An effective way to get known and to get people interested in your business is to use forums. Forums are an effective way of participating and getting known as a member of the group. Making sure you abide by the forum rules, you can point other users to your site.
Use Forum Marketing
Yes, you can use forums to promote your business. This doesn’t mean that you join just to promote yourself. Not at all. This sort of activity will get you banned from forums. And it certainly won’t generate any sales.
You want to be a contributing, valuable member of the forum. A benefit that you get by offering help and input to others is that you get to include a signature file at the end of each of your posts. Most of the time you are allowed to include a link back to your site. Check the rules to make sure.
Here's what you're looking for...
Busy Forums
The more traffic a forum gets, the more likely it is that you can get noticed. You want to avoid forums where there are only one or two posts a week.
As an example,here’s a list of some of the top marketing forums:
warriorforum.com
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/forum.php
http://www.wahm.com/forum
What you’re looking for are busy forums, meaning those that have plenty of active members and plenty of new posts each day. The five forums listed above all meet this criteria.
Tip:
Don’t just look at the stats that sometimes appear at the bottom of a forum. What you want to see is how many posts are coming in every day. That’s because sometimes a forum has a lot of members, but they’re not active. You may also see a forum with a lot of daily posts, but then a closer look reveals that the posts are mainly from spammers.
Choose three to five forums. Then move on to the next step…
Register As A Member
Be sure to read all the rules for every forum you’re thinking of joining. Find out if and how you can include links back to your site.
Some forums actually prohibit signature files. Still others have rules about the way signature files can be displayed. And others have rules about when they can be displayed (e.g., you can’t use a signature file until you’ve made X number of posts and/or been a member for X number of days).
If you're happy with the rules, apply to be a member. Choose a username that you're happy with. Don't get cute. You could even use your real name. Fill out your profile, and decide if you're comfortable with adding a picture of yourself.
You want to present yourself as someone that will add value to the forum. People like to know a little about other members. Only you can decide how much information you're willing to share.
Finally, once you’re registered, read through several of the posts on the forum. Get a feel for the topics that are discussed and get to know the members who are busy posting answers.
Add To The Conversation
Once you feel comfortable with how a particular forum works, then you can start contributing.
Here’s the key: Don’t post one or two line answers. Model your response on what you observed earlier by seeing how others did it. You want to be thorough, but don't add more than is necessary. You can always add to your answer if the original post had a follow-up question.
Maybe you don’t feel like you are qualified to participate on the forum. Don't let that stop you. You may not be able to answer every question, but that's not the point. You CAN become a contributing member of the forum. Let me give you a few examples of the types of posts you can answer…
Answer questions that you can look up
For example, maybe someone asks a question about whether PayPal allows them to sell certain types of goods. You can go to PayPal’s terms of service to find the answer.
Offer your take
Some questions don’t require you to have a lot of experience in order to answer. If someone is asking for an opinion, it's an excellent opportunity to add your input.
Show You Knowledge
The reason you want to participate on forums is because you never know when a post will come in that is perfect for you. A topic that you are ready and able to respond to so you can help out a fellow forum member.
Niche Related Questions
Ah ha – now this is right up your alley! These are the type of questions you have been waiting for. It’s the perfect question for you to show the other members that you have valuable information to share.
Related Threads
Maybe someone asks a question that’s very similar to one that was recently posted. (This is actually quite common.) You can refer the poster to the related post. While you're not sharing your knowledge, you're being an active member of the forum.
Post Related News
For example, some popular site may have posted new terms of service, and the changes may have an impact on other forum members. Post the news along with a link to the site where others can get more information.
Tip: Make sure to answer a variety of question. Use the ideas that were presented above. While you are interested in promoting your business, you'll find that if you participate first, and post good content, other forum members will notice.
And they will be more likely to take an interest in you and your business. You may get more sales or find other marketers that you end up working with.
Signature File
Now you need to come up with your signature file. You usually do it through the forum dashboard. Generally, you get five lines or less (some forums only give you two lines).
Remeber: Your signature file is not there to sell anything – that’s the job of your sales letter. Instead, it’s job to get people to click on your link. Use the signature file to create curiousity and interest to get them to click on your link.
Here are three examples:
Example #1: Are you trying to get your dog to walk on a leash? Think it's too hard? Let me show you how to train your dog in a few easy steps. Free guide shows you how. Click here for your free copy.
Example #2: What does every business need? Content. You can get all of the content you need by using quality PLR. You’re going to love it, and so will your customers! Click here find out more…
Example #3: Want private label rights to hundreds of pages of smoking-hot fitness content? Download a free sample right now, before I change my mind! Click here for immediate access.
Look for Advertising Opportunities
Finally, be sure to look around all of these forums for other advertising opportunities. This includes:
Forum marketplaces
Some forums offer marketplaces where marketers can promote their business.
Forum advertising
Some forums offer banner ads and text ads on the forum. If you are a member of a busy forum, this could be a great way to get leads to your site.
Joint venture forums
Some marketing forums have areas set up where members can do joint venture deals. You may want to take a look and see if there are any opportunities there.
Networking
Finally, once you've been posting for a while, you will get to know the other members and they will get to know you. Some of these members may be willing to give you advice or work with you on a project.
Forums aren't just for promotion. You can use them to expand your network and make contacts that can help you as you grow your online business.
A wise man once said "If you build a responsive email list and treat that list with respect, and help your subscribers whenever you can, you'll never have to worry about making money online ever again. It's your golden ticket - the most valuable asset in your entire online business." Learn more here...