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Smithsowninn
Joined:
10 Aug 2008
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:40 pm
Post subject: What is the appropriate way to advertise a product on forums
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Hi, I am new to affiliate marketing and just joined moreniche. Even thou I spent a week online researching. I do not understand the step by step ways of doing everything. According to MN first was emailing my friends I choose not to do that next is to put link code and advertisment text in forums. I do not understand. Any help would be much appreciated. By the way I love your sight. You have made it possiable for me to understand the concept of affiliate marketing. Before I had no idea! Thank You
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AllanGardyne
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:26 am
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When promoting stuff on forums, your first step is to try to figure out what's going on in the minds of the people who read whatever you write.
For example, if you're promoting a weight loss product, the appropriate place to do so would be on a forum which discusses weight loss. Those people are actively looking for the information you're providing.
Here are 5 ways to promote affiliate products in forums:
Technique 1. The most basic way to promote stuff on forums is to do what you've done above, using a teaser signature file - as long as the forum allows affiliate links in signature files. Some forums do, some don't. It's allowed here.
You could improve your signature by doing a spellcheck - "comsumning" needs fixing. (I use Firefox and automatically spellcheck as I type stuff on our forum.)
You could also improve your signature by making the affiliate link look less obvious - display words instead of the affiliate link. To discover how to do that, go to Profile, scroll down to the signature box and click on the "BB Code" link.
The big disadvantage of technique No.1 is that it's very much like having a job. You're working to build someone else's business, not your own. To me, that's a shortsighted strategy.
Technique 2. Create a simple web page which reviews the product. Ideally, you'd buy an interesting, memorable domain name, but if you're broke you can create a free "lens" at Squidoo.com and send people from the forum to that page.
Your review will describe in specific detail how the product helped you. If it's a weight loss product, photos would be good. You'd need to add a disclaimer that you're not a doctor and what you're providing isn't medical advice.
Technique 3. Create a report which contains very useful, helpful advice closely related to the topic. You can do this free using OpenOffice. Save it as a PDF.
Create a "squeeze" page offering to give everyone who signs up for your newsletter a free report. Provide useful, helpful info in your newsletter and occasional promote the affiliate product.
Technique 4. Use the squeeze page system above, but hook it up to an autoresponder service from Aweber or GetResponse. Now you're using the material you've written for your newsletter over and over again. Smart thinking! Each new subscriber starts with the first edition, and you can create an endless number of editions, giving you many chances to achieve a sale, and get repeat sales when you promote other products to your readers, as they get to know you and trust you.
Now you've build two valuable assets - a website with a memorable domain and a list of people who buy things from you.
Technique 5. This may get you kicked out of forums. Dumb, selfish oafs do it. They post an unhelpful teaser post which boasts about their knowledge and achievements and says something like, "Email me for details", or "See the link in my signature file for details". This is blatant self-promotion and not permitted here. Another problem with this technique is that it under-estimates the intelligence of the average forum reader.
Which ever method you use, it's very important that you actually participate on the forum in a friendly helpful way. Show off your knowledge. If you do that, people are more likely to be interested in you and in the products you recommend. Don't think of what you're doing as selling or advertising. Think of it as helping someone decide what to buy. Don't advertise. Help someone.
Hint: By now you're supposed to be so impressed that you'll read my signature file because you're curious to know more about the person who wrote this post. 
Did it work?
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Allan Gardyne
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pete
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160
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Hampton Roads VA
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:36 am
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And don't go to new forums and in your first or second post start talking about how great some product of service is.
For most other members, it is obvious what you are doing and you will get called out. possibly banned and definitely ruin your credibility for some time to come.
I see this often on wholesale/dropship forums, where people are generally protective of their own sources. Then soddenly someone will tell about this great supplier they found, during their first post. Sometimes they will be so stupid to have the same user name as the site they are bragging about.
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InternetMarketing_IQ
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:55 pm
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NC
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Last edited by InternetMarketing_IQ on Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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pete
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AllanGardyne
Site Admin
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:05 pm
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Smithsowninn, Just to explain what's being said here... One of the really dumb things newbies do is join a hundred forums and fly around them all placing the same question on each forum and then disappearing.
It's apparent to everyone except the newbie that the main purpose of the post is to try to get readers to click on the link in the signature file.
Another tactic is to make an idiotic, controversial statement which some forum members can't resist commenting on. The first post in the thread keeps getting seen.
The newbie may also be trying to get a little PageRank boost (if the forum hasn't nofollowed the signature links). Considering how simple it is to get such links, if you were a search engine engineer, would you place much importance on such links? I wouldn't.
While we're on the subject of dumb stuff, some newbies ask a question like, "What's the best way to get traffic to my site?" And then in their signature they link to their own site, which is called something like XYZGetWebsiteTraffic.com. Hello? They're promoting traffic ebooks but they don't know how to get traffic? Why would anyone believe their recommendations?
At first, it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a disguised promotion and a genuine plea for help from someone who desperately needs advice.
However, if the newbie is anonymous, links only to an affiliate program and doesn't return and participate, the topic usually dies down quickly as forum members realize they were conned.
The main point behind all this clueless action is that the newbie is desperately trying to make a sale and thinking, "I want to sell something," while totally ignoring the most important thing of all - what is going on in the minds of the forum members who are reading the post.
If you do things that make people suspicious, they're very unlikely to buy anything you recommend.
One of the most effective ways to make sales from a forum is to establish yourself as an authority on a topic and help people. If you give them useful tips, they'll feel good about you. You can see some good examples of this on this forum.
As a wise man once told me years ago, people like buying from people they know, like and trust.
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AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it!
Last edited by AllanGardyne on Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:24 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jim Guinn
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:17 pm
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Gotta agree with Quest.
Jim
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Smithsowninn
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AllanGardyne
Site Admin
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:06 am
Post subject: Re: WoW!
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| Smithsowninn wrote: | | About the BBCODE how do I change my links with words? |
At the top of this page, Click on Profile.
Scroll down.
Look beside the signature box for the "BBCode" link.
Click on it.
Look for the "Creating Links" section
Click on this link: "Linking to another site".
Read the examples. Here's one...
| Code: | | [url=http://www.example.com/]Words here[/url] |
If you write that in your signature file, it will look like...
Words here
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Allan Gardyne
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Publisher-For-You
Joined:
04 Jun 2007
Posts:
252
Location:
Gainesville Florida USA
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:47 am
Post subject:
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| AllanGardyne wrote: | | The newbie may also be trying to get a little PageRank boost (if the forum hasn't nofollowed the signature links). Considering how simple it is to get such links, if you were a search engine engineer, would you place much importance on such links? I wouldn't. |
I've wondered about this. It seems the current fad in link building is blog commenting and forum posting, with signature link.
If you do it right, actually contribute real content, on blogs/forums you are actually interested in, it can be a fun way to build links. You know, something productive to do when you're too tired for real work.
But, all these kind of links are a form of the poster "voting for themselves" in search engine terms, so one wonders when the "comment links are dead" backlash will begin. Or has it already, and I missed it?
Here's a pretty decent site on link building: linkbuildingbible.com
I don't know enough about SEO to evaluate the various techniques offered in any detail, and often wonder who really can.
I've been working on blog/forum posting recently, and have been tracking the clicks from each domain I've posted on.
Tracking the clicks tells me which domains merit the most time investment.
My conclusion so far is that you get enough direct traffic from blog/forum postings (setting aside SEO issues) that it qualifies as a productive hobby.
I thought initially that the traffic would die off immediately once a thread sank off the top of the page, but have been pleasantly surprised to see it continue.
I'm guessing anyone could get their traffic up to 100 visitors a day by direct traffic clicks alone, if they patiently chipped away at it over time.
The key to that would seem to be to have fun, so you'll keep at ut, and make sure you're adding something of value to the blogs/forums you visit.
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Smithsowninn
Joined:
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:46 pm
Post subject: Confused
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Hi all...I truely new at this. I am not a spammer. I have not been to any other forums but moreniche but the person that might be able to help me is on vacation. I have not made a website yet because I need to do things in steps (very overwhelmed). I do not understand how to change my tracking link code to read "What Ever". It looks like from some commits made that it is easy but I am not getting it  . Do I delete part of the code and add "what ever" based on what I am trying to do or do I add to the code "like continuing the code or another line added to the code? I do appreciated everybodys commits including the negative ones because then I learn what is good and excetable and what is not. Thank You! |
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Smithsowninn
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AllanGardyne
Site Admin
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:41 am
Post subject:
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The code is correct, so you've learned something useful.
Your next step is to work on improving the words you've chosen.
1. There's the spelling mistake I told you about.
2. You've asked a question without using a question mark.
3. You've run two sentences into one sentence.
It's probably also a bit too wordy. See if you can make it shorter and punchier.
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Allan Gardyne
AssociatePrograms.com - You're here. Explore it! |
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Smithsowninn
Joined:
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:41 pm
Post subject:
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HI Allen,
Once again thank you for your help! I made the corrections. I tried to make it shorter. Now I feel I will be able to contribute to health forums and maybe get some sales. I am looking at this new endeavor as an opportunity to learn. ALSO ALL YOU NEWBIES LIKE ME THAT FEEL OVERWHELMED DON'T GIVE UP!
By the way my main interest is health related issues so if you or anyone else has a question I will be more then happy to give my opinion. 
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Publisher-For-You
Joined:
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252
Location:
Gainesville Florida USA
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:47 pm
Post subject:
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Hey, I like the new sig. Big improvement, well done.
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