Forum Marketing Secrets That Will Explode Your Business Opportunites

Through years of experience in online marketing (forums go back to the early days of the Internet) and the many projects at the GenNext Social Media Lab, we know that forums are one of the best ways to market your brand, generate qualified leads and develop relationships with other individuals in your niche market. It’s amazing how this can snowball into new marketing partnerships, guest blog opportunities and traffic to your blog or website.

Don’t know where to start?

Well, finding a forum for your niche market couldn’t be easier. Technorati is the webs largest blog directory and a great place to start. You can also search in Google Blogsearch. Just search by keyword for the niche or market you are competing in. You can also search in Alltop, this is a curated site which means sites must be submitted and approved. So, you know these are pre-qualified to some degree. While you are at Alltop and Technorati, make sure you submit your site as well!

The key is to start your focus on a few sites that you can put into your RSS reader and easy check and participate in daily. Start with 5-6 sites and move on as you get the hang of it. Be sure to visit many sites before you choose a few that you are going to concentrate your efforts on.  Also, it’s make sure you scan the forum posts to ensure that this is, in fact, a forum within your niche and has an active participation level.  Do not waste time replying questions and posting threads if no one is there to see them.

Simple But Effective Art Form

There is a simple art to Forum marketing that many businesses are unaware of.  Here are some of the secrets to creating an established presence within a forum and sky-rocketing the visibility of your product:

Introduce Yourself

Most forums have an introduction section for new members. Some also use community forum management applications (like Disqus) that provide an opportunity to add a profile so people can look you up and learn more about you. This should be your initial step when entering.  Tell everyone your name, company, title, website and blog address and expertise.  This establishes rapport with the moderators of the forum and also gains the trust of the members.

Brand Yourself

Create a signature that you add at the end of every post you make. Many forums allow you to use one or two links, so use this to your advantage if they do. You can find out by looking at other posts and seeing what others are doing. Key here is to use your “link bait”, blog posts or articles on your site as targets for your links so it does not appear to be commercial.  These links will increase the traffic to your site. Do NOT spam people with promotion. This should be about sharing experiences and relevant information in the context of the discussion, not marketing.

Listen First

Initially, it is important to become an active listener. Take some time to look through the posts and get a feel for the tone of the conversations. Become familiar with the moderators and those members who are frequent posters. Get a feel for how you can help. This could give you great insight into what kind of educational materials you will want to develop for “link bait”.

Be Consistent

Be a constant presence. A forum is similar to any blog or group, you must remain visible in order to establish credibility. The more people see your name, the more they will remember you. This is about smart commenting and participation in the community. You are there to help!

Wrap-Up

The objective here is about producing leads and increasing your bottom line.  This is not done over night though. Forums are a great way (for FREE) to converse with members of your market in a casual and hassle free manner. You will learn as much by listening as you will be talking. Beware though, forum’s are like families.  There are rules and guidelines that are established by the site owner. Become aware of these and abide by them or you will do more harm than good to your brand.

Find another great post on forum marketing at Social Media Examiner.

Have you started to participate in forums yet?