Forum Marketing Tips

Purists would say this hub is not just about forum marketing tips, but also blog commenting. But the two are so similar in results and application that I'm lumping them together.

And a quick note about forum marketing, it has three goals:

1. Direct traffic from the links placed in the forum (or comments)

2. Backlinks to your site

3. Relationship building

This last one could be the most important of all, as you may meet a super-affiliate who can sell more of your widgets than you can even sell yourself. So don't ever abuse the privilege of posting, and never get caught up in "flaming" or other abusive behavior, or it could cost you money you'll never even know you lost!

So here are the five forum posting tips:

Tip 1: Leave comments as you go, not just during your "forum marketing" time.  Just about every website you visit has either a forum or a comment area, take just an extra minute to scan the posts, then drop in and leave a comment and link. Over time, these will really add up!

Tip two is really cool. "Sneak" anchor text into the comment or post! The picture below displays this. All you have to do it add your keyword in the name field, in as natural a way as possible. For example, one of the keywords I am trying to rank for is "social marketing software" and the site I want a link to is:

http://socialmarketingblackbox.com

So see how I could do this in this picture...

The key to this strategy, of course, is leaving a highly relevant comment.

Don't expect to get away with this little trick if your comment isn't relevant, interesting, on topic, etc., otherwise it will go from "Awaiting Moderation" to the trash real quick!

Tip three is simple: create a memorable and compelling signature! In many forums, you are allowed to create a signature file, including links, that shows up every time you post. This is a great thing, unless nobody clicks on any of your links!

Sure, it's great to get the backlinks from the forum, but it's even better to make money when people buy your stuff!

Too many signatures are "spammy," and include too many exclamation marks and hypy crud. On the flip side, with a little thought you can create something that is compelling, and also helps attract people to you.

For example, I remember well a signature of a guy that included the phrase, "All round swell guy." It sounded funny, but at the same time I thought he probably really was a "swell guy!"

Put the same type of thought and creativity into yours as well.

Tip four is easy: don't do what the spammers do! Spammers post short, irrelevant posts like:

Great post!
Thanks for sharing this, great info!
Wow, I never thought about this before...

You get the idea? It doesn't address the topic and it adds no value. If you are going to participate in forums, then participate in forums! People aren't stupid, they can spot a phony a mile away.

Treat the forum or comment thread like a real live party. For whatever reason, we say things online we would never say in real life! And it's not good. People are people. We all have our own challenges and problems and things that keep us awake at night, and we love people who have solutions, and who are kind and fun.

Don't get caught up in "flaming." If you need to disagree, disagree agreeably! Remember, some of these people could become your best supporters if you just spend a little time developing a relationship.