Related to yesterday’s post, here’s the best way to generate traffic using online forums.
- Find the right forum for your niche. You’re looking for a match in both personality and subject matter. Remember, you’re looking for a subject that attracts your desired customers or readers, not necessarily the one that appeals the most to you.
- Somewhere on that forum, there’s a spot for newbies and others to post questions and ask for help. These are often clueless questions. The same questions are typically repeated by different people daily. Spend a day or two just reading them, then take all the time you need to become expert at answering the most common questions completely and patiently.
- Create a signature file that piques interest and points to a benefit to your potential reader. Don’t make it too salesy. Add a link to your site. For example, I have a sig on one forum that reads: Think ethical marketing is a contradiction in terms? Try a little remarkable communication.
- Log in every day and answer questions. You can explore other topics too—and you should—but make sure you spend at least ten minutes a day providing useful answers.
"Hmmm," some of you are saying. "This sounds like a lot of work. I don’t get the get clicks quick part of it.
Go figure.
(Funny how the zeitgeist goes—I’ve had this on my list to write all week. Today’s RSS feed provides another take, tailored more to the blogosphere: Building readership . . . .)
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