Forums as a marketing tool

Lately, there have been a lot of marketers who swear by forum marketing as organic and free viral marketing. But since all those marketers go into forums with the intent of marketing their wares, they unintentionally bring down the value of this type of marketing technique.

A forum is not a marketplace, but rather a community of like minded individuals who share a common interest. Now, I am not saying it isn't appropriate to place a link to your site in your signature, but those of you who use forums strictly as a marketing technique not only inspire the disdain of the members of the forum, but also fellow marketers and the moderators. Such an attitude can get you banned. Get banned from a few forums and that reputation follows you due to the fact that moderators of different forums tend to talk to one another. As a marketer, that's a reputation you don't want.

For this type of marketing to be effective, it is extremely important for you to truly have a personal interest in the main topic of the forum. Secondly, in order to market in this fashion, you must be willing to make a serious commitment, take responsibility and show genuine respect. That means visiting and posting regularly, developing relationships with other members, as well as the moderators, and taking a serious interest in assisting other members. In this way, you will develop a reputation of trust with the members and the moderators, from which business can develop. In other words, take a personal interest in the topic, the members, the mods and don't hesitate to help out other members.

Since forum marketing continues to take a serious beating due to abuse, most forums have strict rules regarding the marketing of products and services. Some will not allow you to even place a link in your sig file until you have made X amount of valid posts, some have a zero tolerance and others have dedicated threads specifically for advertising. It is for this reason it is most important for you to read and follow the rules of the forum you wish to post in before posting.

As I indicated above, the purpose of a forum is not to provide a place to advertise any product or service, but rather as a medium for people of a like mind to exchange information and ideas on the main topic of the forum. It is imperative that we, as marketers, respect the main purpose of any forum. By doing so, you can build credibility as an expert, respect as both a member of the community and a marketer. Do this and you will create the potential for income.

Michael Roberson is a 45 years young, part time student, part time blogger and full time dad. His blog, Mike's Blog Marketing Tips contains useful tips for both the novice and experienced blogger alike.