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Message_Board_and_Forum_Advertising
| Message Board and Forum Advertising
Message boards and forums are a great way to advertise your
site, service or product for free. However, there are a few
things you should remember when posting. Choose an
appropriate site. I know this really goes without saying
but there are still some that are so enthusiastic about getting
their message to the masses, they post on inappropriate sites.
For example, it would be highly unlikely that you'll find many
interested individuals to purchase your yoga wear on a
motorcycle website. Instead you may want to try exercise sites,
women's sites, parenting sites (mothers do want to get back into
shape after having a child), health and wellness sites....I
think you're getting the idea. Think of who will be using your
product, service or website and go where they are.
Choose the proper board. Always read the
instructions and make sure you're posting only where it's
permitted. A lot of boards state "no advertising" in their
general forum and you must respect their rules. However, most
boards have a place to post your ads. Also, if you are marketing
a website, look for boards that will critique it for you. That's
an excellent way to drive traffic to your site.
Create a profile. Viewers are less likely to
take you seriously is you didn't take the time to complete a
proper profile. List your likes and dislikes, where you're from
and any other personal information you're willing to share.
Remember, people want to deal with people - not with
"salespeople". You are no different than they are, so show them
that. I'm far more likely to follow someone's link if I can
personally relate to them. Use a signature with a
URL link and a tag line. If you use a signature, you can
post anywhere and you're advertising without even doing it (if
you know what I mean). For example, I love gardening and I know
there may be some gardeners that would be interested in IFHB but
it's really not the place to advertise my site. In that case, I
post away about all the details of gardening that I love,
offering advice along the way with my standard signature line
attached: Sincerely, Dawn Roberts http://www.ideas-for-home-businesses.com/<
/span> Helping you secure
your financial future - from
home!Do not spam the
board members! While the 7 exposures rule is true
(generally, a person must be exposed to something seven times
before they will purchase it), it does not mean you should post
seven times in a row. Spamming is crass, irritating, rude and
illegal. It shows a level of immaturity and I, for one, would
never waste my time following up with a spammer. Look at this
scenario and tell me which child you would choose to pay to mow
your lawn (a) a polite child who rings your doorbell, introduces
himself, tells you he's available to mow your lawn and leaves
you with his name and phone number or (b) a child riding his
bicycle up and down in front of your house, screaming "I'll cut
your lawn for five bucks". First impressions do matter.
Relate - don't sell. Avoid the hype at all
costs! Be yourself. Let's say you're marketing a software
program that will save time and money for accountants.
You could use hype: Announcing the one and only
software program you will ever need. This will not only
revolutionize your business, it will give you the time to enjoy
life like you can't imagine! Buy it now before they're all gone.
Don't be the only guy on the block doing things the prehistoric
way. Come into the 21st century and get Accounting For
Accountants while you still can! or you could post
in a manner that others will relate to: As an
accountant there never seemed to be enough time in the day to
attend to all the tasks that demanded my attention. Not only
that, the programs I needed were very expensive and required
hefty annual renewals. Well, I've developed a program that
performs the tasks that once required three programs to do. It's
easy to use and doesn't require annual renewals. Best of all, it
saves me time and we all know - time is money. Visit
"Accounting4Accountants.com" for more
information.Watch your
language. Don't be offensive. Avoid words like; hell,
damn, stupid, idiot, fat... People take offence to those and
many other words and by all means, don't swear. Be respectful
and diplomatic in all your postings. Use the
search engines. Search for your topic plus the
words "message board". If you've developed the next best
adjustable wrench since Vice Grip came on the market, you may
want to search for tools+message+board, mechanic+message+board,
car+message+board... Think of who would use such a tool. Put
yourself in your customer's mind and use the same terminology
the would use. One other thing when searching, don't forget that
people often misspell when they're searching. When people are
looking for an adjustable wrench, more than a handful would
search for "adjustible".
Have fun and relax. Posting on a lot of boards is time consuming
and sometimes a little boring. Take your time with it. A good
post will bring you the customers, clients and visitors you're
looking for at a cost we all love - FREE!
About the author:
The author, Dawn Roberts, is the creator of
www.Ideas-For-Home-Businesses.com - your complete home business
resource. IFHB will help you from the planning stage, straight
through to marketing your ideas for home businesses! Learn how
you can start, maintain and propel a phenomenally successful
home based business!
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