The resource box (or "byline" or "signature box") at the end of your article is a small but powerful promotional tool. This is your chance to engage in a little shameless self promotion and pitch your business to a receptive audience - people who have just finished reading an article you authored. If they were interested enough to read your article in its entirety, they will most likely be receptive to your sales pitch, too. And spreading the word about your business is one of the main reasons you write articles in the first place, right?

The trick to making the most of your resource box is using the space wisely to create a brief but powerful marketing message to promote yourself, your website and/or your products. Since you're usually limited to four to eight lines of text, you'll obviously need to prioritize and keep it brief. You'll definitely want to include your company name, website URL and a short description of your business. Depending on your business goals, you might also use your resource box to:

State your credentials.  Describe your experience, qualifications and credentials or include a very brief biography.

Promote a specific product.  Write a one sentence ad for one particular product which is especially likely to appeal to your readers.

Publicize your contest.  If you're running a contest or sweepstakes, invite the readers to visit your site for a chance to win.

Extend a special offer.  Create a special offer exclusively for readers of the article (discount, bonus gift, free shipping, etc.) and promote it in the resource box.

Advertise your e-book.  If you've written an e-book on a topic related to the article, the resource box is the perfect place to promote it.

Promote your other articles.  Take this opportunity to promote other articles you've written which may be of interest to the reader. If you have an article archive on your website, provide the URL.

Sign up new subscribers for your ezine.  Include a description of (and sales pitch for) your ezine or newsletter and a link to the signup page.

How you choose to use your resource box will depend on your marketing objectives and current priorities. As your priorities change over time, revise your resource box accordingly. And remember, you don't have to use the same standard text every time your article is published - instead, tailor the content to your target audience. Use different resource boxes for different articles and different publishers. You worked long and hard to write an informative and appealing article, so put equal effort into the wording of your resource box.