Tags: 31GYL, list building

Day 19: Grow Your List With Forum Marketing

So far in the Content Marketing section of our Growing Your List challenge we’ve discussed article marketing, blogging, Web 2.0 sites, and
Social Q&A sites. Today we’ll look at Forum Marketing (and I have a super cool tip for you!) and then tomorrow we’ll wrap up the Content Marketing section with a look at how to best use video…

For Day 19, refer to pages 45-48 in the 31 Day Guide to Growing Your List

Forum Marketing is a proven strategy. Not only is it great for market research and backlinks, but it can really help you build credibility and get exposure in your niche. But if you want to use discussion forums to build your mailing list, you’ll need to use my secret forum signature strategy…

I’m going to keep today’s post short and sweet (geez, that round of applause nearly knocked me off my chair! LOL) and give you the condensed version. I have a feeling most of you are well aware of the ins & outs of forums by now…

Forum Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

• DO use your name when you register on forums.
• DON’T use a keyword as a username.
• DO fill out your profile in detail, including a photo.
• DON’T start threads immediately.
• DO read and respond conversationally to others threads.
• DON’T post & run. Always respond to replies.
• DO find communities you can get involved in long-term.
• DON’T post the same thread/content on multiple forums in your niche.
• DO be courteous and show some manners to fellow members.
• DON’T use a glaring blatant ad in your siggy the first few days.

You can read the Forum Marketing tips on pages 45-48 in the free guide we’re following as well. As always courtesy, common sense and manners trump “tips” every day of the week.

The Super Cool Forum Signature Strategy

This strategy is buried in the ClickNewz archives, but today was the perfect time to pull it out and share it with you again! Click Here and read the post. This strategy will let you track stats (both clicks and subscribers) from different forums so you can see which has the best ROI. And it will convert forum members into subscribers much better than your typical “crappy ad” signature.

Your Task For Today:

Find the active discussion forums in your niche and register. Complete your profile with a photo, an interesting bio, a link if it’s allowed, and some personal info. You want to build credibility and trust – let people get to know you as a *real* person. Most forums require confirmation, so find that email and confirm your registration.

Get to know the forum(s) you chose. Start by searching for the threads with the most views, and the threads with the most replies. Those with high views and no or few replies were obviously subject lines that got attention – but didn’t follow through in the post. Consider which topics appeal most, who the top posters are, and how you can best get involved in the conversations.

Using my sig strategy above, create special landing pages for each forum where you choose to get involved. Create compelling signatures that point to those pages.

Content Tip: Your target market may find these great forums of interest too. Share them on Twitter or Facebook (or even in your newsletter). You can link to your profile on the forum(s), which will help the backlink on your profile page carry more weight with the search engines.

(Gosh, I said I was going to keep it short. I tried – I really did…)

Best,

p.s. Did you know we have a discussion forum right here on ClickNewz?? If you haven’t already, you should register and join us!

Category: Email Marketing

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