Social media marketing (SMM) is all about creating and joining communities, finding like-minded people and sharing thoughts and experiences with them. This very nature of socialization has made SMM a real success. Businesses are largely relying on Web 2.0 marketing techniques like social networking sites, blogs, forums, Wikis and RSS for advertisement. Among different SMM techniques, discussion forums are the most important and effective technique.

Forums are online discussion communities. People participate in different discussion groups on forums related to their interests and industry. Due to the community-type nature of forums, they have become an effective tool for SMM. Forums are preferred because they help users access qualified users, which ultimately helps you to advertise your business to potential customers. A forum is also the perfect place for viral marketing!

Discussion forums are undoubtedly a great marketing strategy. By using them effectively, one can build a good impression of one’s business, attract potential customers and increase ROI. Below are few tips to carry out a successful forum marketing strategy.

Research and find the forums that best suit you.

Whether you want to join a forum for personal use or to promote your business, select the forum that best meets your requirements. Use different search engines to find popular forums related to your niche topic or domain. You can also use hub sites like Board Reader, Big Boards, and Board Tracker to search forums based on related keywords. In his article, “12 Keys to Successful Forum Marketing,” Gregory gives the criteria for choosing a forum. He says:

• Look for forums that have at least 1,000 members and 10,000 posts.
• Make sure the forum gets at least ten to fifteen new posts on a daily basis.
• Ignore forums that are overrun by spam.
• Avoid forums hosted by your direct competitors.

Create a compelling profile.

Your profile on a forum is your first impression to other people. It must be good! Create a clear, comprehensive profile that best describes you and your business. Username, avatar and signature are very important elements of your profile. Create them wisely. Choose a simple and easy to remember user name. If you are using forums for business marketing, use your brand name as your username and brand logo as your avatar. “Most importantly, write a strong signature. This is the text that will appear at the bottom of every post you write, so put some thought into it. Like the signature of an email, your forum signature says who you are. Use your signature to link to your website,” suggests Josh Klein in his article “10 Rules for Driving Traffic Using Forums.”

Read user guidelines carefully and follow the forum rules.

Before registration to any forum, read the user agreement and posting guidelines carefully. These guidelines will not only help you decide whether you should join the forum or not, they will also help you successfully participate in the forum. Gregory describes some important points, which one should consider before joining a forum.

• Are users allowed to place links in their posts?
• Are users allowed to promote their own businesses?
• Are users allowed to post commercial messages in their signatures?
• Are users allowed to contact other members for commercial purposes?
• What restrictions are placed on new users?
• What special privileges are given to veteran users?

Participate in the threads that are related to your knowledge and skills.

The key to success on forums is to write intelligently and correctly. If you write on a topic effectively or help somebody find out the solution to a problem, it leaves a very good impression on others and helps to build your reputation. “By keeping your answers objective, the entire community will start thinking of you as a trusted expert. They will soon start asking you for your recommendations. When you get direct inquiries for recommendations you may then safely mention your business without appearing biased,” suggests Gregory.

Be polite, nice, and neutral.

To be successful on forums, avoid controversies. Remain neutral and get the confidence of others. “If someone disagrees with you, respond with a thoughtful rebuttal, or thank them for their opinion—for example, “it’s always interesting to hear a different take.” If someone attacks you, either thank them as if they’d simply disagreed, or ignore them entirely,” suggests Josh Klein. On the other hand, participate in constructive discussions. Avoid political and religious topics. Use emoticons in your replies to sound friendly and sociable.

References:

Josh Klein. (2008). 10 Rules for Driving Traffic Using Forums. Retrieved Sept. 15^th, 2008 from http://www.sitepoint.com/article/rules-driving-traffic-forums/

Gregory G. 12 Keys to Successful Forum Marketing. Retrieved Sept. 15^th, 2008 http://onlinebusiness.about.com/od/gettingtrafficmarketing/tp/forum-marketing.htm

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