Finding Your Customers Online for Free!
Click the play button to listen, or simply scroll below the player to read the article instead.
This text will be replaced by the flash music player.
I am no fisherman, but I will tell you this: if you were interested in going fishing, you would much rather spend your time at a small lake with tons of fish, than in a large lake with the same amount, wouldn’t you?
The same is true with trying to get more business. If you drive down the highway, you might come across countless billboards telling you to sign up for this, or to call for that. It may be appealing to do the same for your company as well. If your industry warrants such advertising, and you have a few thousand dollars a month to throw at it, then by all means, go for it.
“But how?” you may ask.
One way to do this, is Forum marketing. It is very powerful, and ultimately, could cost you nothing but your time. The internet is full of online forums, bulletin boards and chat rooms where people of all interests and needs congregate. Whether you are trying to sell karate lessons, cars or books - there are literally dozens - to thousands - of places on the internet where the people YOU are targeting hang out!
Become the Authority
Once you use your favorite search engine (I use www.google.com ) to find where these people are, the next step would be to join. Keep in mind, however that many forum owners do not take kindly to people who just sign up to try and sell their members something. On the other side of the coin, members do not like to be sold - that is, unless they are ready to buy. People are in search of information on the Internet. If you can establish yourself as the authority through helping answer questions, and being genuinely helpful, your name - and business - has the potential to spread like wild fire in that specific industry. That is exactly where you want to be!
Use your avatar, website address and signature
Virtually all forums allow for users to place an avatar (the little picture on the left that shows up under your username), text in their signature (the area that shows up underneath every post you make) and link to your website (location varies). Use these sections creatively to get people thinking about what you offer! Here is a hint for you if the forum members are only interested in one of your products or services. Consider linking to a specialized page just for that particular audience.
An example: If you sell car parts, but are on an engine building site, consider creating a web page that talks specifically about engine building, and the parts you sell when it comes to engines. The Tanner Creative system allows you to quickly and easily create new web pages like this in minutes - and without the need to know any programming. It would be a good idea to check with your existing webmaster to see if you have this capability as well.
Other notes
Another great thing about forum marketing is that when people run searches, they can see how helpful you have been in the past, and will be able to get to your website. Imagine if you post 1,000 posts over the course of a year in a highly trafficked (100,000 member site) - how many times could your helpful insight (and website) be seen by others?
Let me remind you, that the most important ingredient of your online marketing efforts starts with you. It is imperative that your website be as explosive as possible, to receive the maximum return on investment for your time. You want your website to have that “WOW” factor that everyone talks about. You want it to stand out over your competition. After all, if you spend so much time establishing yourself as the authority in your industry, who is going to really believe what you say if they see that your website looks like it was put together by a third grader?
Tags: bulletin board marketing tips, forum marketing, tanner creative, tanner jones, tannercreative, tannercreative.com, tanners website tips, web site marketing tips, website marketing tips, website tips, www.tannercreative.com
Website Design & Development