Sunday, January 18, 2009

How to Write an Effective Forum Signature File



Everyday thousands of people join online forums. Some join to mingle with other like-minded individuals. Others join seeking help for a particular problem they're having or to help others.

So on forums all over the internet, millions of posts are generated each year. And at the end of those posts is something called a "sig file."

The definition of a signature (sig) file is as follows:

a little advertisement you write about your business that is automatically attached to every forum post you make.

In essence, a sig file is classified advertisement about your business. In fact, on most forums your sig file is the only place that you're allowed to promote your business.

And I can tell you from personal experience that sig files work extraordinarily well, if they're written correctly. Unfortunately, many people treat sig files as an afterthought and most are not written correctly. As a result, they end up being wasted real-estate and get very few click-thru's.

You'll get far more click-thru's from your sig file, if you provide a benefit to the reader, as opposed to just listing what product or service you sell.

So you design websites...so what?

Tell people how they will benefit, if they visit your website. For example, instead of just saying Visit David Jackson`s Website Design, which is weak and ineffective. Say Visit David Jackson`s Website Design - Award Winning Website Design At Small Budget Prices!

Here's another example: Instead of just saying Visit Jackson's Homemade Pretzels. Say Visit Jackson's Homemade Pretzels and receive a coupon for a free pretzel!

In each of the above examples, I didn't just tell you what I did...I gave you a reason to click on my link.

After all, isn't that the reason for a sig file in the first place?

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