Email #18: Talk About It On The Forums...

Dear <firstname> ,
Recently, forum marketing has been touted
as a kind of free, organic, viral marketing. 
But because so many marketers go into forums 
purely with the intention of marketing products
or services, their actions and attitude unwittingly
causes the exact opposite of the desired effect.

Forums aren’t marketplaces but when used as such,
the marketers’ actions become offensive and will
only inspire the wrath of fellow members and 
marketers, not to mention moderators who can ban 
them from the site.

In order to be effective, this kind of marketing carries
a certain degree of commitment, responsibility and 
respect. The first requirement is to take a personal 
interest in the main topic of the forum.

Not only does that mean visiting it regularly, but it 
also means developing a good relationship with both 
other members and the moderators, as well as taking
 an active interest in helping others.

Of course, it also means abiding by and all rules that 
exist. By doing this, one can develop a reputation and, 
since it is human nature to work with a trusted colleague, 
business will naturally develop from this.

This type of marketing has already suffered some abuse 
and because of this, many forums have recently developed 
stringent rules designed to protect their members from
abusive or overly-aggressive marketing tactics.

Marketers must respect that the purpose of a forum is to 
be a platform to exchange ideas on a given topic. By 
focusing on the topic and posting questions and answers,
a marketer’s reputation will grow and this creates the
potential for sales naturally. 

To your successful viral campaigns,

“Your Name”
“Your Website Link”
