iElectrify

Forums, message boards, bulletin boards – they all mean the same thing, but forum promotion can seem like a huge outlay of time and effort.  How do you know which forums are worth marketing to – and how can you tell if these forums will allow you to promote your site at all? 

Today’s post details how to find profitable forums and use them to generate a steady stream of traffic and long-term exposure.

Personally, I love forums – sometimes a little too much.  For years I held one of the highest forum posts at SitePoint as their Design Team Leader and currently have over 1,000 posts at the leading internet marketing message board, the Warrior Forum.

How do you make forums work to your promotional advantage (without making it seem like spam?)  These seven tips should put you well on your way to racking up hundreds of relevant, solid posts that help build your credibility and authority on any topic.

1.  Find the Right Forums – It doesn’t make sense to spend all your time on a forum with less than 100 threads (active discussions).  To find relevant, active forums, try searching Boardreader.com or Big-Boards.com.  You can also go to Google and type in subject “message board” (i.e. gardening “message board” – exactly like that) and higher ranked boards will appear at the top.

Ideally, the forums you participate on will have around 1,000 active members or more (you can generally see the active members at the bottom of the forum board index page) and around 10,000 total posts.

2. Read the Rules – Picking 2-3 forums is ideal, but you’ll likely be forced to read some ground rules before you can register.  This is also where you’ll probably find out if advertising of any kind is allowed. 

Obviously you probably won’t be able to just post about how great your new site is – but you can likely have a signature (3-4 lines at the bottom of each post).  See what’s allowed and what isn’t before you sign up.  When in doubt – ask a forum moderator.  Their usernames are usually bolded or a different color.

3. Register – then Lurk – Lurking, even though it sounds awful, just means signing up and reading different posts, but not creating your own just yet.  This helps you get a feel for the tone and active discussions going on in the forum before you start your own.  You’ll learn what the hot topics are, and what questions come up often (that you can potentially answer!)

Registering for most forums is free and some forums even display the month and year you registered.  The earlier you sign up, the more “seniority” you build over time which helps you become more of a recognized authority as time passes.

4.  Your Username is Permanent – Make it count!  In most cases, your username will stay with you throughout your history with the forum.  On SitePoint, I chose the name “Sparkie” – since he’s my company mascot, and it fits in well with iElectrify. 

On the Warrior Forum though, I’m ecoverartist (which fits my other company division) since I started out creating e-covers for marketers there.  I wish now that I would’ve used Sparkie or even Sherice – since I now do much more for members there beyond creating cover graphics.

5. Choose a Relatable Avatar – Avatars are small graphics that are usually displayed under your username when you post.  Usually these are home-made graphics, such as a small professional headshot, photos of your kids or pets.  You can change these as often as you want.  More personable ones work best to help build trust among fellow forum members.

6. Introduce Yourself!  Nearly every forum has a “New Members” or “Introductions” forum where newly registered participants can say hello.  This is a great time to introduce yourself – tell a little about your background and where you live, and of course, mention your website.  You can probably put a link inside as well.  View other introductions first to make sure it’s acceptable. 

7.  Show Off Your Expertise – That’s why you joined!  So you don’t know everything…that’s fine!  Everyone starts out somewhere – and I’m betting there are questions on the forum right now that you know all about, or can at least add something to.  Learn from others, remember your netiquette and steer clear of heated, political, religious or otherwise controversial discussions.  The last thing you want is to get banned from a forum you worked so hard to participate in.

Don’t forget, forum promotion is a long-term business marketing strategy that should never outwardly look like promotion.  Simply be yourself, be helpful and enjoy the conversation and you’ll reap the rewards of time well spent!

Tags: forum marketing, forum promotion, online marketing forum