The Best Free Marketing You Can Do Online – Forum Marketing!

Marketing.

It’s a term most entrepreneurs think involves hours of time, hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, and a complicated matrix of intricate strategies, tricks, and networking.

But what if you could attract all of the eyes you wanted, without opening your wallet EVEN ONCE to a crowd of predisposed people willing to crawl over broken glass to get to what you’re selling?
What if you could do it without changing anything about you current schedule or websites you visit?

What is a Forum?
Forums are online “chat rooms” and communities where discussions take place 24/7/365. There are forums for any and everything under the sun. Including your niche or industry!

Members log in, usually under a specific username and password, and voila! Instant content!

Members can comment, ask questions, offer advice, or even give constructive criticism, based on the information they’re most knowledgeable of.

The comments are listed in the order that they are populated, called threads, and can be seen usually by the members who log in.

In fact, if you’re following the trends that are popular with your clients or customers, you’re probably already a member of one or several forums yourself!

Forums also create a desire to post more frequently, as specific names are often given to members, according to how often they post.

How Can Forums Be Used as Marketing?
With most forums, a signature and/or profile is created for the individual user. The signature appears automatically at the bottom of each post made by that specific member.

The profile can be viewed by any forum member who clicks on the posting member’s name on the forum.

This means that one can put virtually anything in the bottom of each post – including (and it SHOULD INCLUDE) a website and any additional information you’d like the forum readers to know about you.

What Should My Forum Signature Say?
Do you have an upcoming sale? A special deal specific to forum members? Just getting started and want feedback?

These are all great ideas for your forum signature!

Just be certain that your signature is something that forum members will actually want to read and not just blatant selling.

For example, instead of saying, “Buy my widget because it’s the best at yourwebsitehere.com”, you should say:

“Curious about how (your widet name) can turn a piece of yarn into guaranteed income for a year? I can show you how at yourwebsitehere.com!”

Give the reader a reason that THEY would be interested in hearing more about.

No one cares if you’re product is the best on the planet. They care that your product will solve a specific issue they’re facing or make their life better. Tell your reader how!

How Do I Use Forum Marketing to My Benefit?
Comment on as many posts or questions as you can!

Forum members are always looking for advice, posting helpful videos or requesting feedback on something.

Be willing to give a little upfront to get your forum signature seen!

Remember, the more often you’re posting feedback, the more your signature will appear and the more you’ll have readers seeing your link (especially if you’re giving great feedback or answering questions!)
In fact, really ‘hot’ topics (ones with a LOT of comments) are great because you may have several comments on that thread if someone else is conversing directly with you on the subject!

A Word of Caution!
1. Don’t answer every post or comment made with “Great thread!” or “Enjoyed this!”

People may read those types of comments, but because you aren’t really contributing to the conversation, you aren’t offering anything of value and the chances of anyone clicking on the links in your signature or profile.

Make sure you read the question or comment presented and truly give your advice on the subject at hand.

2. Be yourself!

No one likes a friend who only acts a certain way to get a desired result. Forum members are the same way.

Offer legitimate opinions on topics you’re familiar with. If the forum is devoted to your specific industry or niche, this shouldn’t be an issue.

3. Don’t argue.

For whatever reason, people enjoy saying things online, thanks to the anonymity the internet offers, that they’d never say in person.

Don’t fall for this. You’re posting and commenting in order to develop relationships and get clicks back to your website, not prove you know more than someone else.

Where Do I Find Forums on My Industry?
Pull up your favorite search engine and type in your industry plus the word “forum”.

For example, the term “snowboarding forum” brings up a forum specifically for snowboarders.

The term “internet marketing forum” brings up a forum specifically for internet marketers.

You get the idea.

Don’t join just one forum, either! Join as many as you can feasibly update on a daily basis. Your fellow forum members don’t want to think that you’re just using them to create links back to your site, so they’ll want to see that you’re an active member.

In Conclusion
The more often you can update and comment on the forums, the better a relationship your fellow members will be able to develop with you and therefore the more likely they are to click on the links in your signature and go to your website!

Remember, be yourself, give legitimate feedback and comments, and get to know the other members on the forum and the leads will come to YOU!

By: Helen Aldin

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