How do you use forums effectively for sending traffic to your site?

Hey, what you want to do is offer real advice and answers to questions, but then keep your link in your description somewhere, or your signature. This way its not like "spamming" but you eventually will drive traffic to your site.

I hope that helped,
Roman Rondiak

If you try to put a link in your post, in my view it looks even more like spam, as you have to find a very specific thread where you can place a link to your site, especially if you're an Amazon affiliate. Forum moderators probably hate that, or I maybe I'm wrong...

I treied registering with 5 forums today all in the cooking niche with good traffic, but either they don't allow signatures or they don't allow links to commercial sites which advertise products

What you don't want to do is register today on a bunch of cooking forums and then start promoting your stuff.

Take it easy. Wait a few weeks, maybe 2 weeks, and then start placing the links in your profile. If you can, also in the signature.

Talking about signatures, "cloak" your links, try quiet colors, not the blue standard link color.

Cheers,
-Ray

Go into the most targeted section of the forum.

Post great articles and answer questions.

Have a link to your website in your signature

Forum Signature Marketing is as bad as Article Directory Marketing.
You are trying to use the forum for something it was not meant to do,
and the results are about as good. (Read: Terrible!)

Worse, many forum owners started their site with the hopes of
making some money for themselves, and if you are using the common
(terrible!) advice of trying to do Forum Signature Marketing in your
"niche" forums, many Admin/Owners are going to feel like you are
their direct competitor.

Think of what the word "Forum" means... It is a meeting place
for people of like mind to come together and discuss things that
are important to them. Imagine for example if you went to your
church and started trying to answer everyone's questions about
religion, and then asked for a donation at the end of every speech!

Or if you went to your local trade association meeting, where the
organizers often make their money through agreed advertising
contracts, and you started trying to market for free. Not only
does it make you look cheap, but it also offends the organizers.

Often times, marketers swamp young and struggling forums
with all sorts of offers and all sorts of things. Junk marketers
with programs like XRumer and it's clones SPAM them to the
point that they hate people who don't share their passion and
are only trying to make money by leeching off their work.

There is a proper way to market in forums, and it begins with
following the rules and paying for advertising when it is
available. Then connect with people and make real friendships
so that you can make recommendations rather than acting
like you need to give your business card to every person you
come across.

Or, keep on trying the methods 99% of the other people who
post in this thread are going to advise you of. (Which they
are attempting to use themselves, LOL). Let me know how
that works out for you, and whether it is a life-changing
experience.

contribute good quality forum information.
check my blog

Amazon affiliate sites can be difficult to link to on forums.

Some forums hate it when you link straight to a selling page. Which is why many people link to a website home page or blog instead.

If it was me, and I seen that in the guidelines I wouldn't bother. You'll start to make a name for yourself on the forum... Then one of the moderators will check out your link and ban you.

Try some other forums. Have a browse around all the forums in your niche and see if there are any other members with websites like yours in their signature link.

Good luck!

- Trevor

An effective signature is a good place to start.

Take note of mine. The simplicity and color has been proven to convert the best.

Buy ads!

Then everyone is happy. If the traffic is of high quality then you will be happy. The forum will be happy by making money off it.

And its fast and works.

I would definitely build some sort of authority on a subject you're promoting before starting to push your products. You want to bring some quality to the forum and most importantly know the subject you're talking about.

I find leads from forums are some of the most targeted leads you can get. Your conversions will go up as well if you're precieved as an authority figure in the particular forum you're getting your leads from as well.

...Gotta give stellar content and help a lot of people out though to become an authority figure.

James Scholes

Hooray for PLR articles used
as posts! So that is how I
should be using forums to
promote my signature link?

:rolleyes:

I'm not sure posting on forums can truly drive a significant amount of traffic to your site, but it will help get some people interested. To truly get traffic you need to rank well and use ppc, otherwise it will be difficult, unless you have a product that no one else offers.

Its not all about traffic with forums. You can really become an authority and expert in your niche if you are active in a popular forum and always give good advice.

Augie

Help others to help yourself. If you post valuable posts in forums then others will be interested to see what you have. Other wise driving traffic from a forum is hard. I guess.