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Posts Tagged ‘forums’
Monday, June 6th, 2011
It may seem odd to call any Internet marketing strategy an “old-fashioned” or “traditional” strategy, but we are now over 20 years since the invention of the World Wide Web and commercial Internet marketing. It’s interesting to note, however, that what worked in 1992 still can work in 2011. Hare are 4 old-fashioned Internet marketing strategies that still have the power to work some magic.
- E-mail Marketing – E-mail marketing has been around for so long that it hardly seems just to say it’s new. It IS new, however, compared to old icons like television and radio advertising. But compared to new Internet marketing strategies like social media and video marketing, it’s as old as the hills. Still, it can be very effective.
- Article Marketing – Internet marketers were marketing with articles as early as 1991. Now, in 2011, article marketing is still a powerhouse despite the Panda update.
- Forum Marketing – OK, I’m being a little bit misleading here. Today’s forums are 1991s bulletin boards. Still, those old bulletin boards were a lot like forums. People signed on, read the threads, and posted their rebuttals. They also got some business from that effort. Today’s forums are a bit more sophisticated and have rules in place to control spam, but they are still effective marketing venues.
- Websites – This one is so simple it’s a no-brainer. From the very first website ever built to the most modern-looking Web 2.0 communities, a website is still the perfect online marketing tool. This is such a basic truth that it’s hard to believe that online marketers attempt to run a business using other tools without a website. I see Internet marketers using social media, forums, articles, videos, Squidoo Lenses and HubPages, and all sorts of other online channels without first having built their own hub – the company website. Build your website first, then do all the rest.
If you are serious about marketing your business online, start with the basics. Build yourself a website, then market it with articles and join a couple of forums. Start an e-mail newsletter. After that, branch out into the newer, more modern online marketing channels.
Tags: article marketing, e-mail marketing, forums, internet marketing, online marketing, website
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
Most people avoid forums like the plague when marketing, but there are those who plunge in headfirst, posting blatant ads everywhere. Neither of these two groups reaps many benefits from the very useful arena of forums.
You see, if you use them right, forums can be your best marketing ticket. You just need to make sure that you are presenting information, not a hard sell. People usually head to forums to find support and advice, so if you provide that, you can also mention your business when appropriate, or include it in your sig line.
The trick is to be a contributing member of the community. If you think of it in real world terms, a door-to-door salesman is like those who spam the forums, only there to sell. On the other hand, if you get a recommendation from a friend who has given good advice in the past, you`ll be far more likely to buy.
Being that good, helpful friend in forums will help you make the connections necessary to market.
Tags: forums, information, marketing
Posted in Market Research | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
We`ve been talking about link building a lot lately and that`s because it`s so incredibly useful for promoting your website. And all it costs is a little bit of time. Today we`ll look at how forums can be used to create a higher search engine ranking for your business website.
Forums are often spammed and this has become grounds for immediate removal and being banned, so you want to avoid this. How do you make sure that you aren`t spamming a forum? Well, you simply need to use it as best you can.
- Read the rules and take part in discussions.
- Don`t talk non-stop about your business, but go ahead and mention it when the time is right.
- Make sure you understand the rules about putting links in your signature line.
- Be consistent and continue to frequent the forum on a regular basis, as opposed to signing up, advertising your business and never going back.
- Make friends. Offer advice and help to those who are asking questions and build up a network.
Treat forums with respect and be sure to offer useful information and take part in the community. They`ll quickly come to accept you and that`s when you`ll have the most success with your link building.
Tags: forums, link building, links
Posted in link building | No Comments »
Friday, September 19th, 2008
There are some people who show up in forums and blast out their links all over the place and then vanish as quickly as they came. Needless to say, this method isn`t terribly effective. In fact, these forum posts are a good example of how NOT to do your link building.
Effective link building is possible in forums, but it takes tact and the building up of a community. You can`t just barge into someone`s space and start telling them what to buy and then rush out again, without participating in an actual conversation. It`s rude and most forums don`t allow this.
So, how do you go about link building with forums in an effective way?
Get involved in conversations. Answer some questions and ask a few yourself. Re-visit the same discussions. People will get to know you and will respect your opinion after a while.
Use links appropriately. Dropping unrelated links or just cramming all your URLs into your signature isn`t good form. Use links where appropriate and if you have more than one, limit your signature to one or two of your best.
Stick to the best forums. You`ll end up with better contacts and back links if you avoid the spammy forums. It will also help boost your reputation when you are associated with the best.
Link building is a process that takes time to do it right. Be patient and you`ll be amazed at how far you can go.
Tags: forums, link building, links
Posted in link building | 2 Comments »
Friday, April 4th, 2008
Did you realize that online networking can be a very powerful method of boosting your business? The internet opens up a whole new world of possibilities. You can talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, for free on forums. Forums are a great place to build community, as well and this makes them even more effective for business networking.
Networking via forums isn´t just about dropping in, splashing your business announcement all around and then never coming back. That seldom works and you´ll find that most people will ignore you, though you may even have your spammy posts removed from the boards.
The best way to get noticed on the forums is to participate in the community. You´ll want to answer other people´s questions and ask your own from time to time. Many forums have a counter to let you know how many comments you´ve posted and if you start talking about your business before you have more than 10 posts, people will tend to assume you are just there for advertising purposes.
Filling in your profile and adding a photo will really help give you more credibility. So will using a decent user name. If your business is called Jungle Vet Supplies and you use it as your user name, it will look like you are there to sell. However, that doesn´t mean you can´t use a form of your business name. In this case, you could use Jungle Vet and leave off the “Supplies”. That way, you will still be associated with part of your business name, but not automatically avoided like a spammer.
Taking part in discussions and making useful contributions is vital in online networking through forums. Most participants will be quite protective of their community and you could end up booted out if you aren´t careful. Online networking can be a valuable resource, so treat it like one and participate actively in several relevant forums to gain publicity.
Tags: forums, networking
Posted in Networking for Small Business | No Comments »
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