Forum Marketing 

Forums are a great hunting grounds for internet marketers and are often overlooked by many new marketers.  Internet forums are arenas for discussion whereby members post messages to be read by others.  Unlike chat rooms where all of the users are communicating with each other at the same time, forum members post their information that is then read later by other members of the forum.

Internet forums are not only places for you to promote your business and your products, but they are also a great arena to indulge your "social" nature and let others know that you are an expert in your niche. 

???  Where To Find Forums And How To Join ???

There are internet forums for almost any topic. It's important that you search for and  join forums that are popular with your customers and your niches.   To find a forum in your niche just do a Google search for "niche-name+forum".  For example, if your niche is video games type in "video game forums" in the search box.  

While you may find many forums in your niche, it's important that you spend some time going to each one of them and assessing them to make sure they are worthwhile forums.  The ones that will be worth your time and effort are those that have larger active memberships.  In addition you should make sure that the posts in the forums have a reasonable amount of replies or responses to them and that have a significant amount of activity in the last 24 hours.  If a forum isn't active, your posts may never be read and you may be spinning your wheels and wasting your time. 

Another thing to look for in a good forum is that it has rules that are firmly enforced and that you must register to join the forum.  Both the behavior and the tone of discussion will be of a much higher level than that of an anonymous forum that does not require registration.  Forums that do not require registration can be full of spammers and "scammers" so it is best to avoid these. 

In addition try to find forums that DO NOT allow advertising.  You'll find that there is much less competition in those forums that don't accept advertising and you will get your best responses from a membership forum where there is a significant amount of interaction among the members and they don't come in to just post an ad and then leave. 

Once you've decided which forums to join you may need to wait until the forum administrator or monitor approves your application before you can start reading and making posts.   Upon approval you should set up your profile information which usually includes a short bio about yourself along with an inclusion of a photo or "avatar".  Your bio should include information about who you are, your interests and what types of things you promote on the internet.  The photo or avatar you chose will appear will every post you make, so it's a good idea to take some time and chose one that members will associate well with you and recognize every time you make a post. 

Forum Etiquette

There is a right way and a wrong way to interact and promote yourself in the forums, and you need to be aware of them.   You need to remember that forums are not a place to try and "sell" yourself or your products.  They are a place where people are gathering to chat and exchange free information...they are not there to be SOLD!  You don't want to start off by annoying and offending other members so sit tight with your exchange of information.  Make sure to use the proper "netiquette" when you're in the forums. 

The first thing you should do when you join any forum is to spend some time reading through the posts and understanding the format of the forum.  Learn who the key forum members are and what they are posting.  Stay back in the shadows for awhile until you get a good understanding of what types of posts the members are making.  Once you get a feel for the site you can start posting your own opinions and advice.

You need to be aware that most forums are built on "threads".  Threads are separate conversations made by members that are not written in response to a previous post.   If you are responding to a previous post in a forum, then respond in that particular thread and do not start a new thread.

Most forums have administrators or monitors that control the content of the posts and have the ability to either edit, delete or otherwise move a particular post into the appropriate thread.  Many times the monitors are the members of the forum.  It is a good idea to read all of the posting rules and keep your posts within the appropriate threads so as not to upset the other members and the monitors of the forum.  It is always to your benefit to follow the accepted model of the particular forum that you join.

Every forum is different so what may be considered humorous in one forum could be considered offensive in another forum.  Pay attention to how the members are posting and what the regulars are saying.  What types of questions are being asked and what types of responses are being given?  Don't post the same question that has already been asked and answered in another thread.  If you have a question about something, try and do a search on the forum to see if that question has already been answered in a previous post.

Do Not make multiple posts with the same content.  This is a major faux pas in internet forums and frowned upon highly.  Many users will post versions of an earlier post that are only slightly different which artificially inflates the user's post count.  It can also be used as a method of spreading forum spam whereby the user is sending the same post to several forums.  Most forums do allow editing of posts so if you need to change a previous post you can, instead of creating multiple posts with the same content.   Also, don't try and respond to your own posts all the time to "bump" them to the top.  It is acceptable to "bump" your post occasionally if you need a quick answer to a question and your post has dropped off the pages, but don't make it a habit.   People will notice you are bumping and ignore your posts and questions in the future.
Cursing and rude behavior may be tolerated in some forums but not in others, so pay attention to the language and mood of the forum.  In addition some forums may encourage sexually explicit content whereas others will prohibit it.  Get to know the forum and their rules. 
MOST IMPORTANT of all is to not post blatant "buy my products" ads in the forums.  This will only enrage the other members and you will lose all respect in the community.  It's okay to LEGITIMATELY ask for help with a website problem by asking members to please visit your website and give you advice, but don't try gimmicky sales tactics to try and get members to your site and DO NOT TRY AND SELL YOUR PRODUCTS!!!

Attach an electronic signature to all of your posts.  A signature file (sometimes                          referred  to as a "sig file" is 3 to 6 lines of text that you can attach to the bottom of            your  forum postings.  Make sure that the signature includes your name and your site           URL and  also a link to something free and informative to the reader.  An example of  a         signature file would be something like:

                  Yours In Success,
                   James Jones
          ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             FREE REPORT: "8 Secrets To Increasing Traffic To Your Website"

             To access your free copy visit http://www.increasetraffictips.com
          -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

             Adding a signature to your posts accomplishes 2 things.  It encourages other
             forum members to visit your site to see what the offer is and it provides an
             additional inbound link pointing to your site for every post you make.

Sell YOURSELF as an expert in your niche with a wealth of information and
        knowledge  to share.   Look for posts that will give you the opportunity to respond        
        with exactly what people are looking for and gain the respect of the forum
        community.  Sit back and wait for legitimate opportunities to share your expertise.

Once you've been a member of a forum for a while and become a regular participant,
        you can invite other members to visit your site if you have something interesting to
        them such as an article that you've added to your site or some special promotion
        such as a holiday special.  Don't try this tactic early on though because it could
        backfire on you, rather wait until the members get to know you and you've earned
        their respect. 

Forums are an extremely effective way to build relationships with others in your niche markets.  They are also a great resource for learning and educating yourself further.   Whatever forums you join will prove beneficial to your business as long as you follow the rules and make the most of the relationships you build with other members of the forums.

If you're new to internet marketing and are looking for an excellent forum,  Wealthy Affiliates has one that I myself belong to.  They are a membership site but it's not just the forum you're joining, it's also the training they provide to anyone new in internet marketing in ANY NICHE!  I highly recommend it as an extremely active forum full of lots of information.  You can check out the Wealthy Affiliate University Forums Here.