2 Great Ways Forum Marketing Can Grow Your Business
It’s been said that we’re “social beings” by nature. And for some time now, forums have developed into caring, sharing communities where people in a particular niche can gather to share thoughts, ideas and strategies. No matter what niche you’re in, there are forums that you can join.
And while it’s true to say that most people would be able to participate in the social side of all things ‘forum’, there’s no shortage of true professionals online who see and exploit the huge potential to be found with forum marketing.
For myself, I enjoy being able to help others through their everyday challenges. People interested in SEO (not me!) post to gain back-links to their website. But that’s another story altogether. For me, my main reason for interacting on forums is because of the chance to promote my online business by using a simple signature link at the end of each post I make.
And then of course, there are people just starting out in the business who just want to find advice on which way to move off the starting blocks.
1) Building On Your Existing Knowledge:
No matter whether you’re an established marketer or a complete newbie, participating in forums can be extremely valuable for the future growth of your business. When you consider that any well respected forum in any niche is likely to have a huge amount of valuable content coming from many individuals who approach their business with different methodology and who have completely different mindsets. I’ve learned so much over the two years I’ve been online, just by reading posts left by others. Different, better, faster, cheaper ways to tackle things for example. And while I totally get that this is not strictly direct forum marketing, it has helped me move forward in my online business, or get past difficult hurdles, immensely.
However, whilst it’s true to say there is good stuff to be picked up, it’s equally true to be wary of the sheer crap and bad habits you can pick up unawares from marketers who seem to have no clue exactly how to run an online business.
2) Marketing Your Online Business:
Forums can be fantastic places to promote your name, brand, services and products to laser targeted individuals within your niche. My main reason for using forums is for promotional purposes. But then, the knowledge I have of the broader internet marketing industry is of value to very many participants with less experience. So why wouldn’t I offer value by sharing that knowledge to other less experienced mortals – even through shameless product promotion. These people could benefit immensely by using some of what I have to share. So it’s my job to promote whatever value I can to them. And what better place to start than where these people hang out every day?
A simple signature at the bottom of each post can bring in a lot of traffic over time to your offer or service, – providing that you give value to the forum first. I’ve seen many forum posters leave single sentence posts in an attempt to get their signature exposed to as many viewers on as many threads s possible. But it doesn’t work in any steady way, and crap very quickly becomes known for what it is. Doing this is a complete waste of time folks, and will never drive a quality visitor (read: potential buyer) to your site or offer. Posting rubbish is just a waste of everybody’s time. So don’t do it. Make a commitment to only ever post quality well researched replies.
If you visit the most popular Internet Marketing forum online, you’ll notice many regulars consistently adding huge value. This is no accident, and these marketers know exactly what they are doing, and they are rewarded for their efforts many times over.
For example, Alexa Smith used to be a regular contributor on the Warrior Forum. She provides amazing value to readers constantly, and as such, had marketers and would-be marketers hanging onto her every word. So if she decided to launch a product on the Warrior Forum tomorrow, she would be certain to make oodles of cash simply because she provides insightful formation in every post she writes. And this friends, is exactly how forum marketing is meant to be done.
The key to making your Forum presence work well for you, is to provide consistent great value. Joining forums solely to promote your goods or services is short sighted. Your priority should always be to provide 5 star advice to members.
After even just a little while, you’ll notice people visiting your website from clicking on your signature link. For me, If someone on a forum provided me with great advice regularly or even just once, I would absolutely click on the link in their signature just to be inquisitive. Who wouldn’t? Even if I didn’t ask a question, but got great advice from a fellow marketer by reading other threads that I have no posts in, I would still click through to their service regardless. Remember also, your informative well researched posts will be on the forum for a long time. So by doing the right thing, you get consistent exposure when people type relevant search terms into Google.
Conclusion:
Clearly there are many ways to promote your business online. And you should use various methods to create an online presence that extends across the length and breadth of the internet. Forums are one great way to do this, and if use them correctly the results can be huge.
You’ll still get backlinks to your website with each post you make, and this is still very valuable for search engine traffic. But it’s not as powerful as bringing laser targeted traffic direct to your service or product. I recommend you spend at least an hour daily providing value in a couple of forums for your niche.
Forum traffic is good quality traffic, and this kind of promotion has dramatically helped me promote my business over time, as it will continue to do for years to come – as long as I continue to participate and offer value.
You’ll also learn a heap by just talking with experts in your particular niche. Never underestimate the value of participating in high traffic forums. The value they can bring to your business is enormous.
Forum marketing is one of my all time favorite sources of free traffic, and it works incredibly well when you nurture it like I’ve described.
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