Small business online promotion
by Marti Talbott
(c) 2001

Advertise, promote, give gifts, offer prizes, enter your site in all the
search engines -- you've tried everything, but sales are not what they could
be.

Maybe you've overlooked something -- something free and easy. Forums are a
great place to build a customer base by just talking about anything and
everything to hundreds of lonely people looking for others to talk to.

Sure, it takes time and you might have to muddle through some offensive
messages, but most forums allow you to leave a link to your site. What could
be better than free?

Don't even bother with news forums, they don't allow links and be sure not to
leave a blatant ad, but if you have a hobby like sailing, bowling, art,
books, etc., you'll find hundreds of forums and message boards all over the
web.

Read the directions first. If you're new to forums be sure to get an
overview first. Basically, they all work the same but in slightly different
formats. They all ask for an ID and a password, but using the same one over
and over keeps things simple and it doesn't involve any personal information.


Don't forget to use your "profile" to your advantage. Instead of listing
personal information, make your sales pitch and make sure to enter your
website URL.

Then just talk to people. You'll be amazed at how well this works.

by Marti Talbott
www.carsonbooks.com