The Cheapest, Fastest Way to Advertise on the Internet: Forum Posting

Hello,

Marlon here.

Posting on forums is one of the cheapest and fastest ways in which
you can advertise affiliates products on the Internet; however, in
order to do this successfully, you must do a number of things
carefully. Simply starting a thread that contains an affiliate
link might be a good way to get banned from a particular forum
board, but it will never be a good way to make sales.

The general procedure involves making multiple posts on a forum
board before you even setup a signature file, which includes a
link to your site. Even if the particular forum you are using
does not specifically mandate this, you will want to do this,
anyway, as it will increase your credibility – which is your real
goal.

You can start by finding a number of forums for your particular
niche or marketing angle. You can find massive lists of forums at
the following URL:

http://www.big-boards.com/

The first resource is currently the largest forum directory on the
Internet. The second resource contains less directories, but
includes some that are not listed on Big Boards.

Now, once you have selected a number of directories that match
your specific marketing angle and affiliate product, you will want
to investigate to determine whether or not they have rules
regulating signature files. For instance, some sites do not allow
any links in signature files; others, by contrast, allow links,
but do not allow any commercial links. Make sure you know what
the rules are before you post. Otherwise, you are simply setting
yourself up to be banned from the forum.

Next, take the list of forums you have created – that are both
relevant to your topic and allow commercial links – and begin
developing a reputation on those forums. Post regularly, avoid
meaningless fights and flamming, and contribute useful, on-target
information to discussions. In a matter of 1-2 weeks, you will
have developed a reputation, provided that the forum receives a
considerable amount of traffic.

Once you have developed a good reputation, you will want to begin
advertising through your forum signature. Ideally, you will want
to include some eye-catching assortment of colors, symbols, and
words in your signature. This will draw people’s attention. You
will then want to link them to something other than an affiliate
page – whether it be a page you created to sell an affiliate
product or an autoresponder course used to capture email
addresses.

Remember to repeat this process in all applicable forums. Look for
high traffic forums that allow commercial link posting in
signature files – and that also happen to fit with your specific
audience-targeting and marketing angle goals. Next, create a
reputation. Last, add your signature in some attractive way that
draws visitors’ attention, but is also likely to convert them into
interested clickers. You will find that this form of advertising
pays off considerably – and does so faster than other methods
available.

With the basics covered, there are a number of details you should
take into consideration before you start posting. The following
are two advanced techniques, which could score you additional
points on the forums. Not only will they improve your credibility
as a forum contributor, but they could also drive endless traffic
to some product you’re promoting…

Technique #1: The ‘Real Time Project’ Post

If you want to succeed with a real time project post, you’ll need
to have the dedication to see it through to the end. Additionally,
you’ll need the fortitude to deal with being in the spotlight,
since that’s exactly what creating such a post will do – put you
in the spotlight.

The following is a simple outline for succeeding with a real time
project post:

Step #1: target one forum related to your market and scan it for
hot topics. Find something that everyone is trying to do. If
you’re targeting an Internet marketing forum, for instance, you
might select a topic such as ‘Adsense sites’ or ‘search engine
optimization’ — two things people perpetually struggle with.

Step #2: declare – in a post – that you are going to attempt to
achieve something related to that hot topic. For instance, you
might say: ‘I’m going to build 5 Adsense sites in the next week
using the following steps: x, y, z. I will post every detail –
failures and successes – in this thread.’

Step #3: actually follow through with your claim. If you make
absolutely no money at all, post that. If you made $3, post that.
At least a few times each week, post a full update, treating that
particular thread as if it is your blog.

By the time you finish with your project post, you should have a
lot of people eagerly following along to see whether you failed or
succeeded – and what you did along the way. This is not only a
great way to network, but it will expand your forum audience in
the future. Next time you make a post, you can count on more
people reading it, which will work to your favor if you decide to
make a product pitch.

Technique #2: Post Product Reviews — Fast

This technique is short and straightforward. Whenever there’s a
new product release, be the first person to jump on it. Grab a
copy of it, review it thoroughly, turn that review into a PDF;
and then freely give it away on forums. Ideally, if you can start
to circulate your version of the review on message boards on the
night of the release, you can expect to pick up a lot of
additional affiliate sales.

With that said, be careful to craft a review that thoroughly
engages the plusses and minuses of the new product. Don’t simply
say ‘buy this’; instead, try to be as thoroughly rigorous and
objective in your review as is possible. And, of course, don’t
forget to include your affiliate link to the product at several
points throughout the review!

Best Wishes,

Marlon Sanders