How to Add Social Media Icons to Your Email Signature [+ Free Resources]

How to Add Social Media Icons to Your Email Signature [+ Free Resources]

Using social media icons in your email signature is a simple yet highly effective way to increase your brand‘s exposure and make it easy for people to connect with you on social media.

When a recipient sees clickable icons for your company‘s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter profiles, and more right in your email signature, they are much more likely to visit those profiles and follow/engage with your brand. It‘s an easy way to boost your social media audience growth.

In fact, according to Sprout Social, 74% of consumers say they feel more connected to a brand when they can message them directly on social media. And 35% of consumers even use social media for customer service issues.

Clearly, your audience wants to connect with your brand on social media – so you need to make it as easy as possible for them to do that. Adding social media icons to your email signature is a great way to point them in the right direction.

To help you get started, here is a step-by-step guide on how to add social media icons to your email signature, including sizing and formatting tips, where to find free icon resources, examples for inspiration, answers to FAQs, and more.

How to Add Social Media Icons to Your Email Signature in Gmail

Adding social icons to your Gmail signature is fairly straightforward. First, open your Gmail settings by clicking the gear icon, then "See all settings."

Scroll down to the "Signature" section and either create a new signature or edit your existing one. To add a social icon, click the image icon and either upload the icon file from your computer or paste in a URL to the icon image online.

Resize the icon to your desired size (21×21 px is a good starting point). Then highlight the icon, click the link icon, and paste in the URL to your profile on that social network. Repeat this process for each social network you want to include.

Be sure to add adequate spacing between each icon so they don‘t look too crowded. Consider using a vertical bar or bullet symbol to separate the icons.

Here‘s an example of what a completed signature with social icons might look like in Gmail:

[John Smith
Marketing Director | Acme Co.
555-123-4567 | [email protected]
LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram]

How to Add Social Media Icons to Your Email Signature in Outlook

The process for adding social icons in Outlook is similar to Gmail. Start by opening a new message and clicking on "Signature" under the Message tab.

Click the "New" button to create a new signature. Then use the image icon to upload social media icons to your signature. Resize and link each one to the appropriate profile URL as described above.

Here is what your signature might look like in Outlook:

[John Smith | Marketing Director
Acme Co.
t: 555-123-4567
e: [email protected]
i: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook]

How to Add Social Media Icons to Your Apple Mail Signature

To add social icons to your signature in Apple Mail, first open Mail > Preferences and click the "Signatures" tab. Create a new signature or edit an existing one.

Use the image upload options to add your social icons, resize them appropriately, and link each icon to the matching social media profile URL as described in the previous sections.

Apple Mail signatures tend to allow less customization compared to other email clients, but you can still create an attractive signature with social icons, such as:

[John Smith
Marketing Director, Acme Co.
555-123-4567
[email protected]
(LinkedIn icon) (Twitter icon) (Facebook icon)]

Finding Social Media Icons and Brand Assets

Now that you know how to technically add social media icons to your signature, you may be wondering where to find the icon files to use. Your best bet is to use official brand icons and assets provided directly from each social network‘s brand resources page.

Here are links to brand assets for major social networks:

Facebook: https://en.facebookbrand.com/
Twitter: https://about.twitter.com/en/who-we-are/brand-toolkit
LinkedIn: https://brand.linkedin.com/
Instagram: https://en.instagram-brand.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/brand-resources/

Using official icons will ensure your links don‘t get mistaken for spam or phishing attempts, since they match what users expect to see from each brand. Most offer a variety of icon sizes, styles, and file types to match your brand aesthetic.

Social Media Icon Sizing and Formatting Tips

As you add social icons to your email signature, keep these sizing and formatting best practices in mind:

• Use a consistent size for each icon, such as 21×21 px. This ensures a clean, balanced look.
• Stick with icons in either circle, square, or rounded square shapes for consistency.
• Align icons in a single horizontal row for best readability. Avoid stacking them vertically, which takes up too much space.
• Use adequate spacing between icons so they don‘t look cramped. Consider subtle dividers like vertical bars for separation.

Email Signature Examples with Social Icons

Need some visual inspiration for your email signature design? Here are a few examples of attractive, professional email signatures that incorporate social media icons effectively:

Example 1: Crisp and minimal
[Mary Johnson
Sr. Consultant | ABC Consulting
m: 555-456-7890
e: [email protected]
(LinkedIn) (Twitter)]

Example 2: On-brand colors
[(Logo) Acme Co.
John Smith
Marketing Director
555-123-4567 | [email protected]
(Facebook) (Instagram) (Twitter) (LinkedIn)]

Note how Example 1 keeps things simple with just two social icons in a clean, understated signature design. Meanwhile Example 2 features four icons in brand colors that match the company‘s logo for cohesive visual branding.

Adding Social Icons to Your Email Signature: FAQs

Still have questions about using social media icons in your email signature? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

Which social media icons should I include?
Stick to the 3-5 social networks that are most relevant to your business and where you are most active. For B2B, that often includes LinkedIn and Twitter. For B2C, you may focus on Facebook and Instagram. Don‘t add icons for networks on which you don‘t have an active presence.

Should I link to my personal or business social profiles?
In most cases, you should link to your company‘s official branded social media profiles to keep things professional. The exception is if you are a solopreneur or building a personal brand.

How do I find my social profile URLs to link the icons?
The easiest way to get your social profile URLs is to navigate to each of your profiles and copy the link in the browser bar. Most follow the format of:
Facebook.com/YourBrandName
Twitter.com/YourBrandName
LinkedIn.com/company/YourBrandName
Instagram.com/YourBrandName

Should I upload icons as images or use an email signature generator?
Uploading icons as images gives you greater control and customization, but you‘ll have to resize and link each one manually. Using an email signature generator makes the process faster and easier, with less room for error. However, generators may be less flexible design-wise.

If you do opt to manually add icons as images, be aware that this can impact email deliverability since they are essentially attachments. Using a generator can avoid this issue.

Tips for Adding Social Icons to Your Email Signature

As you fine-tune your email signature with social media icons, remember these tips:

• Keep your list of social icons concise. Stick to the handful of networks most important to your business. A row of more than 4-5 icons looks cluttered and distracting.
• Always double check that your profile links are correct and not broken. Broken links not only prevent engagement, but look unprofessional.
• Make sure your chosen social icons match your brand style guide in terms of colors, shapes, aesthetic, etc. Avoid clashing, off-brand graphics.
• Consider A/B testing different icon styles, placements, and link text vs. icons only to see what gets the most engagement.

By following these tips and best practices for adding social media icons to your email signature, you‘ll make it effortless for every email recipient to connect with your brand on social media. Those simple little icons can go a long way in boosting your followers and engagement.

For more email tips, check out our other resources:

• Best professional email signature examples
• Optimize your email signature for mobile
• Email signature SEO tips
• How to use email signatures for event/webinar promotion
• Email signature banner ad best practices