How to Market on Forums and Message Boards Without Upsetting Anyone

Believe it or not, you can market on forums and message boards without pissing anyone off. In fact, not only can you market this way, you SHOULD market this way, and I'll tell you why later in this article. But for now, I'd like to point out that the reason I'm writing this article is because someone on an affiliate forum that I frequent got kicked out of an affiliate program for spamming a message board community. He'd posted his opinion of the affiliate product in the "personal opinions" section of the board, and the moderator of the community reported him to the merchant, who then kicked him out of the affiliate program.

There's a big difference between expressing your opinion and marketing a product. Often the difference can be discerned as easily as discerning the tracking code in an affiliate URL for a product. I moderate at several forums online, and I despise dealing with spammers who think it's okay to blatantly market to my readers without contributing anything of value to my community. So here are my rules for marketing on forums without pissing anyone off.

1- Participate in a forum that allows links to your website in your signature. If the discussion board doesn't allow links in your signature, go find one that does.

2- PARTICIPATE in the forum. Ask pertinent questions. Make pithy observations. Answer others' questions if you know the correct answers. Try to post something daily, maybe more often. Just be sure that you're not just participating to get your link in front of people; participate in the forum in order to add value to the members' experiences there. The rewards in terms of higher click-through's and conversions are well worth it.

3- Include a link to your website in your signature file in a normal sized font.

That's it. That's all there is to it. How does this help your marketing? Well, you should be participating in forums at least partially related or of interest to the people who hang out in a forum. So some of them will click on your signature link just out of interest. And, if you post intelligently and often, you will gradually become recognized as an expert in that area. And that will make you more attractive. You'll begin to get link exchange requests, links, and requests for help from indviduals on the forums. This is when you know your strategy is working.

Marketing on forums and message boards isn't for the faint of heart, or for the lazy spammer. But if you're willing to make appropriate effort, you'll get appropriate returns.

The author is a full time affiliate webmaster who manages and promotes several sites in several industries. You can read more about his exploits at his Affiliate Marketing Programs Blog and see an example of one of his sites at Major Millions Jackpot

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Forums Information:

Related Articles

Forum Signatures to Build Back Links - Helping Your Search Rankings
Building Backlinks! There are several ways to build backlinks. We have discussed Directory Submissions, Article Submission, & Press Releases.
Get Traffic & Sales Using Discussion Forums
Message boards, discussion forums and newsgroups can all produce very profitable results for you and your business. Most of us already participate in one or more of these and the more you participate the bigger the benefits to you and your website will be.
Using Forums To Network Successfully
According to one of the entries found at dictionary.com the definition of the word network is as follows: Something resembling an openwork fabric or structure in form or concept, especially: An extended group of people with similar interests or concerns who interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support.
How to Build a Forum That Doesnt Fall Apart Two Months Later, Part 1
If you can get a big enough following from customer lists and newsletters you might want to start your own forum. But I always see people trying to start a forum and it falls flat on their face, mainly because they make it too big and they never promote it.
Five Tips to Launching a Successful Message Forum
Forums a.k.
Should You Add A Forum To Your Site?
I was recently reading a message board thread on a popular SEO site and the question came up whether this particular person should add a forum to his site. I appreciated the honest answers from those who replied and I mulled over several points myself that I thought would be beneficial.
Join A Songwriting Forum - Its A Good Idea!
If you are a songwriter looking to get "plugged-in" to where the action is, consider joining a songwriting forum. This is a great way to meet other songwriters, share your ideas, promote your songs and/or lyrics, find resources and much more! As the Good Book says:"iron sharpens iron," which simply means that we grow and learn from the exchange of new ideas with others.
Reward Your Forum Moderators
If you are a forum administrator and you have moderators on your site who are doing a stellar job, consider rewarding them for their assistance. No, I am not necessarily talking about financial compensation, but other recognizable forms of showing your gratefulness.
How To Maximize Your Profits With Forums
Forums are one of the most effective free internet marketing strategies if done correctly. Many people participate in online forums for different reasons.
Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists? (Part Three)
Why Do People Start Writing Discussion Lists? Angela Gillaspie, who owns Southern Angel, says she created her list for a very simple reason. "I started the list because there were so many folks that wanted to read my writing, and I had a hard time remembering everyone's addresses.
Using Forums to Promote Your Business
When is work not really work? When it's fun!Using online forums, also called message boards, can be a fun way to promote your business in a low key way.Benefits:You cultivate relationships with othersYou learn about all kinds of topicsYour marketing message is presented without screaming advertisementBy answering questions related to your topic, you are positioned as an expert in your fieldHow to Use a Forum for Promotion:First, find a forum that is of interest to you and frequented by people in your target market.
Some Quick Tips to Easily Improve the Success of Your Forum!
It is difficult to define a 'successful forum'. However, all forums deal with information and so the amount of information that is transferred across a forum is an indication of its success.
Seven Must Follow Rules While Participating In Message Boards
Participating in message boards (forums) discussions is a great way of self promotion. It costs you nothing.
Forums: How DO You Get People to Post!?
Running a web forum is no easy task. If you own one, you know how labor-intensive it is.
6 Forum Management Essentials
If you are tasked with managing a forum, congratulations to you. If you find yourself weighed down by mundane management tasks, you are not alone.
How to Sell Your Product on the Forums?
1. Your signature file:Most of the forums allow you to carry a 4 - 6 lines of signature files with your name.
Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists For Writers? (Part One)
Are they really free? Are they actually helpful? Why do writers subscribe to these lists? Why do people start lists for writers? While there's no definite answers to any of those questions, I can share some opinions of other writers, who have participated in discussion lists, and links to websites with more information so you can make your own decision! First let's start with the basics. An email discussion list is not the same as an ezine, an email newsletter or an announcement list.
Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists for Writers? (Part Two)
What Are the Advantages and/or Drawbacks of Subscribing to Discussion Lists? "I learn a lot about publishing houses, editors, etc., and we're like one big happy family," says Dotti Enderle, who belongs to several lists - the biggest being the Children's Writers List.
Promoting in Online Forums
Forums can be a useful tool if you`re doing business online. You can learn a lot by reading the content and actively taking part in the discussions.
The Demise of EZBoard
For years, EZBoard was a community that offered relatively cheap and easy to maintain forums for managers. Virtually anyone could register, design, and layout a site and invite their friends to participate.