Forum advertising features strongly in the advertising strategies of many online marketing companies because it’s an effective way to engage audiences in conversation, learn about the industry, and acquire relevant web traffic.
In this post, the 360 team has assembled 3 simple forum advertising tips to help you maximize the impact of this web marketing tactic.
- Use forums to understand your business and industry. Despite what some online marketing companies will tell you, forums aren’t just advertising facades. While many online marketing companies will clutter forum discussions with spammy advertisements, that doesn’t invalidate the wisdom shared by real users. Forums are a great source of free information that should be taken advantage of in your journey as a lifetime learner. Whether you plan on using forums for your marketing or not, it’s in your best interest to peruse your favourites once per week for any important information. Not only will you pick up the odd tidbit about your industry, but you’ll get an intimate look at the forum marketing strategies being used by your competitors. Take note of what forum users are responding to, and what they’re condemning as unhelpful spam posts.
Additionally, you should be self-reflexive as you browse the forums, noting your own user behaviours and “role playing” as a potential client. What thread titles do you find attractive? What kinds of questions do you find most interesting and helpful? How do you like to see a post written: conversationally or formally? Use these thoughts to inform your own forum strategy down the line. - Use forums to ask questions. One of the main functions of a forum is to provide a place for Q-and-A. Use this to your advantage. Outside of its business marketing potential, this builds off of the previous point. Don’t feel as though you have to wait until the day you stumble across the answer you were seeking: if nobody is talking about the business questions you want answered, you should pose them yourself.
Of course, asking questions also sets up excellent forum marketing opportunities. Some online marketing companies prefer to register multiple accounts to forums so that they can interact with each other. For example, one account poses a question about where to find affordable online marketing companies. After letting the thread marinate for a few days, the marketing team signs in with another account and replies to their own thread, suggesting that they try out Company X. - Use forums to build a brand reputation. Not all online marketing companies will feel comfortable dropping brazen links to their website in forums. It’s not always the best strategy, either. Sometimes, it’s better to build a positive association with your brand in the minds of forum users.
To give you an example, online marketing companies may register on SEO forums, and instead of pumping out promotional links to their landing pages, they’ll simply be as helpful as possible. This account will feature prominent company logos in the avatar and website URLs in the forum signature, but will not advertise much beyond this. Your only job with this strategy is to answer questions, be polite, and rack up as many thank-yous as possible. You’ll generate some traffic by way of curious users clicking on your signature site links, but more importantly, you’ll build a positive brand reputation as a helpful, knowledge, and authoritative business in your field.
That’s all for now. You can learn more about 360’s organic marketing programs by visiting https://www.360businesslocal.com/services/organic-marketing-programs/ today, or by calling (416)-619-7935 for more information.