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Advice on posting in Forums
Forums are big authority sites that get tons of traffic and have many loyal members. Posting on forums is a great way to make money. Sure, you could reach many of the same prospects with Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click advertising - but we will use this alternative channel here. Many people know how to market online pretty well – but they have trouble getting that initial traffic that will kick-start the process. The most popular forums in each market have many members that are passionate about what they do. The internet can be a very lonely place. Forums create a sense of community and a sense of "hey, there are others like me. People use forums every day in different ways: - They can just browse the newest topics to see "whats new" - as most people hate missing out on new information. - They can ask a specific question so that other members will give their opinions. - They may be very knowledgeable and want to help other members by answering their questions. - They are not always knowledgeable but they still want to give their opinion. They use the "search" function of the forums to gain knowledge about a specific aspect of their industry. Hanging out on forums is a great way to gain insights into your market. Your job is to post regularly in these forums. Then, people who read your posts, will read your signature file (a paragraph that says something about you or your offer) and, hopefully, click on your link. When posting on forums, I would use my real name as my username. This is a great way for people to get to know you and brand yourself as an expert – or at least as someone who isn't hiding behind a screen. As days and weeks go by, you will see that things start to "look up" for no apparent reason. You will start getting preferential treatment from other members of the forum. Before you start posting in the forums, you need to understand... How to set up an effective signature file: Here are some ideas for you to set up a "sig file": If you promote an affiliate product (or even your own product) you can just copy the headline from the salesletter and then include a link to the salesletter. For example, if I wanted to promote a product like "The Super Ebook", I would copy the headline of the salesletter, and then paste it as my signature file. Then, I would include a call to action like "Click Here" Another thing you can do is set up a landing page and offer a positive review of the product you promote as well as an added bonus for people who purchase through your affiliate link. Another thing you can do is have several links to several different products separated by a "pipe" (|). There's no "law" that prohibits you from linking to more than one resource. For example, you could have a signature file that looks something like: Weight Loss Pills XYZ Review | Lose Weight Quickly | Atkins Diet Tips | Fat Loss Workout. You can have each link point to a different landing page of yours. You can use your desired "anchor text" in your signature file. So, if you do keyword research and you see that some specific keywords get many searches (and you can provide a solution or a product to point people who search for them to), you can use these very keywords to link to your landing pages. Over time, more and more links will be pointing to your landing pages. Links that will be on the same forum page (the same thread), different threads on the same forum or even several different pages across different forums you post on.  The popular forums in your industry are considered huge authority sites and they have a lot of "weight" in the search engines. If you don't believe me, search for 10 random terms. You'll see that many times, some of the top results are nothing more than forum threads. Having these sites link to your page is a great "side effect" of you using a well-thought-out signature file. Many links from different authority sites can make your landing page(s) rank high on the search engines. Note that you can modify your sig file at any time. You can promote a different product, add another product, stop promoting a specific product etc... Boom – just like that you can have hundreds of links pointing to your page. And those will grow "naturally" over time as you continue posting on forums. If you have a product in the "make money"/ "work from home" industry, another thing you can do in your sig file is promote your affiliate program. Link to a page talking about your product, why it's good and why people should promote it. You will get some good affiliates that way. If you want to track how effective your signature files are, you can use a tracking link instead of pointing directly to your landing page. Yes, forum marketing is "free", but you will still put time into it. You need to know if it pays you enough for your time. You need to be clear about your goals. You are visiting the forums to offer value and make money - not to spend all your day there. Plan the day before. Know how long you will spend on the forums. It's easy to spend all your day on the forums without purpose - thinking that you are "working on your bussines" Don't fall into this trap. You need to manage your time. Also, stop visiting each thread you posted in just to see if someone else posted in it and if you need to reply. Tips on how to post: First of all, avoid posting when you don't know what you are talking about. That will make you look stupid (I hate when that happens). Nobody knows the answer to everything. If you are unsure what the proper answer to a question is, take a pass. Spend your time answering posts where you can really offer value. Don't post just for the sake of inflating your post count or showing your signature files. Some questions are just too difficult to understand. When the question is clarified, post with your answer. If you don't know the answer, simply don't post. You don't really have to follow up on your initial post. The advantage that forums have over, say, speaking on the phone, is that you can really think of your answer. Or, you can just avoid answering altogether. Also, you can preview your post before making it. If you are not sure if your post will come out looking ok, click the button that says "preview" instead of "post". Then, you can safely make any modifications you want before you post. |
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