Forum Marketing

Have you checked the search engines lately? If not, you would be surprised at how many different message boards and forums there are. If you consider our current society, however, it makes complete sense. More and more commonly, people are interested in listening to the advice of others based on user reviews, suggestions and comments.

Take apartment living, for example. It used to be apartment websites offered details on the unit, the amenities of the complex and the price. Now, almost all apartment listing sites include a tenant review board where potential tenants can see what existing tenants think of the complex before they decide to move in.

These types of forums can be great for your business! They are the best places to prove your expertise in your field so that you can boost your credibility and trust level with potential new customers while simultaneously promoting your products and services to other members.

When utilizing forums for marketing purposes, there are guidelines that must be followed to maximize effectiveness, such as:

Choose a user name that sounds less business

Most members on message boards are very wary of marketers and will instantly disregard what you have to say if your user name is poorly chosen. You want them to see you as another customer who is there to help other people with your personal experience and recommendations.

Create an awesome profile

Take time to fill out the information sheet about yourself, it may seem redundant on a site where everyone has a bio, but it will help others to identify with you and your opinions. In the Bio or About me section, you can share information about your business but it should not be your main focus, make sure and include your interests and hobbies as well.

You can share your landing page address in the website URL box. You will seldom get flak for using this approach because this is why after all, the field exists. It can serve as a very effective inbound link for your site.

One thing to note, however, is that you should test your link to ensure it’s working. There really are forum members who read bios, especially if you’re becoming a prominent and respected member of the forums. They may click on your homepage link and will most certainly be discouraged if it doesn’t work.

Make a very strong presence.

Your landing page should be well designed, informative, clean, and powerful so that it can convert your visitors into customers.

If you currently don’t have at least one landing page you should visit ad2action.com . They specialize in helping people create a strong web presence and in a matter of minutes you can have a well-designed, customized and attractive conversion page for your business.

Read the rules.

Nobody likes to be dismissed or booted from a public opinion forum. It is a negative hit for your reputation, and possibly your business. Each forum will have it’s own policies and rules and it is really important to read them carefully, so you can ensure that you are following the rules. This raises your appearance of professionalism and respectfulness and increases your credibility with other forum members.

Be sure that you take advantage of all opportunities provided by forums that allow you to promote your business in a polite and respected way, such as using a customizable signature. This can be a small block of test or an image, like your company logo, or a tasteful banner. You can utilize this tool to bring traffic to your web presence on every comment you post as long as you follow the rules, you will be entirely within the lines of what is acceptable.

Opt for niche forums first

It is completely true that niche forums are considerable smaller than general forums, but you can be assured that the members will share the same interests as you and your business.

To return back to our apartment living example: If you run an apartment complex, it makes sense that you want to focus your attention on apartment forums. Here you can almost guarantee that the members are currently apartment tenants, are looking to relocate, or are just looking for the perfect apartment.

Sure, there are larger forums that will have more people, but the message is quality over quantity. What is more valuable to an apartment complex owner seeking new tenants: communicating with 100 people who already own their own home or 10 people who are looking for an apartment?

Niche forums will help you find topics and discussions that you can share your own tips, guides and opinions to promote your credibility.

Before using Forum marketing, check out ad2action.com to find the best landing page to direct them back to. This article, Forum Marketing is available for free reprint.