Starting again, is forum marketing + youtube + affiliate links a good plan

43 replies
Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

/Challe
#affiliate #forum #good #links #marketing #plan #starting #youtube
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  • Profile picture of the author cheese1688
    Hello, mate. Wow 10 years is a long time, where you worked in these 10 years and what have you bring back?

    Maybe best would be to create a youtube videos first and from youtube drive traffic to your affiliate links.
    I think, if you consistently create videos and put on youtube, you will start getting pretty good traffic from YT itself, i dont think you need to drive the traffic from your posts on forums then to youtube video and finally to affiliate links.

    The plan is good, but as I said, just create YT videos and you will start getting traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    Please read the forum rules - putting links in forum posts here may result in being banned. You can use paid ads, paid sigs, etc.



    The plan above is simple - but not good.
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    • Profile picture of the author guyfromnb
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      Please read the forum rules - putting links in forum posts here may result in being banned. You can use paid ads, paid sigs, etc.



      The plan above is simple - but not good.

      I would be careful too about how I'm using forums, not to go against their rules. A link to your blog or your YouTube channel can be good I guess. But certainly with the goal to push a sale to an affiliate link or stuff like that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Karl Sewon
    Well I think I can generate more forum posts than youtube videos so thats why
    I reasoned like that but I will try to make more of those too. Any other simple advice is appreciated
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

      Well I think I can generate more forum posts than youtube videos so thats why
      I reasoned like that but I will try to make more of those too. Any other simple advice is appreciated

      anyone can create many forum posts but for the most part they will bring very little traffic and the traffic it does bring will probably not convert well.

      You really need to combine everything. Starting with your website and branching out from there. Social media presence, youtube vids, list building, different forms of paid adertising that will fit your budget, the list goes on.

      al
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  • Profile picture of the author Karl Sewon
    and I mean I have been on a 10 year breaks from Internet marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author supershoesclub
    I think keep on doing forum marketing is still a great way to bring traffic, and meanwhile, it will improve site ranking after long time using .Of course, youtube is also great way to get traffic.people like to see the video and if they like it, they will share the youtube link to other friends.
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  • Profile picture of the author superowid
    Just focus on Youtube and share your video on social media actively. Save your time!
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  • Profile picture of the author RuskinF
    Your plan is spot on. That is exactly how I would've done it.
    You could also try running blog to improve your affiliate marketing revenue.
    Cheers.
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  • Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

    Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    /Challe
    As long as the forum you're posting in is related to your YouTube channel, then I would say this is a viable strategy. If you provide real value in your forum posts that actually helps people, then they will be more inclined to look at your sig, click through, and go to your youtube channel.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

    Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    /Challe

    This plan would not work simply because "posting in a forum from time to time" would not expose your signature enough times to drive traffic to YouTube.


    Also, to say you would be active in a forum, yet only post from time to time is at best a contradictory statement wouldn't you agree?


    It would be a better simple plan if you would be active in a forum creating contextual threads and replying to other forum members at a minimal of three times a week. When both your own threads and replies to others are of a high standard you will foster a high standard brand for yourself and possibly send some traffic to YouTube.


    Would it be worth it? Let's see how that work in a nutshell:


    1st Click. Person "might" read your thread and/or replies and "might" click your signature to YouTube.

    2nd Click. Person "might" watch your video t the end of the video where your money link is promoted.

    3rd Click. Person clicks your money link to in your "video description" to your own website or landing page or 3rd party affiliate offer, etc.
    Total Clicks: 3


    Let's say, in month one, you had 1,000 visitors to your offer from YT..
    Do you know how to track how many visitors came from YT?


    Lets say, in month one, you also had 1,000 visitors to your offer from Organic Traffic, e.g. Google..
    Do you know how to track how many visitors came from Google?


    That is just for starters as there is more such as conversions and ROI..
    Do you know how to pinpoint conversions and ROI?


    The answers to all of the above is not limited to cPanel..
    Do you know what cPanel is and how to use it?


    One of the the most successful and active members on this forum about YouTube is Mick of ProfitCopilot.com I highly recommend him and you can follow This Active Thread to learn more.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Forums are dying as a traffic source

    There are better sources of traffic out there

    Start with social media like Pinterest and long term asset building using YOUTUBE

    Forums are still good for BRANDING and B2B opportunities though
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  • Profile picture of the author Karl Sewon
    Thanks, I think I should start by setting my expectations very low, av goal of 100$ / month.

    I was previously burnt out from my internet marketing efforts, I tried everything but did get very little results from my efforts ( traffic/ sells ) so that's why I gave up. So I think I will have to change my approach.

    My skills is limited, forum posts and youtube videos is things I can do myself. If other things is needed I think I will need more help, what things can be outsourced and what should be avoided?
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  • Profile picture of the author rkahn
    Last 6 months, I've tried different stuff.

    Here are few things that gave most traffic:

    - constantly posting video reviews of trending topics on my YT channel
    - guest blogging
    - posting high-quality content on Forums and Subreddits. When you engage on the forum by posting high-quality content, you get a lot of exposure and some of that goes to your YT channel too.
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Abdey
      Originally Posted by rkahn View Post

      Last 6 months, I've tried different stuff.

      Here are few things that gave most traffic:

      - constantly posting video reviews of trending topics on my YT channel
      - guest blogging
      - posting high-quality content on Forums and Subreddits. When you engage on the forum by posting high-quality content, you get a lot of exposure and some of that goes to your YT channel too.
      It's not as easy as it was before. Sadly true
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  • Profile picture of the author spartan14
    Yea you complicate too much and you loose a lot of traffic if you do that .I think its better to use directy youtube and you will get way more traffic than posting to forums
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  • Profile picture of the author extrememan
    I would track and test your traffic plan every 90 days. Testing and tracking is really the only way you can determine it's working for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author jtxmisc
    I agree ....the only way to find out is test and track....no use reasoning or arguing which method is better, you will never come to a definite conclusion...you must change your mindset to instead of reasoning, I will just test and track
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  • Profile picture of the author Jouvan Johnson
    You are going to get so many different opinions and they say opinions are like A-holes, everyone has one.

    That being said, let me chuck my A-hole into the mix (be gentle).

    The only way you will REALLY know if your method is going to work is by testing it, just make sure you follow the rules of the forums you choose to participate in.

    Track what you do and record the results over an extended period of time. Then discard what isn't working and double down on what is.

    Jouvan
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  • Profile picture of the author alanbenney
    Wow, 10 years that is a long time to out of the game so much has changed. However, forum marketing still works great as long as you have the mindset to help people when you can.

    You are definitely on the right track with regards to Youtube video marketing is growing rapidly for sure but it does depend on what you are promoting is it your own product or other people's products (affiliate marketing).?

    What I have found although I spend time trying to help people here and on Quora if you really want to kick start your business fast then you need to consider paid advertising.

    It all about investing if you could invest a $1 and get back $2 in return how many times would you do it?

    But that's just me hope that helps
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  • Profile picture of the author wisecoach
    Yes it is good but not only depend on this ...try other method social media , facebook, tiktok is great to get massive exposure. You can not get massive exposure from only forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author ianternet
    I have been in the space for almost 16 years and I still use forums as a form of traffic, but it definitely is slowly dieing as signatures are just being overlooked. It will be dfinitely more content driven to your brand as a whole if anything.

    start with Youtube as it is a better source to get traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Offhander
    You could use the marketplace here but not the forum as per rules.

    As far as traffic, if you make great youtube clips you can definitely drive sales. Quality vids over quantity though
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  • Profile picture of the author Alchemist4
    Hello, I was told by a pro that this strategy is very effective in getting things done in the affiliate marketing space. I hope for the best for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Karl Sewon
    thanks all, I stumbled upon Micks Meaneys passive income course which I will follow. Keeping expectations low is healty for the mind, and see this as a long term plan.
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  • Profile picture of the author idreesfarooq
    Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

    Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    /Challe
    I used to launch products regularly and earn from affiliate promos then due to some medical issue I've to stop.

    I'm now starting again and I can understand your situation as I am facing the same where to and how to start.

    My plan is almost the same but I will definitely focus on building an email list and a quality followers base for my channel at youtube. This can only happened if you give quality stuff to your followers without worrying about money.

    For me earning is bi product of your learning and simply you should start sharing your learning with your followers honestly. Once you will gain their trust, you can provide them your links to buy or offer your mentoring etc.

    I hope this will help you in long run.
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  • Profile picture of the author Pretylove
    I think is a great idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    You have to realize that 10 years online is a long time. What worked well back then may not work now.

    You should focus on paid ads, tracking these ads to find out what works best and what doesn't.

    Also, building a list STILL works today.
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  • Profile picture of the author TobiMDD
    yes what I like about your plan is that you try to keep it simple.
    A reason why I failed for a long time was because I started overcomplicating things


    However it sounds like you are very concerned about getting traffic and I just want to mention here that traffic is not the problem as most people are thinking.


    Because the product what you are promoting needs to be of quality nowadays and this is what really makes the difference.


    A good working sales funnel with high-ticket commissions is required in order to generate an income online
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  • Profile picture of the author FaBiz
    Creat quality video around the niche you want to target.
    You want to get views that would hopefully be prospects for your affiliate link in description.

    FaBiz
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  • Profile picture of the author NathanCee
    Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

    Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    /Challe
    I think you'll be good around something that you are passionate about. It is a long-term plan but it is worth it. And because it is something that you love to do, it won't be that hard for you. You'll enjoy doing it.

    Create videos about it and offer a paid course online.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Flm
    Sounds like an economic harakiri.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Your simple "plan" 10 years ago really was never effective. Things have changed dramatically on the internet in the last 10 years, and change is happening exponentially now.

    You need to be posting massive content (articles, video, podcasts, social media, etc) to get attention. Emerging technology now is voice search (think Alexa, Google Home, Siri)

    Rather than promoting products/ services, your focus should be more on massive exposure to establish you as a brand (You, Inc).
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  • Profile picture of the author Alimekebret
    try other method social media , facebook, tiktok is great
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

    Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    /Challe
    Are you looking to make money from affiliate programs? It sounds like the end result of this process is to earn from raw affiliate links.

    It would be better to establish your own website, drive traffic from forums to your website... drive YouTube traffic to your website... and essentially build a list. THEN promote your affiliate product to your email list subscribers.
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  • Profile picture of the author JPs copy
    Decent idea. In your YouTube videos, encourage them to opt-in to an email list. Then every once in a while alternate between sending emails about new content and sending emails selling affiliate products.

    I see other YouTube channels with affiliate links in their descriptions. However, you're better off pushing them to an email list first. That way you own and control the list.
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisranjana.com
    Originally Posted by Karl Sewon View Post

    Hi, its been 10 years since I've done internet marketing, I thought I should start again, to earn some extra income.

    My plan is to continue be active in a forum that I posts in from time to time, and then point to my youtube channel, in the description have some affiliate links, so I will try to drive traffic from forum posts, is this a good simple plan?

    /Challe
    Well if your primary source of income is going to be youtube, then my 2 cents of advice would be to research your peers and competitors in your niche in youtube and then try to collaborate with them during the initial stages.

    Also some youtube niches may take months even years to start raking in the revenue.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Frink
    yes very good plan.
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  • Profile picture of the author davehayes
    10 years is a good length of time and reading what others have written, my suggestion would be the same as some, start a YouTube Channel and put video content there, that will drive traffic to your site for sure

    Another good place for getting traffic to a blog is Pinterest, I have my blog on in it and while I was sketpical initially about it, the stats from Pinterest show that it is getting as much traffic, possibly if not more than YouTube.

    Consistent daily work, will reap the rewards for sure
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    • Profile picture of the author Medon
      It is a good idea, once you get traffic on your You tube, you will then need to embed your site link to it to get you started.
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  • Yup, YouTube and mobile optimized traffic, which YouTube already does too.
    So that's a good start!
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  • Profile picture of the author Adam Daley
    I did the same thing. I worked in Marketing and Advertising and PR for around 7 years and then toured with my band for about 3 years so was out of the loop. This was all when Myspace was the rage and we promoted and did our marketing on there. Time away though when I came back I had to relearn everything, Social media marketing being one of the biggest, I was still a marketer so I knew what to do at a fundamental and copywriter level but learning all the systems, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest took a long time, so be prepared for a strong learning curve, some of its easy but some of its quite difficult so beware and welcome back!
    Adam
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  • Profile picture of the author msba2004
    HI Charlie,

    That sounds like a great way to do things. Once you have more traffic to you forum posts, you can start linking your Youtube channel and Affiliate links. Giving value in the forum before you start posting links, will get people more likely to click on your links.
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