Ed Lee writes an interesting post for today's Get to the Point newsletter from MarketingProfs, inspired by this post, on well-designed business cards.  Ed's main point is that a well-designed business card not only serves a utilitarian purpose—it can help shape your image.

One of his reasons is that everybody reads them and saves them.  Ed's makes a valid point, but makes no mention of email signatures, which are practically the business card of their age.  Are your signatures static or do they engage recipients?

Are you linking to your blog or website from your signature?  Are you making it easy for people to call you directly, or save your information for later use?

Like business cards, email signatures convey a lot about how you market your business.  They can be much more than just passive forms of providing information.  They can, when done right, also help you engage customers.