Do you make sales from posting on here?

20 replies
Hey everybody. I was just looking through some topics on here and noticed that some people either don't have a signature or it just seems like they don't really get much results from them. I understand that it is a personal preference whether you want to have a signature or not, because they really don't help with SEO or anything anyways. For those that do have a signature, myself included, I have noticed that I will get a little traffic from posting but have never really made any sales from them. Is it just a matter of what you have to offer to other people and the advice that you give them or is it just tough to make sales online because of all of the competition out there, economy, etc. I use to spend hours posting on here, in order to find out the best ways to make money online and feel like I have learned quite a bit in all of the time that I have put into them.

It may just be me and maybe I'm just down at the moment about the over 8 months of hard work that I have already put into my blog so far but what kind of results do you get? I keep telling myself that it takes time to succeed and I also realize that the 1st year of having a blog is always the toughest part. There has been so much that has happened to me this year anyways and I kind of feel like this is the hardest thing that I've ever tried to accomplish literally. There are no guarantees of succeeding and I only wish I could be part of the 1% that can accomplish this. Hopefully I can get some good advice about where to go from here and a little direction about what else to do now
#make #posting #sales
  • Profile picture of the author fpforum
    It does take time..allot of time. Hard work too. You just need to stay positive and keep pushing.

    You're right that signature links on most forums are nofollow so they really don't do much SEO wise. For some people, they might not have signature links because their websites aren't really related to the topics of this forum. If I run a network of weight loss sites then it probably doesn't do much good to have them in my signature at an internet marketing forum, lol.

    I'm the same as you, traffic does come into signature links every now and then, and occasionally you'll get a sale or bite from them. For the most part, it comes down to how relevant your product is and if the people clicking are actually interested or just browsing/wasting time (that's why allot of people come to forums anyways!) Keep in mind, as your post count grows you will probably see more traffic from it. The people on this board with 10k, 12k+ posts probably get a pretty steady flow of daily traffic from here. Although, can't really say how well it converts for them. Once again, I guess it all comes down to what they're advertising
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  • Profile picture of the author sirtiman
    Even I have some sales, but I like to get lead to join my list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fingertips
    You probably know this already from the sound of your post, but if people come on to Forums to try and make sales they will very likely fail.

    This is not the place in my mind to try and peddle your wares. There are places for this but not on here.

    The idea of these Forums is to go out and either find information you need, or share information that others are seeking.

    My personal take on it is that you are trying to build KLT with people who are looking for some help. Most people here have been stung at least once by unscrupulous online marketers. They have bought products promising the earth, and earned nothing.

    Do you know that 98% of everybody who tries to earn money online will not earn ONE CENT? fact...

    Online Marketing is exactly the same as offline marketing - apart from the huge accessibility of the internet, and the speed of interaction.

    If you open a high street shop selling pet food, you won't want to sit behind the counter all day waiting for customers. Presumably you will go around telling people about your new store. You will have a pre-launch and invite people over for coffee - discuss their needs and how you can solve them.

    You will ask them if they know anyone else who has pets. You will offer them incentives to bring customers to you (that's the same as Affiliate Marketing)

    I always look for posts on here where I can give people good content and maybe answer their questions. I have a siggy link back to my blog. I change my siggy every few days with eithet a link to my latest blog post, or a free offer I have created - maybe an eBook or a free video.

    I never try to sell directly off my blog either. It's up to people to approach me if they like what they see. My main goal is to help people get started in business without getting hurt.

    Having said all that Yes! Certainly people from here have come and looked at my things and bought them, but not before we have talked at length about what they need and how my stuff can help them.

    Hope that helps
    Richard
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  • Profile picture of the author webstrategistpk
    I do not get a lot of traffic or clicks on signature but I am positive and will stay positive
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  • Profile picture of the author Joan Altz
    You won't get a lot of traffic here, but some members who have built up a lot of clout do, and by the number of posts they make, it's easy to tell that this forum is probably their main source of income.

    Some days I'll have something in my sig and other days nothing. It's definitely not traffic I depend on - not even a little, and thank God. lol

    I post some because I enjoy doing so at times, plus I like following the review threads. Some days I may post 3 to 5 times and other days nothing. I've disappeared for days at a time as well, depends on how busy I am.

    My sigs and a couple of other things I've done here now and then are mainly just a small part of my testing...
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  • Profile picture of the author NeedBucksNow
    Thanks for replying you guys and it means a lot to get some feedback from you all. I have decided to start trying to post everyday as well as add my treasure hunting articles once a week. Hopefully this will also increase the search engine traffic that I get from Google and help me keep in touch with my readers some more as well. Wish me luck
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  • Profile picture of the author deekay
    It depends on what you post and how you interact. I get around 50% conversion to my signature and lots of PM related to other issues.

    So, in nut shell, traffic here is very engaging and high action takers.
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  • Profile picture of the author ksummers
    I don't have a signature because my sites are not related to this forums theme at all, but I have clicked through and bought from people who seemed to know what they were talking about and happened to be selling a service I needed at the time.
    So it does happen but I can only speak for myself.
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    I make LOTS of money on this forum and I gain LOTS of traffic to my website. However, I've been around here a long time and have built a reputation for being one of the best sources for Amazon info and Social Media info.
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  • Profile picture of the author sparrow
    like everything it depends

    some niches have hungrier crowds than others

    sig's give you exposure if anything
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  • Profile picture of the author GarlandBergeron
    Theoretically, yes that's possible but that will suck up your soul every passing day that you are putting yourself into the grind, there are way too many better ways to get sales, just my 2 cents..
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    • Profile picture of the author TerranceCharles
      Yes, I do from time to time, and I'm sure other members as well. But, sometimes when you aggressively go after something, the harder it is to get it. Just interact, let it be natural. If someone likes the information and quality you bring to the forum, it will naturally happen on it's own.

      Don't even worry about making sales with your signature per say as your intent... Just engage, add value to the conversation, keep it genuine and if you can do that - then people will get to know, like, and trust you - and sales will happen on it's own.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rickeydt
    I suggest you strictly focus on delivering valuable content to the community. Also you could have your signature lead to a squeeze page where you capture leads, building your email list and building a relationship with your list then offering quality products that really helps and monetize your list that way.

    You could also lead traffic to a great product and generate income that way, its just that you'll be leaving a lot of future potential customers on the table.
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  • Profile picture of the author Barry Unruh
    I sometimes wonder if it dilutes effectiveness by stacking 3 to 5 links in a signature.

    You laser focus your intent on a sales page, so why wouldn't you with your signature line?
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  • Profile picture of the author Forexmonster
    I get a couple clicks here and there but nothing to crazy. Don't really think its worth spending to much time on it
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Rather than passively posting on the forum, perhaps consider using your posts here as wider publicity for your products or services within your own network. Just make sure your posts are significant contributions to the topics which you are marketing. It may at first require some aggressive publicity tactics through online/offline venues to reach marketable exposure levels.

      For example, for the last 16 years I have been broadcasting references to many of my posts here to my reading audiences through blogs, email, articles, webinars, live online/offline MLM/affiliate training sessions, and offline media such as telephone, seminars, or face-to-face marketing encounters.

      The publicity generated also by the search engines for my user name when associated with the WF (often on all first three pages of Google) continues to directly and tangentially drive sales. Google "myob warrior forum" for an example.
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  • Profile picture of the author EelKat
    No clue. There are 3 links in my sig. One goes to my homepage, but I haven't checked the traffic stats on that in 2 or 3 years so no idea where traffic comes from or what traffic is even like at all. I know last time I checked I was getting 1,000+ visits a day, but they were local and manually typed (which means a result of my business cards and the fact that my URL is painted on the side of my car). I don't so any SEO for my site at all. The site has links to my books on Amazon, but I doubt if anyone on WF is in any way interested in the type of books I write, so I don't think I'd get sales from here.

    SIDENOTE: I live on a beach and drive a rhinestoned car. I park the car on said beach and hand out business cards to everyone who stops and asks about my car. I go through about 500 cards a week. That's why the high rate of local manually typed searches for my site.

    One goes to my Tumblr and I don't think I have access to checking traffic stats for that. Don't know. If I do, I've never done it. No links on that to anything for sale or other wise monetized.

    The third one isn't one of my sites nor am I affiliated with it, it's just a blog post from an author I like and reading it inspires me, so I stuck it in my sig so I could find it again. Brings nothing to me at all.

    I never think of sigs as a way to get sales. I just put a link to my homepage on all my forum accounts, in sort of a "this is me, you can verify it's me, see, here's my website". *shugs*
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  • Profile picture of the author nmwf
    I'm not going to call anyone out in this thread, but people need to remember that Alexa statistics are public. And they contradict what some people are claiming.

    tsk tsk
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    • Profile picture of the author wealthy20
      use your signature link to capture leads. It's annoying to go to a sales page that you have seen a bunch of times rehashed and regurgitated.

      + always offer something for free. What benefit can you give to the person who will click on the link and share with you his personal email address?

      That's what your thought process should be.

      Also when you spend some time giving out helpful answers, and reviewing people's sites on forums... people appreciate that sort of thing, and in kind they do click on your sig link.

      Never expect anything from anyone, and magically that equates to people wanting more from you.

      Also personality and branding is everything in this part of the world. Traffic comes close second.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        Also when you spend some time giving out helpful answers, and reviewing people's sites on forums... people appreciate that sort of thing, and in kind they do click on your sig link.
        It's more than that. If you clearly know what you are talking about when you answer a question, people click on your signature because you have gained CREDIBILITY.

        I've sold a lot of stuff through my sig here in the past - no longer do any work in the MMO niche so no links now. I used to get traction quickly for new websites by putting them in my sig for a few days (my own sites, that is) - didn't hurt that sigs back then were do-follow.

        I think sig rules need to be tightened here. Links to Fiverr and mlm landing pages and all sorts of "not your own website" links are all over the place. In my opinion, sigs should be limited to two lines and 2 links - with the exception of paid graphic sigs.

        What people here seem to miss is that your credibility/reputation here is directly proportional to the activity on your signature sites. If you are clearly knowledgeable and bright - I might click your link to learn more. If you are totally ridiculous and posting just to be seen...I won't bother as I don't want to know more.

        My favorite link today - Eelkat's bedazzled car!
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