Book Marketing: Incorporating an Effective Linking Program into your Book Marketing Campaign – Posting to Forums
By
V. Michael Santoro
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A forum is a site that allows individuals interested in a niche topic to share ideas, offer help or find a solution to problems. For example, an Internet marketing forum would provide information on keyword research, search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising, traffic generation, or other topics relating to the niche. These topics are organized by category and the posted questions and answers are referred to as “threads.”
Locating Forums
Make sure that the forums are relevant to your niche, and are both current and active. Check the dates for the last postings and ensure that there is regular posting activity. A forum having any PR (Page Rank) value is an added plus. The goal is to join active forums that the search engine spiders visit often to index your posts.
To find forums, go to Google and type in either your “keyword phrase” + “forum” or “keyword phrase” + “forums” – if the return is not satisfactory, then try less specific keyword phrases. The next step is to be sure that the forum allows you to have a signature file and also a link back to your Website. Check the postings that have several replies to the post and see if a signature file with a link is included or check the forum’s guidelines to see if they allow you to have links and to sell products. If links are not allowed, then move on and find those that do support this feature.
Forum Directory
This site categorizes forums and indicates the number of forums per category. As you drill down into each category, forum listings become more niche specific. For example: Computers | Handhelds | Blackberry. You can quickly locate additional forums to evaluate by using this free site.
Forum Etiquette
There are usually strict guidelines that govern the forum, which means the posts are moderated. If you violate the rules, you will usually receive a warning for the first offense. If it occurs again, you will be banned from further posting. Many people join forums trying to sell products to the membership without contributing first. They usually get flamed by the members which isn’t pretty! Others get into “disagreement ego wars” and post unprofessionally. Keep in mind that your posts are public and indexed in the search engines. Contribute the way you would in public - conduct yourself professionally, be helpful, and the benefits will follow.
Some forums require that you make a certain amount of posts before your signature file will be activated. Some do not even allow a signature file. Others allow open solicitation only within a specific category.
The best approach is to read the terms and comply. Begin by introducing yourself and indicate that you look forward to not only contributing, but also learning from the fellow members. Read the posts and you will see who the leaders are; they are usually the members with the most posts and are very knowledgeable. Once you become familiar with the forum, begin contributing by making posts that answer questions. Do not start by asking a question, instead offer something first. If others have posted before you, compliment them. For example, “Bob’s post about ______________ was right on. I’d like to add that________________.” If you disagree with a post, refrain from being blunt, and say instead, “The posts offer some amazing information, great job! Another technique that I’ve had success with is _____________________.”
Another technique is to start a new post and offer something of value. For example, “I just found this awesome Website that offers______________________. It helped me to__________________ and I wanted to share it. Hope you find it as valuable as I did.
After making a few contributing posts, then post a question. You should receive an enthusiastic response and a lot of helpful information, but if you don’t get feedback right away, do not take it personally. Many forum members are also new and inexperienced. The more you know about your niche, the tougher questions you will post.
Signature file
The value of joining niche related forums is that they allow you to post a signature. The signature file is attached to each of your posts and each represents a link back to your Website. If you change your signature file, your previous posts will be updated with the new signature file. The signature file is usually located under your settings or via a control panel. Look for the “edit signature” link.
If the forum does not offer an HTML editor with a link creation tool, then the format to create your anchor text link in the signature file is: [URL=http://www.yourdomain.com]Keyword phrase [/URL] Preview it to be sure it is working prior to posting.
Conclusion
Posting to forums does not have to be a daily activity. Once you find a few appropriate forums, plan to post to them about three times per week. Remember that every post is indexed by Google and will appear in search results for the long tail keyword phrases that you choose. They also provide “link juice” back to your Web pages. With your posting, remember to follow the guidelines, be helpful and offer quality.