Participation in group forums and discussion boards is one of the easiest ways to promote and brand your company. You put your “online face” out there and interact with diverse groups of people.

By creating a strong online presence, you market yourself as an expert in your field – people will look to you for MORE information and help! Think of forum members as your potential clients and customers.

Step 1 – Research forums in your industry
If you’re a real estate agent, seek out estate-specific forums and online communities. Spend time researching your niche and target markets. Where are your “potential” customers hanging out online? What are the popular online communities in your industry?

Step 2 – Create an account
Most forums are free and it’s easy to set up an account on forums. The key to promoting yourself on forums is your “call to action.”  Attach a link to your site/blog with a strong call to action (you can link URLs in the profile section). Make sure to include links to your sites/blogs in your forum signature.

Step 3 – Participate and answer questions
Actively participate in the board and answer appropriate questions. Stick to your field of expertise. Keep answers short and professional. Invite forum members to your site to learn more information. Don’t provide TOO much information in your reply posts. You want to “lure” forum members to your site with just enough information. Always remember to be courteous and respectful of other members when replying to posts/answering questions.

Step 4 – Keep them coming back for MORE
Make sure that you always have compelling, VALUABLE copy on your site. You want visitors to register for more updates and want them to check out your site on a regular basis. It won’t help to “hook” them and reel them to your site if you don’t have compelling information that doesn’t interest them.

Forum Marketing Tips
•    Target message boards that have over 1,000 members and 10,000 posts – you want to participate in an ACTIVE site.  Steer clear of sites with low traffic and inactivity.

•    Stay away from boards that are “spam-heavy”

•    Avoid forums that are run by your competition

•    Read user agreements and policies carefully. Pay attention to spam rules on forums. Be courteous and follow the forum’s rules.

•    Choose a user name and avatar that brands your company name. If it’s allowed, add your company logo as your avatar (avatars are images that show up next to your name on forums)

•    Write a dynamic profile – The profile section is where you add your bio and company information (and links). Make yourself stand out and remember to add your picture.

•    Always introduce yourself – After you sign up on a forum, introduce yourself in the “Introduction/Get to Know You” sections

•    Spend time “lurking” on forums – Learn the culture of the board by lurking and reading other members’ posts and topics. This is the best way to figure out who are the “players” on the board – popular members, who posts daily, etc.

•    Avoid drama – Remain professional and don’t get sucked into the politics and drama of forums.  Remember you represent your company!

You just set up your brand new forum on vBulletin and you’re ready to take the online community by storm. So you have the forum ready to go, but where’s the traffic and members? A successful online community doesn’t happen overnight.

Your company can be on the online community map in no time IF you have powerful tools to build successful forums.

• Build FAST! – No one wants to sign up for a forum that only has four members. You need to build your community FAST. Don’t launch marketing campaigns one-by-one – blast them out ALL at once and watch your membership GROW!

• Choose ONE NICHE – Hone into a specific niche. Don’t choose broad niches such as “real estate agents.” You need a way for people to identify with your community. “Los Angeles real estate agents who sell to Hollywood celebrities” will reach more members compared to just “real estate agents.” By focusing on a specific niche, it’ll be easier to build your forum over time.

• Make it EASY and CREATIVE for members to spread the word! – Offer freebies and giveaways for people who sign up the most members. This will get people’s attention fast and grow your community quickly. Be creative – don’t use the same email marketing gimmick everyone else uses. When people send invitations to five friends to sign up for your community, you won’t get far with “Please sign up to XYZ Forum.” Think outside the box: “John Doe answered the question – what’s so great about Sally Smith? Check out his answer today!

• Keep it SIMPLE – Don’t clutter your site with unnecessary words and jargon. The fastest way to lose members (or potential members) is to have a site that’s not easy to navigate.

• Add FACEBOOK – Facebook is the fastest-growing and hottest social networking site online. You are missing the social media boat if you ignore incorporating Facebook into your community. There are over 100 million users on Facebook – potential members for your site! Add viral applications that imports Facebook contacts so people spread the word quickly about your site.

• Attract POPULAR PEOPLE FIRST – Attract the leaders to your forum and the rest will follow! So how do you find those leaders? Think back to your high school days. The football players and cheerleaders were popular and drew the crowds. Use that type of strategy when you attract leaders to your forum. Invite college alumni star football players (maybe they went pro?) – for X amount of sign ups, offer a big party with free food featuring alumni football players.  FREE food offers will spread like wildfire and people will follow “star” ringleaders!

• MODERATE your community – If your forum is jam-packed with spam, junk mail, and product promotions you will TURN OFF potential members. Take an active moderation role – stay on top of user requests, clean up abuses and keep forum topics on track.

• SHOW ME THE MONEY! – If your forum isn’t making money, then you are merely dabbing with a “hobby”. If you are serious about making a profit, look into monetization programs. Work with companies to offer targeted products and services that  members will buy (and love!) Make your forum work for YOU!

• Be ACTIVE – Don’t allow your community to become idle—a BIG mistake! Encourage activity and generate interest through contests that appeal to your niche. If you are appealing to college alumni football players, maybe an alumni beer mug or a picture with a bikini-clad model wearing their old football jersey might peak their interest. Find out what your niche wants and speak their language. WOW them constantly -  you want them to come back for MORE and participate in your community!