SO, you created your website for whatever purpose, to sell a product or service, to show off your photographic genius… whatever its YOUR pride and joy!! But you have no visitors to see your wonders in design or your legitimate home business opportunities?
The VERY FIRST STEP in driving traffic to your website is through what is commonly referred to as Online Forum Marketing. Online Forums are very interactive web pages that allow you as a registered user to read, interact and participate in discussions about a certain topic of interest. You would do everything you can to participate in as many discussions as you can about your favorite topic, wouldn’t you?
The reason is because with these ‘discussion groups’, you realize that this is your opportunity to learn as much as you can from these people in the shortest amount of time! and more importantly, you can establish your credibility as an authority on your chosen topic!
Forum Etiquette – Every forum has its own set of rules. It is your duty as a member to find out what is acceptable and what is not. This can include how to set up your signature. Do they allow links? If so how many? How long can your signature be? Some forums do not allow you to post links that are of certain type of nature. This can include links to adult sites, gambling sites or even affiliate links. What is the general subject matter of the forum? If using a Homeworker Ideas forum for instance, don’t post things that are off topic unless they have a specific thread for that. There are forums that do not allow discussions of a political nature or discussion of religious topics. Even others discourage talking about specific products and companies.
The bottom line is that each forum is different and if you are to be an outstanding member, you have to play by the rules. If you don’t, you might get slapped and even publicly humiliated. That doesn’t amount to good marketing.
In conclusion, the best way to market yourself in a forum is to not really market yourself at all but rather to be a consistent member that contributes quality and substance to the community. When your motive is to help others, contribute good content and become an integral part of a community, you end up marketing yourself without even trying.
When you start participating in various forums, you will notice the various Signature Boxes on the bottom of the majority of the comments posted by forum members. You will also notice that after you read a member posting that intrigues you, you will find yourself clicking on the link of that particular member’s signature.
Just like that, you just created a click through to that particular member’s website!
When you simply register for your first online forum, the VERY FIRST THING you should do is create your ‘Signature’. As mentioned in the section above, a Signature is basically what is used at the end of email messages to give your recipient that ‘feeling of credibility’ about you. However the SAME THING could be accomplished by adding that signature at the end of EVERY SINGLE ONE of your forum posts.
This is one of MANY times you are going to hear me teach you about the importance of your CREDIBILITY when marketing your product or service online.
Your first major accomplishment as an Internet Marketer is to first ESTABLISH your credibility. As you are well aware, the Internet is enormous – and being able to establish even a small amount of credibility is a major achievement, and COMPLETELY doable! Do everything you can to use Online Forums as your first step in establishing your online credibility! Why not, it’s free! Warning!
Forums are VERY interactive in nature, with back-and-forth replying from just ONE particular post lasting for weeks and months at a time! You should post as frequently as possible: 2-3 times a week in as many as 5 different forums.
Try not to spend a tremendous amount of time on the forums. Just simply log in, locate your prior posts to check out any possible responses, respond if necessary, then go ahead submit your NEW POST, maybe read a few other members’ posts, then LOG OUT!
Forums could be VERY ADDICTIVE if you let them effect you in that way. Millions of other forum members around the world find themselves investing TOO MUCH TIME in forums. So don’t forget the reason why you are a forum member – that is to learn as much as you can, and DRIVE TARGETED TRAFFIC to YOUR WEBSITE! Another reason why you want to be careful in forums is because, depending on the forum, it may be a case of the blind leading the blind. You will notice that the MOST SUCCESSFUL internet marketers may not even exist in the forums anymore because of this.
Just to remind you, When you are just starting your internet marketing career, establishing your positive professional credibility is your first and main concern. Forums are one of the most PERFECT places to accomplish this goal. However, as your credibility starts to rise and you start to brand yourself, you may make the decision whether or not you still want to invest your valuable time in the forums. This is completely up to you and your business.
Your Action Step for driving massive amounts of targeted traffic to your website using Forum Marketing TODAY! Simply sign up and register for as many RELEVANT forums as you can, insert your Signature Box, and publish your first posts! Don’t hesitate to involve yourself with 3-5 separate forums – of course the more the merrier! The first step is to modify your profile to include your Signature Box. When you create your first post, make sure you can ‘preview’ your post to make sure your Signature Box appears. Don’t forget to make sure your website link is WORKING, then post away my friend!