Marketing Through Forum Participation,
You'll notice I did not say "Posting to Forums",
I said "Forum PARTICIPATION".
Participation is the key here! Nobody loves a spammer!
Spamming forums is a no-no. It is a bad marketing tactic
only used by lowlifes who have no consideration for others.
Think about it... Do you participate in forums just to read
the ads of other people? Do you pay any attention to their
ads? If YOU don't, then what makes you think someone else
will? If it annoys you to see other people just blast ads
and contribute nothing useful, then you can be assured that
you will only annoy other people if you do the same. Just
because it is YOUR product and YOU think it is neat, does
not mean anyone else will feel differently about your inconsiderate
ads than they do about other spammer's inconsiderate ads!
Auto-posting is even worse - it is not only inconsiderate,
it is totally ineffective.
So, what DO you do?
First of all, choose your forums carefully. Forums can benefit
you in two ways:
1. By networking with other professionals, you can learn
more about how to operate your business successfully.
2. By sharing your expertise, you can gain the trust and
respect of other people, and meet potential clients or customers.
There are two distinct purposes there, and two distinct types
of forums. Do NOT confuse the two purposes, or you'll be wasting
your time with forum posts!
To network with other professionals, choose forums which
are aimed at professionals. For example, I'd join a Web Design
Professionals forum. I would use that forum to ask questions,
and gain professional knowledge. I would NOT promote my service
there, though I WOULD leave my URL at the end of every post
(the search engines will still see that, and it will help
my pagerank).
To use a forum as a marketing venue, I'd choose a forum that
had a high percentage of people who NEED my services and expertise.
I could choose a forum for Learning Web Design, or Web Design
Startup. I could choose a New Business Forum, where a lot
of people might have need for a website - since I also know
a lot about starting businesses, this is a good fit.
Now, when I have chosen a forum to market TO, I would NOT
send them ads! When someone asked a question, I would ONLY
give them a link to a FREE resource that I have. When someone
asks for help, and you reply with "I sell this service,
email me!!!", then you are considered rude. Trust me
on this one, do NOT reply to a cry for help with nothing but
an ad!
Instead, offer REAL help. Give them genuine information that
helps them know what it is that they need. If they then know
that they need additional help, they will go to the person
who already helped them the most, and who they could understand!
Indirect marketing is by FAR the most effective way to make
headway on forums. Give helpful information that genuinely
demonstrates your skills in a kind way, and then drop a signature
line at the bottom to tell them who you are and what you do.
The only exception to this is when someone says, "I
am looking for a part for this item, and cannot find it!"
Then they are asking to BUY something, and it is appropriate
to reply OFF LIST, that you have the item, or can get it.
The off list part is important, because that person ASKED
for an ad... No one else on the list did! Even then, be polite,
and apologize if the offer is not wanted.
You must always follow the rules for posting on forums. Some
allow signature lines, some do not. The vast majority do though,
and your signature line is the way that you market. A short,
simple signature line, with a single URL on it (targeted to
the topic in question - two URLs maximum!) will get traffic
from people who are interested in what you have, because of
what you SAID in your post.
Some people use a Pre-Written signature line. I never do.
I have 30 websites, and offer a range of services. So when
I drop a sig line, I target the URL to whatever is most appropriate
for the post in question. If someone is asking about quick
and healthy meals, I drop one URL. If they are asking about
how much is reasonable to spend on a website, I drop a different
one. I keep them very simple so I can type them fast - an
example would be:
Laura
Mom to Eight
Owner, Article Marketing Magic
http://www.articlemarketingmagic.com/
That sig line works ANYWHERE, whether HTML is allowed or
not. And I can quickly change it to:
Laura
Mom to Eight
Owner, Parenting With Joy
http://www.joyfulparenthood.com/
Or:
Laura
Mom to Eight
Owner, Firelight Web Studio
http://www.firelightwebstudio.com/
This makes it very easy for me to target the exposure of
my sites, to get a new site exposed quickly, and to keep from
having a sig line that lists 30 URLs! It is far more effective
with this many sites to do this, than it is to use a single
doorway page, because people would come in, and get lost in
the home page with that many topics coming off the page!
Forums are a great way to get going, and they were the primary
means of building my business the first time around. I participated
on Computer Help forums, and met many great clients and customers
there - some of whom, seven years later, still email me to
see how my family is doing, even though I no longer market
those services. I am still referred to regularly on one forum
as "the Mac Guru", and as a very smart lady, even
though I have not posted there more than twice in the last
three years.
Just don't abuse them, or think of them as open season on
spamming. Follow the rules, and use them in the right way.
You'll get further, build solid business contacts, and your
time will be well spent in the long term.
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