Friday, December 29, 2006

ArticleBlaster An Email Signature That Really Holds Water


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Article Title:
==============

An Email Signature That Really Holds Water

Article Description:
====================

Your email signature? You're counting on the perfect person
reading it, clicking the link to your website, and becoming the
perfect customer. Unfortunately, most email signatures just
don't deliver. Why not?

Additional Article Information:
===============================

814 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2006-12-29 11:24:00

Written By: Mark Silver
Copyright: 2006
Contact Email: mailto:mail2@heartofbusiness.com

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An Email Signature That Really Holds Water
Copyright (c) 2006 Mark Silver
Heart Of Business
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/

You know that little dangling thing-a-ma-jig that hangs on the
end of your emails? Your email signature? I bet you don't pay it
much attention.

But, all the same, you're kinda counting on it doing its job.
You're counting on the perfect person reading it, clicking the
link to your website, and becoming the perfect customer.

Unfortunately, most email signatures just don't deliver. Why
not?

Email readers have been getting a workout.

Have you ever spent time in the gym, or jogging, or just out
having fun in the sun, and gotten really thirsty? You know,
-really- thirsty?

I exercise hard about three times a week, and let me tell you,
during and afterwards I'm drinking a lot of water. If you want
to ask me a question when I'm parched like that, I'm more than
likely going to stop you in mid-sentence, "Hold on- I gotta get
a drink."

Anyone I know who has email is getting a work-out. There is a LOT
of email coming through. People in the midst of an email workout
tend to read it, answer it, and move on to the next! Right?
Isn't that what you do?

So what happens when you see a signature that looks like this?

"Spiritual business healing
Mark Silver
Heart of Business
503-282-3037
http://www.heartofbusiness.com "

That's right- you zzzzip! right past it, onto the next email.
Chances are, unless you get a rare intuitive hit, you aren't
going to click on it.

It's even worse if you participate in an online forum. At least
if someone has emailed you, there's already a relationship
happening. If you are posting something in an online forum, or in
a yahoo discussion group, you want people to click through your
signature to your website. But they don't.

Give the poor email reader a drink of water.

What you want is the signature equivalent of a drink of water in
the middle of a hard workout- one that actually gives your email
reader something useful, right now (just a click away). They
aren't hard to write, and I think you'll have fun with them.

Ready to write some signatures that deliver a cool glass of water
on a hot day?

Keys to Serving the Water

* Don't go home.

Your home page, even when it's written effectively, is meant to
connect with people. But it doesn't necessarily give immediately
useful information.

Instead, link to an article you've written. And, if you need a
format for an article that works, I've got a link at the end of
this article that will help you.

* Be polite, and ask before you give.

The key here is asking. Most signatures are statements. But, by
asking a question, and especially a question that is relevant to
what's true for them: "Are you thirsty?" it's hard for the
reader not to engage with you- by clicking.

Then, once they click through, you have a strong action step at
the end of your article: ask them to subscribe. Because they've
just gulped down some of your water, they'll be more likely to
sign up for a regular dose from you.

Which is what you were hoping with your original, 'home-page'
signature. Right?

An example:

I wrote an article about how to hand off your most hated business
tasks. So, I created an email signature that links to that
article:

"In running your business there are things you love to do, and
things you don't...

Wondering how to hand off your most hated business tasks? Read
this article:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/articles/2006/Apr19.htm "

Notice I had a one-sentence summary of the main problem the
article solves, and then I asked a question. And then the link.
Very simple.

* Important Note for Links:

Always include the 'http://' in front of the 'www' - that
ensures that nearly any email program will automatically turn it
into a clickable link. Without the 'http://' your link may just
be plain text- and no one will click - because they can't
click.

Here's another one:

"No matter how much, or how little, your business earns, it
always seems as if there's just enough... Is it ever possible to
go from 'just enough' to extra?

Profitability: How to get from 'just enough' to having extra.
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/articles/2005/July11.htm "

Go ahead and click through on either of those links to see
what's at the end of the article.

And then write some new, thirst-quenching signatures, and go get
those thirsty email readers some water.

Liked the article? Bugged you? Questions? Drop me a line.

And here's the article-writing resource I promised earlier, (in
the form of a signature):

"You know you need to write articles for your business, because
they position you as an expert, and create trust with your
readers.

How -do- you write articles that get read, remembered and
recommended? Read this article:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com/articles/2006/Aug2.htm "

My very best to you and your business,

Mark Silver

----------------------------------------------------------
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your
Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line.
He has helped hundreds of small business owners around
the globe succeed in business without losing their
hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com

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