The Unwritten Rules of Advertising on Forums

 There are thousands of newsgroups and forums online.
They provide a fascinating and useful insight into the
minds and methods of others who share our interests.
They also act as an amazing resource for finding out
almost anything you need to know.

Want your website critiqued? Ask at a forum.
Want to know how to salvage Outlook? Ask at a forum.
Want to know if a particular book is worth buying? Ask
at a forum.

Almost anything is fair game - providing it is
reasonably on topic. And dropping in to forums is a
great way for newcomers to a field to rub shoulders
with the old hands.

This openness leads to a temptation that is repeated
over and over again. "Ah," many people think, "a highly
targeted market! I must post an ad for my site and
watch them beat my door down to buy my wares."

Wrong. That is the fastest way to oblivion.

Forums are not advertising notice boards. They are not
like the pin board in the kitchen that anyone can put
up a 'for sale' ad on.

Forums are much more like the coffee machine or the
water cooler. People hang out, swap ideas, chat for a
while. They don't want someone popping up every five
minutes trying to sell them something. They are trying
to chill out.

That is the warning. But like all warnings, it has a
caveat: there are ways to get your advertising message
across - if you follow the unwritten rules.

So I figured I'd write those unwritten rules down.

The key to 'advertising' on forums and newsgroups is
not to.

As soon as you put up a post that even looks remotely
like an ad, you will usually either be removed by a
moderator or flamed by incensed members. Quite right.
They didn't ask for your commercial break and they
certainly don't appreciate your intrusion.

Then, the worst thing of all happens: your reputation
is shot. Anyone in business should have a mind to the
long term. It is pointless to try to make money from
one promotion - the real value of marketing is repeat
business. Spam the boards and forums and you will
quickly find that the word spreads. Nobody will want to
do business with you.

It isn't just buyers you will put off. The most
successful people online harness the power of joint
ventures - doing a deal with another marketer to sell
your product for a commission. If you become known as a
spammer, joint ventures will be a closed avenue for
you. Nobody will touch you.

But don't despair. There is a solution. It is to take a
softly, softly approach.

First, read every post on your target boards. Look out
for recurring themes as they will often guide you to
areas you can research. Many an info product has been
born from questions raised on forums.

Next, whenever there is a question or comment that you
can add to - do so. Answer questions generously and
without trying to push any product or service.

If the board allows it (and it is vital to check the
'rules'), put a very short link to your site in your
signature line. But on no account mention it in your
message.

For example, I might sign myself off like this:

Martin Avis
www.BizE-zine.com - Free Business Insights Every Friday

Every once in a while ask a relevant question. And
always graciously thank anyone who answers you, even if
you don't agree with them. That way you are not just
being polite, but you are also doubling your postings.
Never, ever enter into an argument over someone's reply
to you - however rude they may seem.

Over time, you will become a known member of the board.
People will appreciate your input and you will become
an accepted member.

When that time comes, you can begin to occasionally
mention your service or product in posts, providing the
relevancy is absolutely clear. But only those.

This way, the boards will become an excellent marketing
medium for you.

Any other way and you will get nowhere.

If this all sounds in any way cynical, I guess it is.
But it is based on the real, hard reality of Internet
etiquette: 'People do business with people they like'.
Add 'trust' to that and you see the whole picture.

About the Author

Martin Avis is a management and training consultant.
His free weekly newsletter, BizE-zine, is packed with
articles, interviews and quotes to help you be the best
in business or Internet marketing.
mailto:subscribe5@BizE-zine.com or visit his
information-packed website at http://www.BizE-zine.com

 Martin Avis

More Articles 

The Era of Internet Advertising in the Market - Jay Peterson
The Internet is an interactive and versatile platform and offers rich consumer usage data. Internet users consider internet advertising to be the most relevant ad format. The internet evolved as a medium for marketing and advertising since 1994....

TRACKING YOUR ADVERTISING - David Seitz
When I run an advert in an ezine, print or the web I use a simple little log trick to keep track of how effective each run is. Let's say you are placing an add for your home page www.yourname.com. Instead of just using your home page address use...

Beyond Scientific Advertising - John Colanzi
Scientific Advertising. Sounds so professional. Maybe I can be another Einstein. Move closer, I want to tell you a secret. I'm not a scientific marketer. Why? Because I don't like limiting myself to one side of my brain. I'm not good at filling...

How To Get Free Advertising By Giving Away Online Content - Adrian Kennelly
Giving away content is a powerful way to get free advertising. For example, give other people permission to use your article on their web site or in their e-zine. The resource box at the end of your article acts as an ad. In return, you get free...

Pay Per Click Advertising And Marketing - Greg Lietz
When I think of Pay Per Click, I think of a marketing strategy that has two different sides - one where you pay for published ads and one where you get paid for publishing ads. Somebody is always paying for the click, whether it is you clicking...

Discover 7 Powerful Ways To Grab Free Advertising - Shahnaz Rauf
Make a search on MSN for the word "directories" and it turns up a list over 27261 long - and some of the excellent submission list sites are not even listed here. Now come on do your math...If you could get your site mentioned in just 1000 of these...

An Exercise in Advertising - LeAnn R Ralph
An Exercise in Advertising by LeAnn R. Ralph copyright: LeAnn R. Ralph 2006 I recently read an article about writing "ad copy" for your website. According to the author of the article, to achieve maximum success and to generate sales beyond...

5 Common Advertising Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid - Bob Leduc
5 COMMON ADVERTISING MISTAKES YOU CAN EASILY AVOID Copyright 2002 Bob Leduc These 5 common advertising mistakes cause you to lose sales. But you can easily avoid these mistakes once you become aware of them. 1. STOP AND GO ADVERTISING Many...

Understanding Internet Banner Advertising - Henry J Fasthoff IV
Banner advertising is an effective way of getting your advertising message seen on the Internet. Banner ads should not be your only online form of advertising, but they are an essential part of your online advertising mix. This article assumes that...

Advertising Do's and Don'ts - Jeremy Gislason
As you begin marketing and promoting your online business you are going to run into some unbelievable advertising opportunities. Generally speaking if the ad offering sounds too good to be true--It is. There are companies that will tell you...