For the purpose of this article, “electronic signature” refers to the snippet of text – including your name – that you as a writer can add to just about everything that leaves your desk and gets sent out into the world via the internet. For example, you can add an electronic signature to the end of an email, or use it as a byline to an article.
An electronic signature can do a lot for the personal branding of a writer. It can help you gain recognition and you can use it to promote your services and your books. Using an electronic signature can help you get found online, and help you promote your various projects in a unique and recognizable way that ties together everything you post online, whether it’s your article or a piece of marketing copy. Read on for some ways to use an electronic signature as well as some practical advice on creating your own.
Electronic signatures for different purposes
When adding your electronic signature to your emails, articles, guest posts, and social media profiles you may want to slightly modify it for each purpose. Depending on your audience consider adding a little more or less information, link to a different page on your website, or change the visual appearance slightly. It’s important though to make sure that each version of your signature unmistakably looks like it’s coming from the same person. You may think about this in the way a company uses different versions of their logo for different applications.
Add your link
Links in your signature can help you get found in search engines and increases exposure of your work. Every link that’s out there pointing to your website and your work increases the popularity of your website as well as your work’s exposure on the internet.
Forums and social media tools are a great place to showcase an electronic signature that links back to your website, blog post, author’s page on another larger site, etc. These signatures can draw search engines to your website, book listing, or blog post and get new visitors to your linked pages.
Signature Tips
Following are some tips for creating a great writer’s signature, depending on the type of promotion you’re after:
- -Include your book’s title and a link to where people can find out where to buy it.
- -Include a link to a website where people can learn more about you and / or your writing work. This can be your own website, or another site where your work can be viewed.
- -Be sure your link directs people to a place where they can contact you (if not using an email signature)
- -Don’t make it too long. Keep your signatures under five lines.
- -Use a bit of color in your email signature, to help it stand out, or break up the lines visually, but don’t go overboard.
- -Find prominent places to post a signature where you’ll get links related to your niche and visitors that could become customers, such as in reading groups if you’re a fiction writer, or a forum for creative writers.
- -Rotate signatures once in a while to keep them noticeable to people who regularly look at them.
Get started creating your writer’s signature
Start with your name, then add your latest or most important project or work and go from there. Don’t forget to add at least one link to your work:
Jane Smith
Author of “Best Non-Fiction Book Ever” [link book title to where it can be bought]
Winner of the “Best Ever Award”
Visit my website [link] for more on “Best Non-Fiction Book Ever”
Available for speaking engagementsJohn Smith, Freelance Writer
Available for website copy and ghostwriting
View my work at helium.com, akgmag.com, hubpages.com [link to your profile or articles]
For more information, visit [link to your blog]
Depending on how much space you’re able to use, your signature may be shorter or longer. Over time you’ll probably use several different electronic signatures for different purposes. Make sure you keep a record of all your different signatures, so when you’re creating a new one you can assure that the info will correlate and match up with what you already have used previously.
To increase traffic to your website even more, use slightly varying signatures over time and use keywords in your electronic signatures that line up with the content of the page you’re linking to.
