There is one place that all too many internet marketers miss when advertising their business: forums. I have found that posting in forums is an excellent free marketing technique you can use for your online business, whether you’re selling domain names or vacations. If you use forums correctly, you will see your commissions rise at a steady pace. However, if you use forums incorrectly, you damage your reputation and waste your time posting. This article will first tell you where to post your comments, then what to put in your posts, and finally how to make sure your posts create positive results for your business.
Where to Post
There are a couple factors you should consider when determining where to post on forums. The first is which forum to post on. Obviously you wouldn’t want to post on a forum like scams.com, where disgruntled internet marketers go to complain about their failing businesses. Don’t even try to recruit these people because they obviously can’t market their businesses very well and you wouldn’t want to work with someone like that. I recommend finding forums where internet marketers go to discuss successful programs, post specific questions, etc. These people, those who are involved and active with their business, are the people you want to market to. The second thing to consider about the locations of your posts is the specific threads you post on. Don’t post on a thread you don’t know the answer to. Instead research for the answer, and post it in your own words. The key to forum marketing is to develop a reputation as a knowledgeable internet marketer within the forum. As more people begin to trust your expertise, you will see your business grow.
What to Post
I recommend making your posts medium to long in length, or a few paragraphs or more. Longer posts have more power with search engines. However, don’t fill your posts with useless information just to get more search engine juice. Try and make your posts as informative and useful as possible for your readers. If you do, you will build the reputation that is needed to be successful with forum marketing.
How to Post
The most important aspect of forum marketing is leaving your sales pitch out of your post. That’s right, never blatantly advertise your business in the posts you make. This has two negative effects. One, you may be removed for spamming, and two, forum members will lose respect for you and your reputation will be ruined. The key to driving traffic to your site from your posts is your signature. Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of every post you make. If you have provided useful information in your posts, readers will want to learn more from you and can click on the link in your signature that leads to your website. Keep your signature short, clear, and concise. If you’re wondering how to create a link in your signature, check out the free 7 day E-Course at the bottom of this article.
Conclusion
Forum marketing is a very effective way to build your online business, and the best part is that it’s free. There are two ways to do it, the right way and the wrong way, and hopefully I have given you enough information so you can start forum marketing the right way. Good luck!
