Message Boards

I've been asked by many of you to write more business help posts, so watch for more of a mix of business posts and recipes.

That being said, I wanted to talk about message boards in today's posts. For those who have never participated in message board communities, you are missing a wonderful opportunity to meet others, share information and even pick up new clients.

Message boards are interactive communities on a variety of subjects. I'd like to share a list of message boards that I help moderate on, so you'll find me there daily:

http://athomeresources.com/Message_Board/index.php

http://real-wah-jobs.com/forums.html

http://itsfree.proboards43.com/index.cgi

http://www.freelancemom.com/forum/index.php

http://wahmforums.com/boards/index.php

http://smartmoms.freeforums.org/index.php

and then a few others where I am not a moderator but am an active participant:

http://classychics.freeforums.org/index.php

http://www.mommyshelpercommunity.com/phpBB2/index.php

Finally, I'd like to share a wonderful article written by Tammy Embrich, who owns a message board of her own.

The Basics Of Forum Marketing
By: Tammy Embrich

You've finally created your website and you need ideas to promote it!

But where do you promote your website? How do you promote it?

There are literally tons of marketing ideas out there. But I wanted to focus on the concept of Forum Marketing. There are message forums everywhere. Work at home, home business, webmasters, affiliate programs, and articles...are just a few of the various types of forums out on the Internet today.

So which forums do you promote on?

Well, this will depend on what your website is all about. Is your website about working at home? Is it about a particular home business you are a representative for? Is your website about affiliate programs? You will need to base your marketing around what your website is about.

For example...If your site is basically about "work at home," you will want to join "work at home" forums. Makes sense, doesn't it?

So...you've joined some message forums that relate to your website, what is your next step?

Here is a simple laid-out plan on forum marketing:

1) The first thing you will want to do is find the "Introduction" folder. Make your first post, introducing yourself to the forum members and share a few things about yourself. Important...NO ADS in this post! If you post an ad here, it will most likely get deleted.

2) Browse the forum and get aquainted with the community. Take the time to read through a few threads and get a feel for what the forum is focused on and what it has to offer.

3) Check out the Forum Posting and Signature Rules. On most forums, this is usually located fairly close to the "Introduction" folder. Make for sure you fully understand the rules of the forum and follow them carefully.

4) Post in a few topics that you are interested in or share some advice. Try and make your posts consist of as much quality as you can...not just, "I agree" or "nice post." Forum members usually just scroll by these type of short and sweet messages and don't even bother to find out what YOU have to offer the community...thus, resulting in a complete waste of time on your part.

5) Create your signature. While doing so, make for sure you follow the forum signature rules. A signature is a block of text that displays your name (if you care to share that information), and links to your website or affiliate programs. There is usually a character count limit. Always include your signature in all your future posts. If you are unsure of how to create a signature, click on the FAQ link, (usually found at the top of the forum).

6) Post your ads ONLY in the advertising folder. If you post your ads elsewhere, you run the risk of losing your forum account. ALWAYS read the rules of this section.

7) Get to know the community...have fun and make friends. Share your work at home experiences and any knowledgeable advice or tips. Ask questions on areas you need knowledge or more information about.

The idea here is to establish a good reputation for yourself and gain trust and loyalty from the forum members. You will quickly discover that you will bring in far more traffic to your business or website by doing this rather than spamming ads in the advertising section and not engaging in good quality work at home conversations.

Something that most forum spammers are not aware of...I have found out through forum marketing, most people don't read the advertising section anyway. Most of them are there for searching out knowledgeable marketing techniques and related business resources. So, it is much more beneficial for you if you utilize the message forum for what it is really intended for...NOT for spamming your ads and then leaving.

The forum members will get to know you and grow curious about what your signature links have to offer. The end result...they will be much more inclined to sign up for a business opportunity under you if they grow to trust you by conversing with you on a day to day basis in a friendly forum atmosphere.

This is called "Proper Forum Networking." Give it a try...it works like a charm everytime.

Article written by: Tammy Embrich

Tammy is an Internet Marketer and is the
Owner of: http://www.onestopwebemployment.com/
And Owner of: http://www.real-wah-jobs.com/

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka