Email Drab or Fab Part 2: Adding Images

In a previous post we covered how to add a professional signature to your emails, but there is more you can do to help your emails make a great impression. So, let's jump right in. 

Images are a great way to jazz up your emails as long as they meet a few requirements: 

1. The image(s) relate to your position or email subject. Seasonal images would fall under this category as well. 
2. The image(s) don't overpower the email. They should not be too big, bold, or dramatic. 
3. The image(s) are those which you have created, or images that have creative commons licenses. You don't want stolen images on your emails!

Here are some examples:

Background photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com

Each of these images has a Creative Commons License. The first 3 came from pixabay.com and did not require attribution, and the last one came from freepik.com and required attribution.

The pencils would make good dividers for longer emails with multiple subjects, and the other images would make for great headers. 

How to do it:

Option 1: When using Gmail, you can add images by inserting the image or dragging an image into the body of your message. This is great when you want to use the image one time, however, there are some images that you will want to add on a regular basis. For this, you will want to add a canned response. 

Option 2: Creating a canned response: If you aren't sure how to create a canned response, go back to  Can it! Using Canned Responses in Gmail. Create a blank email with the image(s) you want to use and save it as new canned response. HINT: Don't include a signature in your template if you already one set up. It will be added automatically.  

In the comments below, tell about images that you think spruce up an email, and which ones make them look cheesy.