|
|
| Information |
|
|
Why You Should Use (Not Abuse) Forums to Increase Your Traffic
There are dozens of reasons why you should look up the forums that are related to your market and post to them often. Here are 3 to get you started. 1- Get to Know Your Market as both an Associate and An Expert The research alone is a good enough reason to at least sign up to some forums and read. Just by reading posts in forums, you can hear what your market concerns are, straight from consumers. You'll be able to find what their pains are - look particularly for frequent questions that don't appear to have solutions. For example, if you sell timeshares, and you join travel communities, you may often hear questions asking for the best times of year to visit a certain region or locale. With this information you could start a section at your site for every listing that tells the cheapest time to travel for that area, the best time of year for good weather, and other special bits of information a traveler might want. When you're comfortable enough to begin posting, after watching the conversation for a few days, or perhaps even a week, you might find that new people have questions that you can help them with. By consistently becoming the go-to person, you increase your credibility as a knowledgeable expert, and people begin to trust your ability to provide information. 2- Increase Your Site's Visibility With More Targeted Links Back to Your Site Many forums are run by hobbyists who aren't so much concerned with marking money from their visitors, as having an established community for discourse on certain issues. These forums will often allow you to leave a link to your site in every post. The ones that are open to public viewing for visitors are also frequently spidered by search engines. If you set up your link correctly, you'll then have topical links back to your own forum. Even if the search engine spiders can't see these links at forums that can be viewed by registered users only, you will also find that once you become a part of the community, other members will click your link out of curiosity or because they're looking for something specific that you may have at your site. Even forums that exist to gain more sales of their own products often allow you to post your link, especially if it isn't to a competing site. For example, internet marketing forums run by people who sell do-it-yourself SEO products may allow infopreneurs who sell a different type of product, such as an autoresponder service, to post their link freely. The focus here, at all times, is to help other members, not just to promote your product. Your link is in your signature, so unless someone asks you a specific question, you get far better results from being helpful than you do by posting forum spam that gets deleted anyway. 3- Lurk, Listen and Learn If you've been around forums at all, you already know that there are often 8 to ten times more people registered and not posting than there are people who actually visit and participate. Reading without ever posting is commonly known as "lurking". I usually suggest that at least for the first week, you should monitor the community you wish to join in this way, just reading posts, and learning the personality of the forum you'd like to post in - this keeps you from committing any faux pas that might have you corrected by another member, or even worse, banned. Sometimes you'll find a forum that is appropriate to read, but doesn't seem like the right place for commercial posting. Or you might find that you're there to learn and not to teach - or maybe you just don't have the time to post as you'd like to. You can still learn a lot by being a lurker. When lurking in forums, your primary job is to listen (figuratively speaking) and learn. Again, pay attention to questions that come up repeatedly over the course of a month or so. Be on the look out for rumored product or technology developments. Find out who is the resident expert - maybe this is the key person for an interview you want to do, or an affiliate program you can join. The most important thing you can learn from this exercise is what annoyances your market is experiencing. If you sell cat furniture, and you find out that a common complaint is availability in remote markets, maybe you can change your shipping policy to add international ordering and increase the scope of your business. Anywhere you can fit a solution to a problem can bring you the sales you need. You may find out that you need to change your product, to enhance it, or perhaps to take out features your prospects just aren't interested in. This is a good solution when you have the time to visit forums and post or read. As you become more busy, you'll find yourself at the forums less and less as a poster, so this isn't necessarily a permanent solution. However, if you follow these steps correctly, you'll soon have the traffic to foster more community relations at your own site as well. Copyright 2005 Tinu AbayomiPaul Tinu is a website promotion specialist who posts free information on a variety of traffic tips in her blog at http://www.freetraffictip.com.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News (UPI) Kanye arrested in paparazzi scuffle ... Report: Critic smacked Ebert with binder ... Cafe Tacvba nominated for 6 Latin Grammys ... Groban to perform TV songs at Emmys ... News from United Press International. United shares climb after news debacle (UPI) CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A computer program assigning dates to news stories was partly to blame for a sell-off of United Airlines stock Monday, a Google spokesman said. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (San Francisco Chronicle) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. In a statement, the global seller of outdoor advertising said it was in exclusive talks with Rupert... Column: Palin's Nomination Good News Even For Democrats In Alaska (CBS News) So, John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Let me just say, wow. That's not exactly what I repeatedly shouted out when I first heard the news, but it's close enough for publication. Like everyone else, my astonished reaction wasn't due to the event itself being inconceivable - I've heard pundits debating the likelihood of a McCain / Palin ticket for months. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. Site: news - Google News News roundup: Cool reception for automakers on Capitol Hill - USA Today
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for forums Three candidate forums slated in Oct. (Cape Cod Times) The Cape Cod League of Women Voters, the Martha?s Vineyard League of Women Voters and the Cape Cod Times are sponsoring candidate forums this fall. Watch Mo. Candidate Forums Live Online (KCTV 5 Kansas City) Candidate forums are scheduled Thursday in the races for Missouri attorney general and Missouri governor. Click here for a link to watch them online live. Forums Set To Discuss Next West Hartford Schools Chief (Hartford Courant) The last time the school board sought input on the town's next superintendent, a handful of residents showed up at two public forums. Forums on for N.H. candidates (Portsmouth Herald) CONCORD and#8212; The Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire announced recently that business forums featuring candidates for governor and U.S. Senate are confirmed for early October. Attend TGI political forums (The Garden Island) The Garden Island will host political forums for Kaua?i?s mayoral candidates on Sept. 25 and for County Council candidates on Oct. 16 at the Kaua?i Veterans Center on Kapule Highway. Doors open at 6 p.m. The forums start at 6:30 p.m. Expect a question and answer format with an opportunity for those attending to ask questions as well. Candidates to participate in lunch forums (New Hampshire Union Leader) Early October dates have been set for two midday business forums featuring candidates for governor and U.S. Senate. Gubernatorial and U.S. Senate business forums planned (Foster's Daily Democrat) CONCORD ? The Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire announced that business forums featuring candidates for governor and U.S. Senate are confirmed for early October. Forums Offer New Hope For Homeowners (Eyewitness News 3 Hartford) The state is offering a series of free forums to help homeowners with sub-prime mortgages convert them to 30-year fixed-rate loans. Public forums planned for candidates (MPC Newspapers) Public forums, organized by the Benton County Task Force Government Relations Committee have been scheduled in the coming weeks. The first will be held Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 12:30 p.m. at the Belle Plaine Community Center. Crime forums give ethnic groups a say (The New Zealand Herald) Auckland's ethnic groups are invited to have their say on crime and listen to a police "action plan" for keeping them safe at meetings on the North Shore and at Greenlane tomorrow. Site: forums - Google News Governor's office hosting small-business survival forums - Denver Post
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Reasons You Should Market Online If you've got a website you'll need to let the world know about it. This is called internet marketing. Why You Should Use (Not Abuse) Forums to Increase Your Traffic There are dozens of reasons why you should look up the forums that are related to your market and post to them often. Here are 3 to get you started. Forums: How DO You Get People to Post!? Running a web forum is no easy task. If you own one, you know how labor-intensive it is. 5 Proven Techniques to Build a Profitable Web Forum You may have heard that having a web community is a great way to increase sales, customer loyalty and word of mouth for your web business. In fact a web community itself, if large enough and targeting an affluent demographic (or one that advertisers like to target), has the potential to bring in revenue. Milton Keynes - A City For The Future? The two main features of Milton Keynes which distinguish it from older towns are:1)The town was built with motor vehicles in mind and so has a structured road network.2)A significant amount of land was set aside for green space, from the extensive network of park land to the sizeable margins planted with trees and shrubs by the side of the road system. Marketing Via Messageboards & E-mail Discussion Lists - An Alternative View One of the most suggested means of getting traffic to a site in the early stages is to get involved in messageboard and e-mail discussions on your topic of choice. The idea is that you can show your expertise and therefore get traffic to your site via your signature file (most discussion lists allow you to include your signature file with your post - a few lines with your name, site address and maybe a very brief description). How to Market on Forums and Message Boards Without Upsetting Anyone Believe it or not, you can market on forums and message boards without pissing anyone off. In fact, not only can you market this way, you SHOULD market this way, and I'll tell you why later in this article. Reward Your Forum Moderators If you are a forum administrator and you have moderators on your site who are doing a stellar job, consider rewarding them for their assistance. No, I am not necessarily talking about financial compensation, but other recognizable forms of showing your gratefulness. Make Money From Forums If you have a website about a topic you enjoy, you can make money from discussion forums. Talk, post links to your site, get traffic. Promoting in Online Forums Forums can be a useful tool if you`re doing business online. You can learn a lot by reading the content and actively taking part in the discussions. Seven Must Follow Rules While Participating In Message Boards Participating in message boards (forums) discussions is a great way of self promotion. It costs you nothing. Intro to Health Forums Health forums are great for gathering information, resources, advice, tips and tricks, business names/information, product reviews, expert advice and much more. Many forums have experts on health subjects that are monitoring the forums 24/7 and are very quick to reply to your post(question). Join A Songwriting Forum - Its A Good Idea! If you are a songwriter looking to get "plugged-in" to where the action is, consider joining a songwriting forum. This is a great way to meet other songwriters, share your ideas, promote your songs and/or lyrics, find resources and much more! As the Good Book says:"iron sharpens iron," which simply means that we grow and learn from the exchange of new ideas with others. Forum - A Free Way to Get Traffic Forum is a gathering of people normally have a common interest on certain topic like investing, health etc.People in forum can share ideas, ask questions, socializeget help and give advice. Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists? (Part Three) Why Do People Start Writing Discussion Lists? Angela Gillaspie, who owns Southern Angel, says she created her list for a very simple reason. "I started the list because there were so many folks that wanted to read my writing, and I had a hard time remembering everyone's addresses. Forums - Should You Have Them On Your Website? Forums have become a common feature in many websites. With good free scripts available, and paid scripts being relatively cheap, it seems that every new website has its own forum(s). 10 Commandments To Maximizing Your Time In Forum Participation 1) Gain an idea/keep in touch of what is happening in the Internet Marketing scene (strategies, product, news).2) Help others as well as yourself to solve a 'how to' problem whenever it crops up. How To Maximize Your Profits With Forums Forums are one of the most effective free internet marketing strategies if done correctly. Many people participate in online forums for different reasons. Should You Add A Forum To Your Site? I was recently reading a message board thread on a popular SEO site and the question came up whether this particular person should add a forum to his site. I appreciated the honest answers from those who replied and I mulled over several points myself that I thought would be beneficial. Some Quick Tips to Easily Improve the Success of Your Forum! It is difficult to define a 'successful forum'. However, all forums deal with information and so the amount of information that is transferred across a forum is an indication of its success.
|
| Home | Site Map | Resource Links |
