[private_Member]

Posting and Commenting in a Popular Forum
to Attract People to Your Website

 

Posting questions and comments on a popular Internet forum can help attract very targeted people to your website by informing them of your expertise and value on a certain topic.

Internet forums and message boards are online discussion sites where people can ask questions and hold discussions on a particular topic. LinkedIn Groups also serves this function, where people with a common interest get to post a question to the group or begin a discussion that may be relevant to members.

Forums run the gamut from technology to child-rearing to dating to comic book heroes to hobbies and more.

Although you will need to create an account to be able to post comments and questions, on most forums, users and visitors do not have to log in to read existing messages.

Many popular forums and message boards will archive and index the discussions, enabling a larger number of people to access whatever questions and answers were posted. Many will also send an email or RSS message to members when the site’s owner  or editor finds a topic they feel could be interesting to everyone.

A forum topic or string of related comments is also called a “thread.”

Be careful not to Spam (post an ad for your product or business in place of a comment or a question). Spamming can get you permanently banned from a forum, so beware.

Here are a few tips on how to use a forum effectively:

 

–       Do your research. Choose only forums with large numbers of your best potential clients;

–       Spend time reading the forum before you start posting, to get a sense of what the people and answers/comments are like;

–       When you sign up to join the forum, give yourself a catchy name – fatsoGeek, DyingForCoffee, SeeNoEvil, BabyFace, MarketGuru, BrandQueen… these will tend to be noticed and remembered;

–       Stand out visually – create an avatar (image created to represent you) or distinctive photo to act as your memorable signature – so your image stands out from the crowd;

–       Answer questions and post comments and questions that engage the audience, and let them know about your expertise and character;

–       Don’t be negative;

–       Don’t spam (provide blatant ads for your product or service) … simply and professionally provide real thoughtful and valuable answers and people will love you;

–       Be funny if possible;

–       Post content in many places around the forum;

–       Don’t piss off the owner/moderator. Remember, someone is moderating the forum. If they don’t like you, they can kick you off or make sure your posts do not get circulated… By contrast, if they like you, it can help boost your visibility on the forum;

–       Periodically refer to something that could be of value, on your website or on a page created specifically to answer something asked in the forum (such as an infographic or video, or a downloadable article or chart, or something too large to be posted on the forum itself) —

For example, we discussed the importance of using Online directories, and offered a link to a list we created with the most popular ones, complete with links to free and paid versions of each. Then we created an opt-in (a box that requires they enter their email address to gain access to this free chart).

–       Don’t be afraid of posting controversial topics. Obviously the goal is not to alienate potential clients. However, don’t be afraid to let people know your true personality;

–       Post real answers and not random nonsense. Remember, you want to make friends who recognize you are a valued authority;

 

Posting answers and starting interesting threads on popular forums that focus on your ideal clients can be a valuable (and no-cost) way to gain visibility and attract people to your website and web platform (site that explains your product or business).

 

SEE ALSO

The copy writing section of Email & EMail Newsletters

.

If you’d like details about another Website Magnet — click on a link below

How will you bring “qualified” prospects to your website or web platform?

Search Engines | Social Media | Directories | Press Releases, PR & Articles | Blogs | Posting Expert Comments on Forums | Article Directories / eZine Directories | Video and Blog Sharing Sites | Articles on Partner Sites / Partner Newsletters | Affiliates / JV Partners / TeleSummits and Alliances | Emails / Email Newsletters | Banner & Text Ads | Webinars / Teleseminars | Viral Marketing | Tell-A-Friend | Promotional Marketers | Offline Marketing

[/private_Member]