recall, here is what I learned and what I changed.

You might have MORE THAN ONE “Junk Email” folder

Where is Your Email?

• Given the huge & growing SPAM problems, your email host (delivers email to your computer) is likely filtering out quite a bit of SPAM … and holding it on their server, i.e. the missing junk email folder I never knew about until today.
• When I can’t find a “missing email” I have only been searching Outlook’s “junk email” folder and of course, I wasn’t finding most of the missing emails
• We turned off ALL filtering of SPAM at HostMySite, i.e. they were keeping all “SPAM-High” emails on their server. Everyone uses a different algorithm to try and determine probability of SPAM and just like SEO algorithms, they’ll keep changing.
• Here’s what I hope will now happen”
  • All emails will get forwarded to my laptop and Outlook and hopefully most of the extra mails will go to Outlook’s “junk email” folder, as follows:
    • Host-My-Site – will run algorithms and flag emails in subject line as HIGH (21/higher), MED (10-20), LOW (5-9) or not flagged as SPAM (1-4)
    • SPAM-High – previously never saw these, and I just go one from the president of Mr Handyman so I know I’ve been losing lots of important emails.
    • SPAM-Med and SPAM-Low will mostly be dumped into Outlook’s junk mail foder like they’ve always been

I think it’s working. I’ve already gotten one SPAM-HIGH email in my inbox, from the president of Mr Handyman! Now I know I’ve been loosing lots of important email, and you might be too!

PS I just reviewed the 15 missing emails from my bookkeeper (only save 30 days on the server, and she was on vacation for 10 of those days) hoping to find a clue as to why so many are being flagged SPAM-HIGH. Only 2 had attachments, and none appear to have many links. HostMySite said that Yahoo is somehow flagging the emails indicating that they didn’t originate from a trusted source, so my bookkeeper has to go back to her technical support.

The easiest eMail marketing technique is within everyone’s reach. It’s free, and should only take five to ten minutes to create. Once done you probably should review once a year or more frequently if a lot is happening in your life. By now you’re wondering what am I talking about? I’m talking about your eMail signature!

Let me illustrate examples of signatures that don’t work and yes, I still get these emails today:

* At the end of an eMail, simply Al, Joe or Amanda. There is no information about sender beyond a first name, i.e. you have to look at the “from line”.
* More amazing are eMails with NOTHING, not even a first name!

This problem is common because it’s so obvious we overlook it. Every business owner should be leveraging this FREE advertising. It costs you nothing and it works. Even people who don’t own a business can benefit by sharing information about themselves, including:

* Social media sites where you participate, i.e. Face Book.
* Organizations that you support, i.e. Habitat for Humanity.
* Personal information you’re proud of, i.e. Proud mother of Jason and Ryan.

First I’ll share examples of great eMail signatures as they tell the message better than any words. Afterwards, I’ll recap the elements of good eMail signatures and the pros and cons for each.

Monika McGilliguddy's Signature

Janet Power's eMail Signature

Kimberly Doss's eMail Signature

Tina's Gleisner's eMail Signature

You probably picked a favorite at a glance, although most people pick parts from several different examples. It is amazing how much you learn just by putting the signatures side-by-side. That is when you really start to see what pops off your computer screen and makes you pay attention.

Now it’s time to summarize the individual elements that go into these signatures, so you can pick the ones you want to include in your new signature. You also want to experiment with the sequence and find what makes your signature stand out from all the ordinary ones that your readers get each and every day.

* Signature - is used to personalize your email, i.e. where you might use your first name. People use a scanned image or stylized font, the latter avoiding eMail programs that no longer automatically download graphics.
* Name – let’s people know who you are. Include your full name.People just getting to know you will cut and paste your signature into a new contact and some people prefer searching by last name.
* Role and Business/Organization Name – helps people identify quickly how they know you. You’re a peer business owner, non-profit supporter or Mom with kids at the same school.
* Address - most often is not included by business people unless it makes sense, i.e. you’ll get their mailing address on invoices they send you.
* Phone Numbers – include them all. Categorize office or home, daytime or night. Tell people the best way to contact you, i.e. some emails indicate one phone number for general information, another to register for classes.
* eMail address – should be included here so people who want to add you to their contact database, can do so with a single cut and paste.
* Online Presence – lets people know were you live online from web sites, blogs, to social media sites. If you have a profile, it is helpful to hilight that link so people can learn more about you.

Want to Use This Article in your Ezine, Website or Blog? You have my permission as long as you include this complete blurb with it. Tina Gleisner is the founder of the Association of Home Professionals (www.ahpnetwork.com), a community where home owners and home professionals connect, learn and simplify home ownership across the lifecylce of home ownership. She publishes a free weekly newsletter with hints and tips for home owners (starting soon). Tina lives in Hampton, NH with her husband Ted and chocolate lab Samantha. Contact her at iahp@pobox.com.