Web Savvy Strategy for Using Forums For Traffic Generation

Using forums is a very powerful way of getting free traffic to your website or blog.  One of the reasons I like this method is that if it is done correctly, you can get a load of traffic from it for years to come.   So here are the steps to going to forum in a logical order.

 

Since I am an avid user of the Warrior Forum (WF), I’m going to use that as an example whenever I talk about forums, because I’m so familiar with it.  Just like the stars in the sky there are bazillions of forums on the web, each with their own sets or rules that you’ll have to follow.  Some make it easy for you to join and post, and others can be a stiff pain in the pants to post or comment on. 

Step 1 Do Your Research First – You’ll want to figure out which forums your niche is applicable to before you decide to join and post.  (You do know what niche you’re in, don’t you?)  You sure as heck don’t want to join a forum about “gold panning” when your niche is “cat breeds”.  So, know what types of forums you’ll need to participate in before you join one.

Step 2 Register and Lurk – Make sure you register and look for a section that either welcomes you

or has a help section.  Usually most forums want you to read their rules because if you break their rules there may be repercussions. 

You might get suspended or have your account banned, so make sure you find out what the rules of the forum are.  The next thing you should do is get a feel of the forum.  You need to read what other people are interested on it, what their problems and ambitions are and how you can help them.

Once you get a good idea of what the forum is all about you can move on to the next step which is…

Step 3 Leave Comments and Help Other Members with Their Problems – Once you have a good feel for the forum, you can then participate.  Once again, make sure that you’re following the rules.

NOTE:  Most forums have all sorts of rules concerning posting with your website address.  Usually, to get that privilege you’ll be required to participate in the forum for a certain number of posts or buy your way in, as in the case of the Warrior Forum.  (Very cheap $10 lifetime membership)  So, I wouldn’t even think of posting my web address right away.  On the Warrior Forum you can use a signature if you pay, but more on that in a minute.

Step 4 Create A Signature That Automatically Follows Your Posts  - This is complexly legit, however most forums will only allow this privilege after you’ve made a number of posts or started a bunch of threads.  If you are allowed to create signature file, make sure that it grabs people’s attention, and has all of your contact information on it.  Many forums will allow you to advertise your services on your signature line, but I wouldn’t overdo it.

Step 5 Try To Deliver A Real Good Post At Least Once A Week – This is where you can really gain some solid ground on being an authority in your niche.  You should write about a 500+ post talking about some facet of your niche that’ll actually helps people.  You want to make sure that it is well written, concise, and is aimed at your target market. 

Warning!  Do not, and I repeat, do not jump on a forum and start selling your crap.  That’s just not the way it works, and at best you’ll be seen as another snake oil salesman.  Just like social media, if you haven’t taken the time to nurture relationships and help people out, you’ll be doing nothing more than hurting yourself. This sales process works best over time, but it has great rewards if you work it the right way.

Step 6 Follow And Answer People That Respond To Your Post   Once you’ve written and posted follow your post and see what the response is.  If you’ve pushed the envelope a little bit and ruffled someone feathers, then you’ll definitely get responses.  Respond to these super politely. 

You should never get offended by anything anyone says because there will people on there that are just plain nuts. You don’t want to be seen as a jerk and a bad attitude and foul language can follow you around for a while.

Step 7 Rinse and Repeat – Remember, your goal is to create a great reputation and help people.  Don’t be selfish and always be kind.

Mark “Elmo” Ellis

"When it Comes to High-Response Copy - I've Got Your Back!"

www.MarkEllisCopy.com

(859) 797-9560

elmo033057@gmail.com

5 Dirt Cheap Marketing Ideas to Generate Traffic to Your Site

If you’re like me, you’re constantly trying to learn how to do your marketing dirt cheap.  One of the most beautiful things about the Internet is that you can do things so much cheaper than ever before. 

Take a look at publishing.  In the good ol’ days, you had to find a publisher to sell any book that you wrote.  Now, you can publish and sell eBooks online without a publisher and there are no setup publishing costs.

You can even have a regular book published and some businesses will print them on demand based on the number you need.  So, the Internet has made almost all forms of traditional marketing easier and more affordable than ever.

Here are 10 dirt cheap marketing methods that you can use to promote your business.  However, it should be noted that there is always a downside to marketing so cheaply. 

For one thing, cheap usually means more labor.  If you buy a house that’s a cheap fix-me-upper, you’ll have to put sweat equity into the house to raise its value.  Cheap marketing methods also require sweat equity, so you are going to have to roll up your sleeves to get things done. (Or find a good way to outsource your work.)  You will have to consider the time and work you do in using these methods.

5 Dirt Cheap Marketing Methods

Use Old Data to Create New Content – If you need data that is relevant to your niche or area of expertise, you can gather data from the Internet and present it in a pleasing format to potential clients and customers.  Many freelance writers use data of this nature to write white papers for clients. 

If you are in a technical field, such as engineering, medical, chemical production, or any other type of information drive field, white papers usually are great for this.  You can also use the data on your blog, in an eBook or website. 

There are loads of websites that carry all sorts of data on just about every industry and subject.  You just have to take the time to find it.

TIP:  If you can collect data that is important to your niche, you can rewrite it, create charts and graphs that helpful to your prospects and hand it out for free.  However, before you give that information away, make sure you brand your eBook with your name, website, email, or whatever else you want your target audience to know about you.  You should include a blurb in the document about yourself and your services.

The great thing about this strategy, is that you won’t have to do a ton of writing for it.  You can just use the data, charts, and graphs with a brief write up about how it relates to your target market and industry.

Reuse Your Older Content – If you’ve been writing for a while, you can take that old content and reanimate it into another format.  For example, you can take an old blog post and use it as a script for a video. If you’ve written an eBook, you can take sections of that material and recycle it into blog posts.  Even if you take older blog posts or website pages and promote them on Facebook or Google +, chances are the people now frequenting those places 

have never seen them.

Apply for Online Awards   ̶ There are many businesses and popular websites that give out awards for a variety of reasons.  Once awarded, you will have the prestigious distinction of placing their seal of approval or badge of honor on your site.  The time consumed filling out whatever forms they require you to fill out may be worth the attention you’ll get.

Tip:  Create your own award!  It’s amazing how a trick like this will not only get attention from other businesses in your niche, but also legitimize and create a sense of authority for your business and website.

Online Contests  ̶  This is a marketing idea I used years ago when I ran a music themed apparel business.  I would periodically run a contest where I would have a comic artist create a one panel music themed comic and visitors to my website would submit their dialog for the characters.  The funniest dialog or caption won. 

You can make up all sorts of ideas for online contests which will usually get visitors to your site involved in your business.  Depending on the complexity of the contest, you can run it as long as you like, building up the suspense.  However, you’ll have to figure how to reward your contest’s winner and how valuable or costly the prize will be.

Answer Questions on Popular Forums or Sites  ̶   If you regularly visit a blog or a forum, you can offer excellent advice to people that are looking for answers to questions that are related to your niche or business.  Many forums or blogs will let you place your website address in a signature file at the end of a post. 

This not only gets people interested in your business, but also helps to establish yourself as an authority in your field.  However, if you don’t really know what you are talking about it will be obvious to people fairly quickly that you don’t know what you are talking about.  So make sure you have a well written piece of advice to offer before you post. 

TIP:  If you regularly visit and contribute advice on a blog, ask the owner if you could actually write a blog post.  If the owner wants to see what your writing is like, you can point to posts on HIS blog that you’ve already written and tell him that you are a regular contributor.  This will at least help you to get your foot in the door.

To Your Success!

Mark “Elmo” Ellis

"When it Comes to High-Response Copy - I've Got Your Back!"

www.MarkEllisCopy.com

(859) 797-9560

elmo033057@gmail.com