You can generate traffic by posting on
forums, if you do it right.
How NOT to post on forums to generate
traffic
Don’t find general forums and post ads
on them. First of all, it won’t work. Secondly, you’ll get kicked off the
forum within minutes of your first spammy post.
How to Find a Forum to Post On
This is the important part. Research on
google and yahoo to find forums or message boards that relate very
precisely to your target market.
For instance, if you’re trying to reach
Moms of Twins, don’t search google for “Mom Message board” or “Parenting
forums”. Be more specific than that. Search for exactly what you’re
looking for.
Once you find some message boards, go
through your list one-by-one and determine if the board is active. If it’s
a new forum, but growing, that’s ok. But, if it’s stagnant, then move
along.
If the board passes that test, then read
their policies on posting and advertising. Do they allow you to include a
link in the signature section of your posts? Great! Although you aren’t
going to actually be advertising, you won’t want to invest too much time
and energy into a forum that will slam the door in your face when you do
mention your business.
Did you find some forums that passed the
test? Fantastic! Now, go on them and spam the heck out of them! Of course
I’m kidding. That’s is precisely what NOT to do.
Instead what you’ll want to do is to
build relationships and establish yourself as an expert, the “go to”
person in your field. Become a regular and include your signature line in
your posts, with a link to your newsletter so you can continue to promote
to all of the subscribers that you get.
Now, repeat. Don’t spend all day on
forums, but do find a handful that you visit regularly. Be helpful and
genuine or you’ll look like you’re there just to promote your business,
instead of helping others, making friends and maybe even business
partnerships.
That’s the formula for generating
traffic from a forum. It’s pretty simple, in theory, but you have to do it
right in order to be the helpful business expert, rather than the greedy
salesperson that’s always hanging around the board.