Working Forums To The Max

For people who feel that forums are dead – they are not. There are some pretty awful forums online, most of them neglected and left to their own devices. They are full of spam and often it’s the good writers who get dumped out of the forum. Good forums, on the other hand, are great for sharing ideas, perhaps getting links, and often delivering traffic.

So how do you obtain all this through forums? Here is a short list of tips that may help you build credibility:

• Rules – the first thing that must be stipulated is that all forums have rules. Some are lax and some are very strict. Understand those rules. Most decent forums will suspend or terminate your account if they catch you spamming everyone else.
• Manners – until you get a feel for the forum – in fact, until you are accepted by the regular members – watch your manners, especially language. No one likes a rude johnny-come-lately upsetting everyone. If someone helps you out, be sure to contact them and say thanks – even if it is in the thread.
• Be You – be sure to use a photo or avatar that is good, not cheap, and certainly not blatant marketing material. Be yourself, and if the opportunity is there, be open about your business interest.
• Communicate – forums exist for one reason – for people to communicate about a specific niche or topic. Follow the threads, join in, discuss issues, and solve problems. The latter is what will eventually build your reputation. Simply commenting with words like ‘good tip’ is not communicating.
• Signatures – most forums allow you to craft your own signature file. Read the rules and only use what’s allowed. Many forums allow you to link to your website – this means that every time you respond in a thread, a link is created to your pages.

Follow those rules and you will get on well in a forum. If you thought they were dead, think again as they have become an important marketing channel for marketers. They could be for you as well.