You probably belong to one or more forums. Some might be Internet Marketing forums like Warrior Forum, and others might be niche-specific. If you’re just posting and taking away information, you’re not using the forum to the max.

I didn’t even realize that I was participating in forum marketing at first. I had plugged in my URL into my sig file (a sig file is your signature that appears below your post where you can include a link back to your domain, depending on the rules of the forum).

Then I started checking my stats. Traffic was pouring in from my forum participation!  Whether I was asking a relevant question or responding to something I felt I could help with, people were seeing my links and clicking through, then converting into sales.

If you want to make the most of your forum participation, make sure you do the following:

Fill out your profile fully. Include a little bit of personalized information and an avatar of yourself or something niche-relevant and make sure the links are in your profile that point to your website(s).

Look for questions being asked in the forum that you feel comfortable answering. Don’t worry if you’re not an expert. Every little bit of contribution helps.

Try to post some thought-provoking discussion generating topics. In the Warrior Forum, for instance, a thread goes “into flames” when it hits 20 replies. A flaming folder icon just provides social proof that it’s a hot topic of interest, so more people check it out, and you gain more exposure to your links.

Build a list from your sig file. Instead of just saying, “Visit www.XYZ.com,” write a link that offers a free viral giveaway, such as, “Download your FREE autoresponder tutorial here!” Then link that to your squeeze page. You should ALWAYS be building a list.

Once you gain some respect at the forum, contact the forum owner and see if they’re willing to JV with you. They might place your banner on the forum or blast all of the members a private message or email about your products or services.

I was lucky enough to have Allen Says (of WarriorForum.com) promote one of my products, building an eBook Empire, for awhile and I was thrilled that it was placed into rotation showcasing my eBook between posts in threads all over the forum. What an honor!

Today, go join a new forum and set up a profile. Pick one in your niche with lots of participation. Make it something you have on your task list that will crossed off by the end of the day. Forum marketing doesn’t take much time.

But it does provide you with branding and income that will last for years.

Tiff