While forums are not used as much as they were 20 years ago, you can still use them to generate exposure to your affiliate offers or network marketing business… if you go about it correctly, that is. In this post, you’ll learn exactly how to generate FREE traffic to your affiliate business or offers in just a few minutes per day. No social media required! We’re going old-school today.

 

Why Use Forums?

If you’re new to forums and just not sure why you should even bother, there are several reasons. Forums are commonly thought of as being “old school” because social media has essentially replaced them. And, if you don’t use the right forums that have certain key qualities, you will likely be wasting your valuable time.

However, there are some key elements to look for when using forums to generate exposure to your network marketing business. I will mention those later. First, why use forums in the first place? Here are a few reasons:

• No cost whatsoever
• Reach a very specific target audience
• Forum threads are picked up in search engines
• Get free advertising for life by utilizing the SIGNATURE LINE section
• Connect with other people in your niche
• Build your online reputation and brand by adding value to threads

 

Key Qualities To Look For When Using Forums for Traffic Generation

Okay, now you should be very selective about the type of forum to use when you’re trying to generate traffic and build your online business. Otherwise, you will end up wasting your time. Here are some very important qualities a forum should have:

Quality #1: It should allow members to promote in a signature line

The signature line is the only place you can legitimately promote in forums. By utilizing your signature line, which is added automatically below each post you contribute, you are basically promoting your affiliate offer, video, blog, or lead magnet in every thread you post in.

See below…

 

Quality #2: It should be in a RELEVENT NICHE

This is really important. You want to only join forums that relate to your niche/industry. If you want to promote your wellness business, do not post in a forum about gardening. You’ll do much better if you contribute to a forum where your target audience is frequenting.

 

Quality #3: It should be an ACTIVE FORUM

The forum you join should have threads that are actively being contributed to on a regular basis. Check the dates on the threads to make sure they are from the past few weeks, as well as the number of people contributing to the threads. If a forum isn’t active, don’t even bother with it.

 

How to Update Your Signature Line In A Forum

These step apply to most forums in general, but may vary a bit:

1. Click on your Profile in the top right corner (has a drop-down arrow next to it)
2. Click My Settings
3. Click Signature from left column
4. Update your signature in the editor box
5. Check the section under My Current Signature to make sure your links work

 

Forum Best Practices

Here are some do’s and don’t when using forums for traffic generation:

• Only promote your links in the SIGNATURE LINE
• Never spam the threads with your links
• Contribute valuable insights and info in the threads
• Be mindful of what you post in the threads as you cannot remove them (this isn’t a blog)
• Contribute on a regular basis
• Use relevant keywords within your posts to help with organic search engine traffic

 

Forum Resources

Here are some resources to help you out:

• Top 12 Most Famous Forums
• Top 5 Chats and Forums Websites In The World
• To find forums in your niche, do a quick Google search for “[your niche] + forums”

 

Conclusion

I hope you find this post on how to generate free exposure to your affiliate offers, blog, or YouTube channel using forums useful! You can potentially get thousands of views on your signature line link long after you post on a forum. If you have any suggestions or experiences using forums for traffic generation, please comment below.

 

Like this post? Check these out…

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